Olympus SH-3 vs Sony A57

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus SH-3 and Sony A57, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SH-3 (16MP) and the A57 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the SH-3 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizing.

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

The SH-3 was revealed 3 years later than the A57 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a short summary of how the SH-3 grades versus the A57 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SH-3 and Sony SLT-A57. The full galleries are available at Olympus SH-3 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus SH-3 features outer measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Sony A57 has proportions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") and a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SH-3 and Sony A57 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at the time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the SH-3 and the A57.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-3 and A57 is 88 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it is very tough to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by going through technical specs. The photograph here will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-3 and A57.

As you have seen, both of the cameras offer the same exact megapixels but not the same sensor sizing. The SH-3 comes with the smaller sensor which should make achieving shallow depth of field harder. The more recent SH-3 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.