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Canon G12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR

Portability
83
Imaging
34
Features
50
Overall
40
Canon PowerShot G12 front
 
Olympus SZ-30MR front
Portability
89
Imaging
38
Features
39
Overall
38

Canon G12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Key Specs

Canon G12
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 2.8" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F2.8-4.5) lens
  • 401g - 112 x 76 x 48mm
  • Introduced January 2011
  • Earlier Model is Canon G11
  • Replacement is Canon G15
Olympus SZ-30MR
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Launched March 2011
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Canon G12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Overview

The following is a thorough review of the Canon G12 versus Olympus SZ-30MR, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Canon and Olympus. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the G12 (10MP) and SZ-30MR (16MP) and the G12 (1/1.7") and SZ-30MR (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The G12 was released very close to the SZ-30MR and they are of a similar age. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving through a thorough comparison, below is a quick view of how the G12 matches up against the SZ-30MR for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary

				

Reasons to pick Canon G12 over the Olympus SZ-30MR

 G12 SZ-30MR 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution461k460kClearer screen (+1k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-30MR over the Canon G12

 SZ-30MR G12 
Screen dimension3"2.8"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Common features in the Canon G12 and Olympus SZ-30MR

 G12 SZ-30MR 
LaunchedJanuary 2011March 2011Similar age
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Canon G12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera, you will have to think about its weight and proportions. The Canon G12 features exterior dimensions of 112mm x 76mm x 48mm (4.4" x 3.0" x 1.9") and a weight of 401 grams (0.88 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-30MR has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Contrast the Canon G12 versus Olympus SZ-30MR in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is the front view scale comparison of the G12 versus the SZ-30MR.

Canon G12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the G12 and SZ-30MR is 83 and 89 respectively.

Canon G12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR top view buttons comparison

Canon G12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is hard to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions only by reading through technical specs. The pic below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the G12 and SZ-30MR.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The G12 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus SZ-30MR will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively.

Canon G12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR sensor size comparison

Canon G12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Screen and ViewFinder

Canon G12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon G12 Portrait photography details
Olympus SZ-30MR Portrait photography details
47
you can focus manually
great flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
has face detection focus
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/1.7")
34
megapixel count good (16MP)
has face detection focus
no manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Canon G12 Street photography features
Olympus SZ-30MR Street photography features
64
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
small sensor (1/1.7")
more heavy than average (401g)
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (226g)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Canon G12 Sports photography information
Olympus SZ-30MR Sports photography information
33
has image stabilization (Optical)
good battery pack (370 per charge)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
small sensor (1/1.7")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
41
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
low battery power (220 shots)
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon G12 Travel photography info
Olympus SZ-30MR Travel photography info
60
good battery pack (370 CIPA)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
pretty wide (28mm)
no Timelapse mode
more heavy than average (401 grams)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
65
lighter than competition (226 grams)
megapixel count good (16MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
no Timelapse function
low battery power (220 CIPA)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon G12 Landscape photography advice
Olympus SZ-30MR Landscape photography advice
49
you can focus manually
pretty wide (28mm)
decent sized screen (2.8 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
good battery pack (370 shots)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/1.7")
no Timelapse mode
40
quite wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
no manual control
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
low battery power (220 per charge)
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon G12 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus SZ-30MR as a Vlogging camera
60
pretty wide (28mm)
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone socket
more heavy than average (401 grams)
34
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (226g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
no external microphone jack
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Canon G12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon G12 and Olympus SZ-30MR
 Canon PowerShot G12Olympus SZ-30MR
General Information
Brand Canon Olympus
Model type Canon PowerShot G12 Olympus SZ-30MR
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2011-01-19 2011-03-02
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Digic 4 TruePic III+
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) 25-600mm (24.0x)
Maximal aperture f/2.8-4.5 f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing distance 1cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 4.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 2.8 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 461k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - TFT Hypercrystal III Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (tunnel) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1700 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m 4.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Second Curtain Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/2000 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (24 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
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 401 grams (0.88 pounds) 226 grams (0.50 pounds)
Dimensions 112 x 76 x 48mm (4.4" x 3.0" x 1.9") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 47 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 161 not tested
Other
Battery life 370 images 220 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NB-7L LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $600 $279