Olympus SH-3 vs Sony HX5

Below is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus SH-3 versus Sony HX5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the SH-3 (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the SH-3 (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The SH-3 was announced 5 years later than the HX5 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a quick summation of how the SH-3 scores against the HX5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus SH-3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus SH-3 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera, you'll have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus SH-3 comes with physical dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) while the Sony HX5 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SH-3 versus Sony HX5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the SH-3 compared to the HX5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-3 and HX5 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements only by going through specifications. The graphic below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-3 and HX5.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SH-3 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus SH-3 will produce more detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more recent SH-3 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.