Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SH-3

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SH-3, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are sold by Olympus. There is a significant difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and SH-3 (16MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and SH-3 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-P3 was brought out 5 years prior to the SH-3 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a full comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-P3 grades vs the SH-3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P3 and Olympus Stylus SH-3. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery and Olympus SH-3 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P3 comes with outside 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) and the Olympus SH-3 has dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SH-3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the E-P3 vs the SH-3.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and SH-3 is 86 and 88 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements purely by looking at specs. The graphic underneath should give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and SH-3.

All in all, both of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SH-3 will resolve extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older E-P3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.