Olympus E-P2 vs Olympus SH-3

Following is a extensive review of the Olympus E-P2 vs Olympus SH-3, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both created by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-P2 (12MP) and SH-3 (16MP) and the E-P2 (Four Thirds) and SH-3 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P2 was released 6 years prior to the SH-3 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-P2 matches up against the SH-3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P2 & Olympus Stylus SH-3. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-P2 Gallery & Olympus SH-3 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P2 comes with external measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Olympus SH-3 has dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

See the Olympus E-P2 vs Olympus SH-3 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-P2 vs the SH-3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P2 and SH-3 is 86 and 88 respectively.

Typically, it is hard to picture the difference in sensor sizes purely by looking through technical specs. The image below may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P2 and SH-3.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-P2 due to its larger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus SH-3 will render greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-P2 will be behind in sensor tech.