Clicky

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3

Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Stylus SH-3 front
 
Pentax K-3 front
Portability
59
Imaging
65
Features
85
Overall
73

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3 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
  • Released February 2016
  • Older Model is Olympus SH-2
Pentax K-3
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Released April 2014
  • Renewed by Pentax K-3 II
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3 Overview

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.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

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.

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-3 over the Pentax K-3

 SH-3 K-3 
ReleasedFebruary 2016April 2014More recent by 23 months
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 over the Olympus SH-3

 K-3 SH-3 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Display size3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k460kSharper display (+577k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SH-3 and Pentax K-3

 SH-3 K-3 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3 size comparison

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

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-3 Portrait photography factors
Pentax K-3 Portrait photography factors
44
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
provides face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
lack of manual focus
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
79
you can focus manually
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Street Comparison

Olympus SH-3 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-3 as a Street photography camera
70
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
boasts touch focus
lighter than others (271g)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
69
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
very good ISO range (51,200)
screen is fixed
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-3 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-3 Sports photography highlights
51
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
good battery power (380 per charge)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery life (560 shots)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SH-3
Travel photography with Pentax K-3
74
good battery power (380 shots)
lighter than others (271 grams)
boasts touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
60
weather proof
good resolution (24 megapixels)
flash built-in
not so great battery life (560 shots)
does not feature selfie friendly display
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-3 Landscape photography advice
Pentax K-3 Landscape photography advice
55
really wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
exports RAW formats
good battery power (380 per charge)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
77
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3.2")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
does not have low pass filter
very good ISO range (51,200)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
has double storage slots
not so great battery life (560 per charge)
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-3 Vlogging features
Pentax K-3 Vlogging features
35
really wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
lighter than others (271g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
does not have microphone port
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external mic port
does not feature selfie friendly display
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-3 and Pentax K-3
 Olympus Stylus SH-3Pentax K-3
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus Stylus SH-3 Pentax K-3
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Released 2016-02-08 2014-04-10
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Prime III
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 6016 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 51200
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 27
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focusing range 3cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3.2 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 11.5fps 8.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off Auto, on, off, red-eye, slow sync, slow sync + red-eye, trailing curtain sync, high speed, wireless, manual
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (15 fps), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 271g (0.60 lbs) 800g (1.76 lbs)
Physical dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 80
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 1216
Other
Battery life 380 shots 560 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 2
Pricing at release $579 $639