Olympus SH-3 vs Sony NEX-5

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus SH-3 vs Sony NEX-5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SH-3 (16MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is fairly close but the SH-3 (1/2.3") and NEX-5 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The SH-3 was announced 5 years later than the NEX-5 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple view of how the SH-3 scores vs the NEX-5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SH-3 & Sony Alpha NEX-5. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus SH-3 Gallery & Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-3 offers exterior 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 Sony NEX-5 has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-3 vs Sony NEX-5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the SH-3 compared to the NEX-5.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SH-3 and NEX-5 is 88 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to see the gap in sensor sizing simply by viewing specs. The visual below will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-3 and NEX-5.

All in all, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The SH-3 using its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Olympus SH-3 will render greater detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images much more aggressively. The fresher SH-3 will have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.