Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3

Here, we are analyzing the Olympus SH-3 versus Pentax K-3, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SH-3 (16MP) and K-3 (24MP) and the SH-3 (1/2.3") and K-3 (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The SH-3 was released 23 months later than the K-3 making them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a in depth comparison, here is a short overview of how the SH-3 grades against the K-3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SH-3 & Pentax K-3. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus SH-3 Gallery & Pentax K-3 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus SH-3 offers outer dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 has specifications of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SH-3 versus Pentax K-3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the SH-3 versus the K-3.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-3 and K-3 is 88 and 59 respectively.

Sometimes, it is difficult to see the difference in sensor measurements simply by looking through technical specs. The visual below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-3 and K-3.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SH-3 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-3 will render extra detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The newer SH-3 will have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.