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Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
48
Overall
43
Nikon Coolpix L840 front
 
Olympus SZ-12 front
Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36

Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs

Nikon L840
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-855mm (F3.0-6.5) lens
  • 538g - 114 x 89 x 96mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Earlier Model is Nikon L830
Olympus SZ-12
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Announced January 2012
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Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12 Overview

On this page, we will be contrasting the Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by rivals Nikon and Olympus. The image resolution of the L840 (16MP) and the SZ-12 (14MP) is pretty similar and both cameras have the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The L840 was announced 3 years later than the SZ-12 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Nikon L840 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a concise summary of how the L840 matches up vs the SZ-12 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon L840 over the Olympus SZ-12

 L840 SZ-12 
AnnouncedFebruary 2015January 2012More recent by 38 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Nikon L840

 SZ-12 L840 

Common features in the Nikon L840 and Olympus SZ-12

 L840 SZ-12 
Manual focus Lack of manual focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and size. The Nikon L840 comes with exterior measurements of 114mm x 89mm x 96mm (4.5" x 3.5" x 3.8") and a weight of 538 grams (1.19 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-12 has specifications of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the L840 against the SZ-12.

Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the L840 and SZ-12 is 67 and 89 respectively.

Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12 top view buttons comparison

Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading a spec sheet. The photograph here should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the L840 and SZ-12.

As you can see, each of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different resolution. You can expect the Nikon L840 to deliver extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots more aggressively. The younger L840 provides a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12 sensor size comparison

Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon L840 Portrait photography advice
Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography advice
36
megapixel count decent (16MP)
includes face detect focus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
33
decent megapixels (14MP)
supports face detect focus
no manual focus
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Nikon L840 Street photography features
Olympus SZ-12 Street photography features
51
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
more heavy than average in class (538 grams)
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (226g)
screen is fixed
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Nikon L840 Sports photography advice
Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography advice
51
amazing zoom range (23-855mm 37.2 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
better than average battery pack (590 per charge)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
40
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14MP)
supports tracking focus
low frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery life (220 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon L840 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus SZ-12 as a Travel photography camera
57
better than average battery pack (590 CIPA)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (23mm)
great reach (855mm)
no Timelapse recording
more heavy than average in class (538 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
65
lighter than competition (226g)
decent megapixels (14MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
lack of Timelapse function
bad battery life (220 per charge)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon L840 Landscape photography features
Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography features
43
reasonably wide (23mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
better than average battery pack (590 shots)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
no Timelapse recording
40
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14MP)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not available
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
bad battery life (220 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon L840 Vlogging factors
Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging factors
27
reasonably wide (23mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
no microphone port
more heavy than average in class (538 grams)
31
reasonably wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detect focus
lighter than competition (226g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone port
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Nikon L840 vs Olympus SZ-12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L840 and Olympus SZ-12
 Nikon Coolpix L840Olympus SZ-12
General Information
Brand Name Nikon Olympus
Model type Nikon Coolpix L840 Olympus SZ-12
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2015-02-10 2012-01-10
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS 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 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 6400 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 23-855mm (37.2x) 25-600mm (24.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.5 f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 921 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1700s
Continuous shutter speed 7.4fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.90 m (at Auto ISO) -
Flash options - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
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 538g (1.19 pounds) 226g (0.50 pounds)
Physical dimensions 114 x 89 x 96mm (4.5" x 3.5" x 3.8") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
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 590 shots 220 shots
Style of battery AA Battery Pack
Battery ID - LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SC/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Price at release $400 $350