Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony NEX-3N, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the NEX-3N (16MP) is relatively similar but the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and NEX-3N (APS-C) posses different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-16 iHS was manufactured about the same time to the NEX-3N and they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the SZ-16 iHS matches up against the NEX-3N with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony Alpha NEX-3N. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-16 iHS Gallery and Sony NEX-3N Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to travel with your camera often, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS features external dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony NEX-3N has specifications of 110mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony NEX-3N in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the SZ-16 iHS vs the NEX-3N.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-16 iHS and NEX-3N is 89 and 89 respectively.

Often, it's hard to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading specs. The picture underneath may provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-16 iHS and NEX-3N.

All in all, each of these cameras come with the identical resolution albeit different sensor dimensions. The SZ-16 iHS provides the tinier sensor which is going to make getting shallow DOF harder.