Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SH-3

Here is a in-depth review of the Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SH-3, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Olympus. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and SH-3 (16MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and SH-3 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The PEN-F was released within a month of the SH-3 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the PEN-F scores versus the SH-3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN-F and Olympus Stylus SH-3. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus PEN-F Gallery and Olympus SH-3 Gallery.

When you are planning to carry your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus PEN-F comes with external dimensions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") and a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Olympus SH-3 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).

Look at the Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SH-3 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the PEN-F compared to the SH-3.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the PEN-F and SH-3 is 84 and 88 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to see the difference in sensor sizing purely by looking through a spec sheet. The graphic here will help offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the PEN-F and SH-3.

As you can see, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The PEN-F due to its bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh simpler and the Olympus PEN-F will render greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively.