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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3

Portability
85
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Olympus Stylus SH-3 front
Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Revealed February 2018
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL8
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
  • Revealed February 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus SH-2
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3 Overview

Following is a complete comparison of the Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are produced by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the SH-3 (16MP) is relatively well matched but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and SH-3 (1/2.3") provide different sensor size.

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The E-PL9 was introduced 2 years after the SH-3 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 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 highlight of how the E-PL9 scores against the SH-3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Olympus SH-3

 E-PL9 SH-3 
RevealedFebruary 2018February 2016More modern by 25 months
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1040k460kClearer screen (+580k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-3 over the Olympus E-PL9

 SH-3 E-PL9 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus SH-3

 E-PL9 SH-3 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL9 offers external dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) while the Olympus SH-3 has measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL9 versus the SH-3.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and SH-3 is 85 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes purely by checking specs. The picture underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and SH-3.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras provide the same megapixel count albeit different sensor sizes. The E-PL9 uses the bigger sensor which should make obtaining shallower depth of field less difficult. The younger E-PL9 should have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Portrait photography info
Olympus SH-3 Portrait photography info
73
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW files
44
good megapixels (16MP)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Street photography information
Olympus SH-3 Street photography information
84
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
boasts focus via touch
70
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
includes touch to focus
lighter than others in class (271 grams)
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL9
Sports photography with Olympus SH-3
69
silent shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
51
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
better than average battery pack (380 per charge)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL9
Travel photography with Olympus SH-3
77
connects via bluetooth
boasts focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
screen isn't selfie friendly
74
better than average battery pack (380 shots)
lighter than others in class (271 grams)
includes touch to focus
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Landscape photography info
Olympus SH-3 Landscape photography info
80
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
55
relatively wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16MP)
supports RAW formats
better than average battery pack (380 CIPA)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Vlogging information
Olympus SH-3 Vlogging information
35
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of mic support
35
relatively wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
lighter than others in class (271g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic port
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SH-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus SH-3
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Olympus Stylus SH-3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL9 Olympus Stylus SH-3
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2018-02-08 2016-02-08
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VIII TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Maximum enhanced ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 200 125
RAW pictures
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
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 121 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 1,040 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Max quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 8.6 frames per second 11.5 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 8.30 m (at ISO 3200)
Flash settings Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 (15 fps), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 380 grams (0.84 lbs) 271 grams (0.60 lbs)
Physical dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 380 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - 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 card (UHS-I supported) SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $599 $579