Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SH-2
86 Imaging
48 Features
60 Overall
52


88 Imaging
40 Features
51 Overall
44
Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SH-2 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
- Launched August 2011
- Previous Model is Olympus E-P2
- Later Model is Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 125 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
- 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
- Revealed March 2015
- Succeeded the Olympus SH-1
- New Model is Olympus SH-3

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SH-2 Overview
On this page, we will be comparing the Olympus E-P3 versus Olympus SH-2, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are produced by Olympus. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and SH-2 (16MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and SH-2 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

The E-P3 was introduced 4 years earlier than the SH-2 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera.
Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-P3 matches up against the SH-2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SH-2 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Olympus Stylus SH-2. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Olympus SH-2 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Olympus SH-2
E-P3 | SH-2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very accurate focus | ||
Screen resolution | 614k | ![]() | 460k | Clearer screen (+154k dot) |
Reasons to pick Olympus SH-2 over the Olympus E-P3
SH-2 | E-P3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | March 2015 | ![]() | August 2011 | Newer by 43 months |
Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Olympus SH-2
E-P3 | SH-2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen sizing |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither offers selfie screen | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SH-2 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P3 offers external dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Olympus SH-2 has dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).
Examine the Olympus E-P3 versus Olympus SH-2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-P3 and the SH-2.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and SH-2 is 86 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SH-2 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is tough to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions merely by looking at technical specs. The pic here may offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and SH-2.
As you can tell, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-P3 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus SH-2 will give you greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-P3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SH-2 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SH-2 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-P3 | Olympus Stylus SH-2 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Olympus |
Model | Olympus PEN E-P3 | Olympus Stylus SH-2 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Launched | 2011-08-17 | 2015-03-11 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic VI | 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 surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4608 x 3456 |
Highest native ISO | 12800 | 6400 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 125 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-600mm (24.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.0-6.9 |
Macro focus range | - | 3cm |
Available lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of screen | 614 thousand dots | 460 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Screen tech | 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 3.0 frames/s | 11.5 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) | 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/180 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | H.264 |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 369g (0.81 lb) | 271g (0.60 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") | 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 51 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 20.8 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.1 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 536 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 330 photos | 380 photos |
Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLS-5 | LI-92B |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC card | SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Cost at release | $0 | $399 |