Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic S5

Following is a in depth analysis of the Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic S5, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the SH-3 (16MP) and S5 (24MP) and the SH-3 (1/2.3") and S5 (Full frame) have totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SH-3 was manufactured 5 years prior to the S5 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the SH-3 scores against the S5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus SH-3 and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SH-3 Gallery and Panasonic S5 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SH-3 provides physical dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) while the Panasonic S5 has specifications of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") and a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic S5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the SH-3 compared to the S5.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the SH-3 and S5 is 88 and 60 respectively.

Usually, it can be difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizes merely by reading through a spec sheet. The image below may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-3 and S5.

Clearly, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The SH-3 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Panasonic S5 will resolve extra detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged SH-3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.