Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic GF1

Its time to examine more in depth at the Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic GF1, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the SH-3 (16MP) and GF1 (12MP) and the SH-3 (1/2.3") and GF1 (Four Thirds) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The SH-3 was revealed 6 years later than the GF1 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GF1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the SH-3 grades against the GF1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus SH-3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus SH-3 Gallery and Panasonic GF1 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-3 has physical 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) and the Panasonic GF1 has dimensions of 119mm x 71mm x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic GF1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the SH-3 and the GF1.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the SH-3 and GF1 is 88 and 85 respectively.

Usually, it's difficult to see the gap in sensor measurements simply by going through specs. The visual below may give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the SH-3 and GF1.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SH-3 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Olympus SH-3 will show more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots far more aggressively. The newer SH-3 is going to have a benefit in sensor tech.