Olympus SH-3 vs Sony A290

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus SH-3 and Sony A290, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SH-3 (16MP) and the A290 (14MP) is very close but the SH-3 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The SH-3 was brought out 5 years later than the A290 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short introduction of how the SH-3 grades against the A290 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus SH-3 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SH-3 Gallery and Sony A290 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SH-3 offers exterior 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 Sony A290 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SH-3 and Sony A290 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at the time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the SH-3 vs the A290.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the SH-3 and A290 is 88 and 66 respectively.

Generally, it is very difficult to envision the contrast in sensor measurements only by viewing specifications. The graphic underneath should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SH-3 and A290.

To sum up, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SH-3 featuring a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus SH-3 will provide you with more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The fresher SH-3 will have an edge in sensor innovation.