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Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LX3

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43
Olympus SH-50 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
34
Features
40
Overall
36

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LX3 Key Specs

Olympus SH-50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 269g - 112 x 63 x 42mm
  • Introduced January 2013
Panasonic LX3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-60mm (F2.0-2.8) lens
  • 265g - 109 x 60 x 27mm
  • Revealed November 2008
  • Updated by Panasonic LX5
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Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LX3 Overview

Let's look much closer at the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic LX3, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference between the resolutions of the SH-50 (16MP) and LX3 (10MP) and the SH-50 (1/2.3") and LX3 (1/1.63") have totally different sensor sizes.

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The SH-50 was revealed 4 years after the LX3 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the SH-50 grades vs the LX3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Panasonic LX3

 SH-50 LX3 
RevealedJanuary 2013November 2008Newer by 51 months
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic LX3 over the Olympus SH-50

 LX3 SH-50 

Common features in the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic LX3

 SH-50 LX3 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Screen resolution460k460kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LX3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-50 has outer measurements of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Panasonic LX3 has dimensions of 109mm x 60mm x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic LX3 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at the time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the SH-50 and the LX3.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LX3 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the SH-50 and LX3 is 88 and 91 respectively.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LX3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LX3 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very difficult to see the gap between sensor dimensions merely by reviewing specs. The picture underneath may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-50 and LX3.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SH-50 using its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Olympus SH-50 will offer you more detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The more recent SH-50 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LX3 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LX3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LX3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SH-50
Portrait photography with Panasonic LX3
44
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
features face detect autofocus
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
40
manual focus
supports RAW files
low megapixels (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/1.63")
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Street Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Street photography features
Panasonic LX3 Street photography features
64
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with focus via touch
lighter than competition in class (269g)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/1.63")
heavier than competitors in class (265g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Sports photography details
Panasonic LX3 Sports photography details
48
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
features tracking focus
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
27
built in image stabilization (Optical)
low frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/1.63")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SH-50
Travel photography with Panasonic LX3
69
lighter than competition in class (269 grams)
comes with focus via touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
long zoom (600mm)
does not have Timelapse function
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
60
built-in flash
rather wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
no Time Lapse recording
heavier than competitors in class (265 grams)
low megapixels (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SH-50
Landscape photography with Panasonic LX3
49
you can focus manually
quite wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
does not have Timelapse function
52
manual focus
rather wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/1.63")
no Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Vlogging features
Panasonic LX3 Vlogging features
34
quite wide (25mm)
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (269 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
does not have microphone port
30
rather wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic support
heavier than competitors in class (265g)
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Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LX3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic LX3
 Olympus SH-50Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SH-50 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2013-01-08 2008-11-04
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/1.63"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 8.07 x 5.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 44.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-60mm (2.5x)
Max aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.0-2.8
Macro focus range 5cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 4.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 15 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 12.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m 8.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 1280 x 720 (HD 24 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (10fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
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 269 gr (0.59 lbs) 265 gr (0.58 lbs)
Physical dimensions 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") 109 x 60 x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 39
DXO Color Depth score not tested 19.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 10.8
DXO Low light score not tested 94
Other
Battery model SLB-10A -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $300 $449