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Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic SZ3

Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Stylus SH-3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
40
Features
29
Overall
35

Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Key Specs

Olympus SH-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Introduced February 2016
  • Superseded the Olympus SH-2
Panasonic SZ3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 126g - 95 x 56 x 22mm
  • Announced January 2013
Photography Glossary

Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Overview

Its time to examine more closely at the Olympus SH-3 versus Panasonic SZ3, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the SH-3 (16MP) and the SZ3 (16MP) is very well matched and they feature the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SH-3 was brought out 3 years later than the SZ3 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief overview of how the SH-3 scores vs the SZ3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-3 over the Panasonic SZ3

 SH-3 SZ3 
AnnouncedFebruary 2016January 2013Fresher by 38 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ3 over the Olympus SH-3

 SZ3 SH-3 

Common features in the Olympus SH-3 and Panasonic SZ3

 SH-3 SZ3 
Manual focus No manual focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus SH-3 provides 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) while the Panasonic SZ3 has measurements of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SH-3 versus Panasonic SZ3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the SH-3 and the SZ3.

Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic SZ3 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-3 and SZ3 is 88 and 96 respectively.

Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic SZ3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizing simply by checking specs. The graphic here might offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-3 and SZ3.

All in all, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements and the same megapixels and you can expect similar quality of pictures however you would want to take the launch date of the products into consideration. The more modern SH-3 provides an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic SZ3 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-3 Portrait photography features
Panasonic SZ3 Portrait photography features
44
good resolution (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW files
focusing manually not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
30
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SH-3
Street photography with Panasonic SZ3
70
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
offers touch to focus
lighter than competition in class (271g)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
64
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (126 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-3 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic SZ3 as a Sports photography camera
51
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
good battery power (380 shots)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
41
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-3 Travel photography info
Panasonic SZ3 Travel photography info
74
good battery power (380 shots)
lighter than competition in class (271 grams)
offers touch to focus
good resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
71
lighter than competition in class (126g)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
great reach (250mm)
lack of Timelapse function
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic SZ3 as a Landscape photography camera
55
decently wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
exports RAW files
good battery power (380 per charge)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
39
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
manual focus not available
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7")
manual mode not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-3 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic SZ3 Vlogging highlights
35
decently wide (25mm)
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (271g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
lack of external mic socket
31
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (126g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone socket
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Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-3 and Panasonic SZ3
 Olympus Stylus SH-3Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Stylus SH-3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2016-02-08 2013-01-07
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing range 3cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 11.5 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) 4.10 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (15 fps), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video file format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 271 gr (0.60 lb) 126 gr (0.28 lb)
Dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 95 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 380 images 250 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $579 $150