Nikon P520 vs Olympus SZ-12

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Nikon P520 and Olympus SZ-12, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by companies Nikon and Olympus. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the P520 (18MP) and SZ-12 (14MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The P520 was announced 13 months later than the SZ-12 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Nikon P520 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the P520 scores vs the SZ-12 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Nikon Coolpix P520 and Olympus SZ-12. The whole galleries are available at Nikon P520 Gallery and Olympus SZ-12 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Nikon P520 provides exterior dimensions of 125mm x 84mm x 102mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 4.0") along with a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs) and 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).

Check the Nikon P520 and Olympus SZ-12 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the P520 vs the SZ-12.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the P520 and SZ-12 is 66 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it is very tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizing just by looking at specs. The graphic below will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the P520 and SZ-12.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different MP. You should count on the Nikon P520 to give you extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more recent P520 should have an edge with regard to sensor tech.