Olympus SH-3 vs Sony A500

Here is a in depth analysis of the Olympus SH-3 versus Sony A500, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the SH-3 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the SH-3 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The SH-3 was unveiled 6 years later than the A500 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a short summary of how the SH-3 scores vs the A500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SH-3 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The full galleries are available at Olympus SH-3 Gallery and Sony A500 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SH-3 enjoys outer measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Sony A500 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SH-3 versus Sony A500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the SH-3 versus the A500.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the SH-3 and A500 is 88 and 63 respectively.

In many cases, it is tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing only by viewing technical specs. The visual underneath will help offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the SH-3 and A500.

As you can tell, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SH-3 having a smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh trickier and the Olympus SH-3 will provide you with greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The fresher SH-3 will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.