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Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS3

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43
Olympus SH-50 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS3 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 ZS3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Released May 2009
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ7
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Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS3 Overview

The following is a complete review of the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic ZS3, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SH-50 (16MP) and ZS3 (10MP) but they come with the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SH-50 was brought out 3 years after the ZS3 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the SH-50 matches up vs the ZS3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Panasonic ZS3

 SH-50 ZS3 
ReleasedJanuary 2013May 2009Newer by 45 months
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Olympus SH-50

 ZS3 SH-50 

Common features in the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic ZS3

 SH-50 ZS3 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Display resolution460k460kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS3 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-50 comes with external dimensions of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS3 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic ZS3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the SH-50 and the ZS3.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SH-50 and ZS3 is 88 and 91 respectively.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions purely by seeing specs. The image below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-50 and ZS3.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can expect to see the Olympus SH-50 to show more detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images much more aggressively. The more recent SH-50 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS3 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SH-50
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS3
44
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
comes with face detect autofocus
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
19
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Street photography features
Panasonic ZS3 Street photography features
64
image stabilization (Optical)
features focus via touch
lighter than competition (269 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (229 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-50 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS3 as a Sports photography camera
48
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
24
built in image stabilization (Optical)
slow fps (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-50 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS3 as a Travel photography camera
69
lighter than competition (269 grams)
features focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.0)
63
lighter than others in class (229g)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
long zoom (300mm)
no Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS3 Landscape photography information
49
manual focus
really wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
does not have Time Lapse mode
35
pretty wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
lack of manual exposure
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SH-50
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS3
34
really wide (25mm)
touch screen
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (269g)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
does not have mic support
30
pretty wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (229 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic jack
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Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic ZS3
 Olympus SH-50Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SH-50 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ7
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2013-01-08 2009-05-14
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
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
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus distance 5cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
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 speed 12.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, 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 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD Lite
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 269 grams (0.59 lb) 229 grams (0.50 lb)
Dimensions 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model SLB-10A -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Launch price $300 $200