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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-3

Portability
71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Olympus Stylus SH-3 front
Portability
88 Imaging
41 Features
51 Overall
45

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-3 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
Olympus SH-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Introduced February 2016
  • Previous Model is Olympus SH-2
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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-3 Overview

The following is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-M1 versus Olympus SH-3, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are manufactured by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the SH-3 (16MP) is relatively comparable but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and SH-3 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M1 was revealed 3 years earlier than the SH-3 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-M1 matches up versus the SH-3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus SH-3

          

          

            
 E-M1 SH-3 
Focus manually  Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k460kCrisper screen (+577k dot)
          

        


        

          

            
Reasons to pick Olympus SH-3 over the Olympus E-M1

          

          

            
 SH-3 E-M1 
IntroducedFebruary 2016October 2013Newer by 27 months
          

        


        

          

            
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SH-3

          

          

            
 E-M1 SH-3 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Selfie screen  No selfie screen
Touch screen  Quickly navigate
          

        

        

	
	
	
	

        

          

            
Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-3 Physical Comparison

          

          

            
For those who are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 comes with exterior dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Olympus SH-3 has measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-M1 versus Olympus SH-3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M1 compared to the SH-3.
Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-3 size comparison
Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and SH-3 is 71 and 88 respectively.
Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-3 top view buttons comparison          

        


        

          

            
Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-3 Sensor Comparison

          

          

            
Typically, it is tough to see the difference in sensor dimensions purely by seeing technical specs. The pic underneath may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and SH-3.
As you have seen, each of these cameras have the same megapixels albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The E-M1 comes with the bigger sensor which will make achieving shallower DOF easier. The more aged E-M1 will be behind in sensor tech.

            Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-3 sensor size comparison
          

        


        

          

            
Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-3 Screen and ViewFinder

          

          

                      

          Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison        


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Photography Type Scores

          

        

        
Portrait Comparison
Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1
Portrait photography with Olympus SH-3
71
 focusing manually
 flash sync is higher than normal (1/320 seconds)
 megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
 nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
 includes face detect focus
 saves RAW formats
44
 good megapixels (16MP)
 comes with face detection focusing
 exports RAW formats
 focusing manually not possible
 can't use external flash
 tiny sensor (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison
 Olympus E-M1 as a Street photography camera
 Olympus SH-3 as a Street photography camera
77
 screen tilts up and down
 has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
 saves RAW formats
 boasts touch to focus
 environment proofing
 lighter than competition (497 grams)
 great ISO range (25,600)
70
 image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 exports RAW formats
 supports focus by touch
 lighter than competition in class (271g)
 screen is fixed
 tiny sensor (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison
Olympus E-M1 Sports photography information
Olympus SH-3 Sports photography information
69
 great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
 has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 megapixel count decent (16MP)
 nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
 includes tracking focus
 environment proofing
 sensor has phase detect auto focus
 terrible battery (350 CIPA)
51
 excellent zoom range (25-600mm  24.0 x zoom)
 image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 good megapixels (16 megapixels)
 comes with tracking autofocus
 good battery power (380 CIPA)
 no shutter priority mode
 tiny sensor (1/2.3")
 does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison
Olympus E-M1 Travel photography details
Olympus SH-3 Travel photography details
65
 lighter than competition (497 grams)
 environment proofing
 boasts touch to focus
 megapixel count decent (16MP)
 terrible battery (350 per charge)
 doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
74
 good battery power (380 CIPA)
 lighter than competition in class (271 grams)
 supports focus by touch
 good megapixels (16 megapixels)
 built-in flash
 quite wide (25mm)
 long reach (600mm)
 display is not selfie friendly
 somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison
Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus SH-3 Landscape photography highlights
72
 focusing manually
 swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
 screen size is good (3 inches)
 has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
 nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
 great ISO range (25,600)
 saves RAW formats
 environment proofing
 terrible battery (350 CIPA)
55
 quite wide (25mm)
 good sized screen (3")
 image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 good megapixels (16MP)
 exports RAW formats
 good battery power (380 shots)
 focusing manually not possible
 lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
 somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
 tiny sensor (1/2.3")
Photography Glossary
Vlogging Comparison
 Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
 Olympus SH-3 as a Vlogging camera
36
 touchscreen
 has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 includes face detect focus
 high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
 includes microphone support
 lighter than competition (497 grams)
 doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
35
 quite wide (25mm)
 touchscreen capability
 image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 comes with face detection focusing
 video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
 lighter than competition in class (271 grams)
 somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
 display is not selfie friendly
 does not have external microphone support
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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-3 Specifications

          

          

                      


          

            Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SH-3
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Olympus Stylus SH-3
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Olympus Stylus SH-3
Type Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2013-10-28 2016-02-08
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePIC VII TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter    
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and  16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and  16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW images    
Autofocusing
Focus manually    
Touch to focus    
Continuous autofocus    
Single autofocus    
Autofocus tracking    
Autofocus selectice    
Center weighted autofocus    
Autofocus multi area    
Live view autofocus    
Face detect autofocus    
Contract detect autofocus    
Phase detect autofocus    
Total focus points 81 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly    
Liveview    
Touch display    
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 11.5 frames/s
Shutter priority    
Aperture priority    
Manual mode    
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance    
Image stabilization    
Built-in flash    
Flash distance no built-in flash 8.30 m (at ISO 3200)
Flash options Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off
External flash    
AE bracketing    
White balance bracketing    
Highest flash synchronize 1/320 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering    
Average metering    
Spot metering    
Partial metering    
AF area metering    
Center weighted metering    
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (15 fps), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG H.264
Microphone support    
Headphone support    
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth    
NFC    
HDMI    
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing    
Water proofing    
Dust proofing    
Shock proofing    
Crush proofing    
Freeze proofing    
Weight 497g (1.10 lbs) 271g (0.60 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light rating 757 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 380 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording    
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $799 $579