Olympus SH-3

Olympus SH-3 is Olympus's Small Sensor Superzoom camera first released on February of 2016. It uses a 16 MegaPixel, BSI-CMOS 1/2.3" size sensor with a max resolution of 4608 x 3456.

Olympus released this camera in order to update the previous Olympus SH-2 (Read Full Comparison)

The SH-3 is positioned #48 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras & over all #510 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our database. You should test our Smart camera finder to get camera rankings based on your personal requirements.

Here is a chart of multiple factors used in the rating system.

The Olympus SH-3 has a history of related digital cameras. Below, you can identify all previous and more recent models along with main specifications.

You can look at the SH-3 from several angles in the gallery underneath.

Here is a list of upsides and downsides of the Olympus SH-3 based on criterias that are oftentimes considered crucial in a camera.

The Olympus SH-3 is run by the TruePic VII processor. The sensor size in the Olympus SH-3 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the ability to capture 4608 x 3456 pixels using aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera features Image Stabilization (Sensor-shift). In body stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter might cause cropping.

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The BSI-CMOS sensor has 16 megapixels and supports a native ISO range of 125 - 6400. RAW files are saved which means that you have more room to maneuver in post.

The picture below illustrates the SH-3's sensor size when compared to other common sizes. The SH-3 sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is shown in green.

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To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Olympus SH-3 weighs around 0.60 pounds (271 gr or 9.56 oz) & the dimensions of the camera is 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7"). The weight of typical Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 gr so the Olympus SH-3 is less heavy as compared to its rivals.

Photography Glossary

Listed below is a visual of the Olympus SH-3 with a softdrink to help you get a feel for its size.

The top view directly below will illustrate the button layout on the SH-3.

The SH-3 includes a fixed lens offering a focal range of 25-600mm making it a 24.0 x zoom which is very good and could let you zoom right in.

At it's widest 25mm, the lens features an aperture of f3.0 and that is quite sluggish and not the best for low light circumstances and you might find it difficult to get good bokeh. You will probably also need to increase your ISO which results in noisy files. At the long end, 600mm is amazing zoom and comes with f6.9 making it pretty sluggish and you would have to utilize slow shutter speeds.

The SH-3 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• HDMI Yes

Digital cameras which include NFC or Bluetooth compatibility can easily be used wirelessly via smartphones. You will be able to copy pictures and oftentimes change camera settings without the hassle of connecting directly with the camera.

A few apps also stream a Liveview and hit the shutter whenever you are not close to the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI port, it could be hooked up to an external screen. Virtually all cameras will allow you to charge the battery pack with the USB socket.

The max video resolution in the Olympus SH-3 is 3840 x 2160 and you can record in H.264 format. 2160p can provide an excellent resolution for video. You are able to downsample to 1080p in order to get clearer video. Beware of the huge file sizes and make sure you have decent SD cards with good write speed. The body does not have a microphone or headphone jack which means you have absolutely no control over the sound. It is probably a better idea to take a look at another camera in case you require better sound for your video clips.

There is no environment proofing for the Olympus SH-3 so you have to be careful in rainy or dusty situations.

The Olympus SH-3 houses a 3" fixed display screen having a resolution of 460k dots.

Moreover the display screen is touch friendly which means that you are able to switch focus point and adjust settings with your fingers.

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The View Finder specifications for Olympus SH-3 are the following:

• ViewFinder None

For bright outdoor situations that make the camera displays washed out and difficult to see, viewfinders are quite helpful.

Olympus SH-3 continuous shooting speed is 11.5 frames/s. The max shutter speed is 1/2000 seconds.

Olympus SH-3 features just inbuilt flash with no external flash support.

Olympus SH-3 features only Contrast Based AF & doesn't have Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot quicker and accurate as compared to Contrast Based autofocusing. The camera boasts Face detect which makes it handy for people photography.

Olympus SH-3 has tap to focus. You can easily use your fingers in order to adjust where you focus. It also has Tracking AF for things that move. Olympus SH-3 doesn't have manual focusing. Manual focusing mode is good in low light occasions or you require more exact depth of field control.

The battery pack (LI-92B) for the Olympus SH-3 is designed to last for 380 photos based on the CIPA measurements which is above average ın comparison with its category. The usual Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR has the maximum (600) battery life in this group of cameras.

Below is a list of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras that come with the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
SH-3 vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
SH-3 vs B500600 nonoyes

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Nikon L840
SH-3 vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
SH-3 vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
SH-3 vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following bar chart indicates a summary of the Olympus SH-3 for specific categories of photography. To understand more, have a look at the specific section below.

The Olympus SH-3 has a points total of 44 which is awful, and means the camera is simply not suitable to use for portraits. Taking portrait photos leans greatly towards sensor dimension, RAW support & flexibility to utilize off-camera flash.

Coming in at a nice points tally of 70, the Olympus SH-3 is a good option to use in street photography. A very good street photography camera gives a fine balance of picture quality plus portability.

A decent sports photography points tally of 51 means the Olympus SH-3 is relatively suited for taking photos of sports. A camera should have good focusing plus continuous shooting for sports photography.

Size is extremely important in getting a camera for travel. Over-all, the Olympus SH-3 gets a nice 74 for a travelling camera which makes it a very decent pick to buy for your trips.

In case you're planning to buy a digital camera for landscape photographs, the biggest factor will be image quality. The Olympus SH-3 and it's reasonable grade of 55 for a landscape camera is somewhat adequate among its competition.

A camera for vlogging really should come with a articulating display screen, microphone port and if possible IBIS. Taking everything into account, the Olympus SH-3 is simply not suitable as a vlog camera as it comes to a awful score of 35.

If you want replacements to the SH-3, here is a range of the highest placed cameras that fall under the family of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The chart below shows you a summary of the SH-3 vs it's top ranking competitors mentioned above.

Here are a handful of other cameras you may check out as alternatives. To check out a full comparison, just click on the "compare" link.