Olympus SZ-11 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus SZ-11 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sigma. The resolution of the SZ-11 (14MP) and the DP3 Merrill (15MP) is fairly close but the SZ-11 (1/2.3") and DP3 Merrill (APS-C) come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The SZ-11 was introduced 17 months earlier than the DP3 Merrill making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera and the Sigma DP3 Merrill being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick overview of how the SZ-11 grades vs the DP3 Merrill when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-11 and Sigma DP3 Merrill. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-11 Gallery and Sigma DP3 Merrill Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-11 comes with exterior dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sigma DP3 Merrill has measurements of 122mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.3") along with a weight of 330 grams (0.73 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SZ-11 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the SZ-11 and the DP3 Merrill.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-11 and DP3 Merrill is 89 and 83 respectively.

In many cases, it can be difficult to see the contrast in sensor measurements merely by looking through technical specs. The graphic underneath should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-11 and DP3 Merrill.

As you have seen, both of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SZ-11 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sigma DP3 Merrill will provide you with more detail using its extra 1 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The older SZ-11 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.