Olympus SH-50 vs Sony A7R III

Below is a in-depth assessment of the Olympus SH-50 and Sony A7R III, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the SH-50 (16MP) and A7R III (42MP) and the SH-50 (1/2.3") and A7R III (Full frame) boast totally different sensor measurements.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The SH-50 was unveiled 5 years before the A7R III and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SH-50 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7R III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a short highlight of how the SH-50 grades against the A7R III when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SH-50 & Sony Alpha A7R III. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus SH-50 Gallery & Sony A7R III Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera, you will have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SH-50 features outside dimensions of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Sony A7R III has specifications of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 657 grams (1.45 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SH-50 and Sony A7R III in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the SH-50 against the A7R III.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SH-50 and A7R III is 88 and 63 respectively.

More often than not, it is hard to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by going over specs. The photograph below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-50 and A7R III.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SH-50 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A7R III will deliver more detail having an extra 26MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures more aggressively. The older SH-50 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.