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Canon A1200 vs Olympus SZ-15

Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
19
Overall
28
Canon PowerShot A1200 front
 
Olympus SZ-15 front
Portability
88
Imaging
39
Features
50
Overall
43

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SZ-15 Key Specs

Canon A1200
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 185g - 98 x 63 x 31mm
  • Released January 2011
Olympus SZ-15
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Announced June 2013
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Canon A1200 vs Olympus SZ-15 Overview

Below is a in-depth overview of the Canon A1200 versus Olympus SZ-15, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Canon and Olympus. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the A1200 (12MP) and SZ-15 (16MP) but they enjoy the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The A1200 was launched 3 years prior to the SZ-15 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a short overview of how the A1200 grades vs the SZ-15 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon A1200 over the Olympus SZ-15

 A1200 SZ-15 

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Canon A1200

 SZ-15 A1200 
AnnouncedJune 2013January 2011More recent by 29 months
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Canon A1200 and Olympus SZ-15

 A1200 SZ-15 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SZ-15 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Canon A1200 has got outer dimensions of 98mm x 63mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.5" x 1.2") and a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-15 has dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

See the Canon A1200 versus Olympus SZ-15 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the A1200 and the SZ-15.

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SZ-15 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A1200 and SZ-15 is 92 and 88 respectively.

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SZ-15 top view buttons comparison

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SZ-15 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to envision the difference in sensor measurements just by seeing specs. The graphic below will help give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the A1200 and SZ-15.

All in all, both of the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but not the same MP. You can expect to see the Olympus SZ-15 to produce greater detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos a little more aggressively. The older A1200 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SZ-15 sensor size comparison

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SZ-15 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SZ-15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon A1200
Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-15
26
supports face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
43
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has face detection focusing
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon A1200 Street photography features
Olympus SZ-15 Street photography features
46
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (250g)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon A1200
Sports photography with Olympus SZ-15
23
supports tracking focus
max fps low (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery (200 shots)
no phase detect autofocus
52
amazing zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon A1200
Travel photography with Olympus SZ-15
55
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
low battery (200 per charge)
resolution not great (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
68
lighter than competition in class (250 grams)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (23mm)
long zoom (483mm)
does not have Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon A1200 Landscape photography info
Olympus SZ-15 Landscape photography info
27
fairly wide (28mm)
focusing manually not possible
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
low battery (200 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
49
manual focus
quite wide (23mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon A1200 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus SZ-15 as a Vlogging camera
27
fairly wide (28mm)
supports face detect autofocus
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic support
34
quite wide (23mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (250 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have external microphone support
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Canon A1200 vs Olympus SZ-15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A1200 and Olympus SZ-15
 Canon PowerShot A1200Olympus SZ-15
General Information
Company Canon Olympus
Model Canon PowerShot A1200 Olympus SZ-15
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2011-01-05 2013-06-21
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) 23-483mm (21.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus range 3cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech TFT LCD LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (tunnel) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 seconds 8 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 1.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.00 m 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 185 gr (0.41 lb) 250 gr (0.55 lb)
Dimensions 98 x 63 x 31mm (3.9" x 2.5" x 1.2") 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 200 shots -
Battery style AA -
Battery model 2 x AA SLB-10A
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HCMMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Retail price $109 $200