Olympus SH-3 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus SH-3 versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both sold by Olympus. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the SH-3 (16MP) and XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the SH-3 (1/2.3") and XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") have different sensor sizing.

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The SH-3 was manufactured 3 years later than the XZ-2 iHS and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before we go into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple view of how the SH-3 scores against the XZ-2 iHS in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SH-3 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SH-3 Gallery and Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry your camera, you have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus SH-3 enjoys external 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 Olympus XZ-2 iHS has sizing of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") along with a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SH-3 versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the SH-3 versus the XZ-2 iHS.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the SH-3 and XZ-2 iHS is 88 and 85 respectively.

Often, it's hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizing only by looking at technical specs. The visual below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the SH-3 and XZ-2 iHS.

As you have seen, both of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SH-3 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF tougher and the Olympus SH-3 will give you more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images way more aggressively. The more recent SH-3 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.