Olympus SH-3 vs Sony A390

Below is a thorough assessment of the Olympus SH-3 versus Sony A390, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SH-3 (16MP) and the A390 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the SH-3 (1/2.3") and A390 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The SH-3 was revealed 5 years later than the A390 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the SH-3 scores vs the A390 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus SH-3 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The full galleries are available at Olympus SH-3 Gallery & Sony A390 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus SH-3 enjoys physical dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Sony A390 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") and a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Check the Olympus SH-3 versus Sony A390 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the SH-3 compared to the A390.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the SH-3 and A390 is 88 and 66 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor measurements merely by checking out specs. The visual underneath might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-3 and A390.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SH-3 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Olympus SH-3 will produce more detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The more modern SH-3 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.