Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SH-2

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus SH-2, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are sold by Olympus. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and SH-2 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and SH-2 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL3 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the SH-2 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-PL3 grades vs the SH-2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Olympus Stylus SH-2. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Olympus SH-2 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 offers outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Olympus SH-2 has sizing 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-PL3 and Olympus SH-2 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL3 against the SH-2.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and SH-2 is 88 and 88 respectively.

Usually, it can be difficult to visualise the difference between sensor measurements just by checking specifications. The graphic below will provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and SH-2.

Plainly, both cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 due to its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus SH-2 will give extra detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.