Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic GH1

Below, we are matching up the Olympus SH-3 versus Panasonic GH1, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the SH-3 (16MP) and GH1 (12MP) and the SH-3 (1/2.3") and GH1 (Four Thirds) use different sensor sizes.

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The SH-3 was brought out 6 years after the GH1 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short summation of how the SH-3 grades against the GH1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SH-3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SH-3 Gallery & Panasonic GH1 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-3 offers physical measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Panasonic GH1 has dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") along with a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SH-3 versus Panasonic GH1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the SH-3 compared to the GH1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-3 and GH1 is 88 and 81 respectively.

Normally, it is difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizes purely by viewing specs. The picture here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-3 and GH1.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SH-3 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus SH-3 will provide you with greater detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more recent SH-3 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.