Olympus SH-1 vs Sony NEX-3
88 Imaging
40 Features
53 Overall
45


89 Imaging
53 Features
55 Overall
53
Olympus SH-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
- 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
- Announced March 2014
- Successor is Olympus SH-2
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- 1280 x 720 video
- Sony E Mount
- 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
- Introduced June 2010
- Successor is Sony NEX-C3

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview
Below is a extensive review of the Olympus SH-1 vs Sony NEX-3, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SH-1 (16MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is very similar but the SH-1 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

The SH-1 was manufactured 3 years later than the NEX-3 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before we go into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the SH-1 matches up against the NEX-3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus SH-1 and Sony Alpha NEX-3. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SH-1 Gallery and Sony NEX-3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus SH-1 over the Sony NEX-3
SH-1 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | March 2014 | ![]() | June 2010 | More recent by 47 months |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus SH-1
NEX-3 | SH-1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very exact focusing | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display resolution | 920k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper display (+460k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus SH-1 and Sony NEX-3
SH-1 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display measurements |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Missing selfie screen |
Olympus SH-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus SH-1 offers outside measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) while the Sony NEX-3 has sizing of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).
Examine the Olympus SH-1 vs Sony NEX-3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the SH-1 compared to the NEX-3.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SH-1 and NEX-3 is 88 and 89 respectively.

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, its tough to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading specs. The graphic here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the SH-1 and NEX-3.
All in all, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SH-1 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Olympus SH-1 will offer you greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more modern SH-1 should have a benefit in sensor technology.

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications
Olympus Stylus SH-1 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus Stylus SH-1 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 |
Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Announced | 2014-03-31 | 2010-06-07 |
Body design | Compact | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic VII | Bionz |
Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 365.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4592 x 3056 |
Maximum native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Total focus points | - | 25 |
Cross type focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | Sony E |
Lens zoom range | 25-600mm (24.0x) | - |
Largest aperture | f/3.0-6.9 | - |
Macro focusing range | 3cm | - |
Available lenses | - | 121 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display sizing | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Display resolution | 460 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Display technology | - | TFT Xtra Fine LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | None |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 30s | 30s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 12.0 frames/s | 7.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | - | 12.00 m |
Flash modes | - | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | - | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | H.264 | MPEG-4 |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 271 gr (0.60 lb) | 297 gr (0.65 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") | 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | 68 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 22.1 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 12.0 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 830 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 380 shots | 330 shots |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | LI-92B | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Cost at release | $349 | $0 |