Canon SX1 IS vs Olympus SZ-12

Below is a detailed review of the Canon SX1 IS versus Olympus SZ-12, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by rivals Canon and Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the SX1 IS (10MP) and SZ-12 (14MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SX1 IS was manufactured 3 years prior to the SZ-12 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Canon SX1 IS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the SX1 IS scores versus the SZ-12 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Canon PowerShot SX1 IS and Olympus SZ-12. The entire galleries are available at Canon SX1 IS Gallery and Olympus SZ-12 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Canon SX1 IS comes with outer dimensions of 128mm x 88mm x 88mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 3.5") accompanied by a weight of 615 grams (1.36 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-12 has sizing of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Look at the Canon SX1 IS versus Olympus SZ-12 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the SX1 IS vs the SZ-12.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SX1 IS and SZ-12 is 64 and 89 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to visualize the difference in sensor measurements just by researching a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SX1 IS and SZ-12.

As you can see, both cameras feature the identical sensor size but different resolution. You should expect to see the Olympus SZ-12 to render more detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics way more aggressively. The older SX1 IS will be behind in sensor technology.