Olympus SH-3 vs Sony A77 II

Following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus SH-3 and Sony A77 II, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the SH-3 (16MP) and A77 II (24MP) and the SH-3 (1/2.3") and A77 II (APS-C) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The SH-3 was launched 21 months after the A77 II making the cameras a generation away from each other. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A77 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the SH-3 matches up versus the A77 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SH-3 and Sony SLT-A77 II. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus SH-3 Gallery and Sony A77 II Gallery.

For those who are looking to carry around your camera frequently, you'll need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus SH-3 features external 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) whilst the Sony A77 II has proportions of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 647 grams (1.43 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SH-3 and Sony A77 II in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilising at that time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the SH-3 against the A77 II.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the SH-3 and A77 II is 88 and 62 respectively.

Often, it's difficult to imagine the difference in sensor sizes merely by viewing a spec sheet. The pic below should give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-3 and A77 II.

Clearly, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The SH-3 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A77 II will result in greater detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a little more aggressively. The fresher SH-3 provides an advantage in sensor tech.