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Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1

Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
19
Overall
29
Canon PowerShot A1200 front
 
Olympus Stylus SH-1 front
Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
53
Overall
45

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1 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
  • Revealed January 2011
Olympus SH-1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • Updated by Olympus SH-2
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Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Canon and Olympus. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the A1200 (12MP) and SH-1 (16MP) but they enjoy the same exact sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The A1200 was announced 4 years earlier than the SH-1 which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise overview of how the A1200 scores vs the SH-1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Canon A1200 over the Olympus SH-1

 A1200 SH-1 

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-1 over the Canon A1200

 SH-1 A1200 
RevealedMarch 2014January 2011Newer by 39 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Canon A1200 and Olympus SH-1

 A1200 SH-1 
Manual focus No manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to travel with your camera, you have to consider its weight and size. The Canon A1200 provides external dimensions of 98mm x 63mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.5" x 1.2") and a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs) and the Olympus SH-1 has specifications of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

See the Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the A1200 against the SH-1.

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the A1200 and SH-1 is 92 and 88 respectively.

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1 top view buttons comparison

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's tough to picture the gap between sensor dimensions only by reviewing a spec sheet. The picture below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A1200 and SH-1.

Clearly, the 2 cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You should expect the Olympus SH-1 to offer extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged A1200 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1 sensor size comparison

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A1200 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus SH-1 as a Portrait photography camera
27
provides face detection focus
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
37
megapixel count good (16MP)
offers face detection focusing
no manual focus
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Canon A1200 Street photography advice
Olympus SH-1 Street photography advice
46
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
64
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
boasts touch to focus
lighter than others in class (271g)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon A1200
Sports photography with Olympus SH-1
24
provides tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (200 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
51
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
better than average battery pack (380 per charge)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Canon A1200 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus SH-1 as a Travel photography camera
55
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
not so great battery power (200 per charge)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
74
better than average battery pack (380 shots)
lighter than others in class (271g)
boasts touch to focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
does not contain selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon A1200 Landscape photography advice
Olympus SH-1 Landscape photography advice
27
fairly wide (28mm)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
not so great battery power (200 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse function
49
quite wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
better than average battery pack (380 per charge)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon A1200 Vlogging information
Olympus SH-1 Vlogging information
27
fairly wide (28mm)
provides face detection focus
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone support
37
quite wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external mic jack
lighter than others in class (271g)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A1200 and Olympus SH-1
 Canon PowerShot A1200Olympus Stylus SH-1
General Information
Brand Name Canon Olympus
Model type Canon PowerShot A1200 Olympus Stylus SH-1
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2011-01-05 2014-03-31
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology TruePic VII
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 25-600mm (24.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing range 3cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (tunnel) None
Features
Min shutter speed 15s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/1600s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames per sec 12.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync -
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 185g (0.41 lb) 271g (0.60 lb)
Dimensions 98 x 63 x 31mm (3.9" x 2.5" x 1.2") 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 200 images 380 images
Form of battery AA Battery Pack
Battery ID 2 x AA LI-92B
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HCMMCplus SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $109 $349