Olympus SH-3 vs Sony RX1

Let's look much closer at the Olympus SH-3 versus Sony RX1, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the SH-3 (16MP) and RX1 (24MP) and the SH-3 (1/2.3") and RX1 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The SH-3 was manufactured 3 years after the RX1 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the SH-3 scores against the RX1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SH-3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SH-3 Gallery & Sony RX1 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus SH-3 offers outside dimensions 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 RX1 has proportions of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") with a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SH-3 versus Sony RX1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the SH-3 vs the RX1.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the SH-3 and RX1 is 88 and 79 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizes only by going through specifications. The pic below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-3 and RX1.

To sum up, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SH-3 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony RX1 will show greater detail due to its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The younger SH-3 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.