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Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-50

Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Stylus SH-3 front
 
Pentax K-50 front
Portability
63
Imaging
58
Features
65
Overall
60

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-50 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
  • Replaced the Olympus SH-2
Pentax K-50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 650g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Revealed November 2013
  • Old Model is Pentax K-30
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Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-50 Overview

In this article, we are analyzing the Olympus SH-3 versus Pentax K-50, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the SH-3 (16MP) and the K-50 (16MP) is very close but the SH-3 (1/2.3") and K-50 (APS-C) come with different sensor dimensions.

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The SH-3 was announced 2 years after the K-50 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-50 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going through a full comparison, below is a quick overview of how the SH-3 grades against the K-50 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-3 over the Pentax K-50

 SH-3 K-50 
RevealedFebruary 2016November 2013More modern by 27 months
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-50 over the Olympus SH-3

 K-50 SH-3 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Display resolution921k460kClearer display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SH-3 and Pentax K-50

 SH-3 K-50 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display sizing
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-50 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus SH-3 offers outside dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-50 has measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SH-3 versus Pentax K-50 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the SH-3 against the K-50.

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-50 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the SH-3 and K-50 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-50 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its hard to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes merely by viewing a spec sheet. The picture here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-3 and K-50.

Clearly, both of the cameras enjoy the same exact resolution but different sensor sizes. The SH-3 comes with the smaller sensor which will make obtaining shallow depth of field tougher. The younger SH-3 should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-50 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-3 Portrait photography info
Pentax K-50 Portrait photography info
44
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
includes face detect focusing
exports RAW files
no manual focus
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
74
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SH-3
Street photography with Pentax K-50
70
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
features focus by touch
lighter than others (271g)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
good ISO range (51,600)
screen is fixed
heavier than average in class (650 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-3 Sports photography info
Pentax K-50 Sports photography info
51
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
includes tracking focus
good battery power (380 CIPA)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
67
max shutter speed is good (1/6,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
terrible battery (410 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SH-3
Travel photography with Pentax K-50
74
good battery power (380 CIPA)
lighter than others (271g)
features focus by touch
decent megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.0)
56
environment proofing
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
terrible battery (410 shots)
heavier than average in class (650 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-3 Landscape photography features
Pentax K-50 Landscape photography features
55
pretty wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
exports RAW files
good battery power (380 shots)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
74
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good ISO range (51,600)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
terrible battery (410 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SH-3
Vlogging with Pentax K-50
35
pretty wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
lighter than others (271g)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of mic jack
28
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic jack
heavier than average in class (650 grams)
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Olympus SH-3 vs Pentax K-50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-3 and Pentax K-50
 Olympus Stylus SH-3Pentax K-50
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus Stylus SH-3 Pentax K-50
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2016-02-08 2013-11-27
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII PRIME M
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 51600
Lowest native ISO 125 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focus distance 3cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 11.5fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (15 fps), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 271g (0.60 pounds) 650g (1.43 pounds)
Dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 79
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.0
DXO Low light score not tested 1120
Other
Battery life 380 images 410 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-92B D-LI109
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $579 $610