Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SZ-12
59 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 1.8" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 3200
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
- Launched November 2003
- Later Model is Olympus E-3
(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
- Introduced January 2012
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Overview
Here, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-1 versus Olympus SZ-12, former is a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are offered by Olympus. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and SZ-12 (14MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and SZ-12 (1/2.3") offer different sensor measurements.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe E-1 was brought out 9 years before the SZ-12 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.
Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-1 matches up against the SZ-12 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-1 & Olympus SZ-12. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Olympus SZ-12 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Olympus SZ-12
| E-1 | SZ-12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | Very accurate focusing |
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus E-1
| SZ-12 | E-1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | January 2012 | November 2003 | Newer by 98 months | |
| Screen size | 3" | 1.8" | Bigger screen (+1.2") | |
| Screen resolution | 460k | 134k | Crisper screen (+326k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Olympus SZ-12
| E-1 | SZ-12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed screen | |
| Selfie screen | Neither offers selfie screen | |||
| Touch friendly screen | Missing Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Physical Comparison
If you are looking to travel with your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-1 offers physical measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-12 has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-1 versus Olympus SZ-12 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-1 against the SZ-12.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and SZ-12 is 59 and 89 respectively.
Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Sensor Comparison
Often, it's hard to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by reviewing specs. The pic below might provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and SZ-12.
All in all, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-1 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Olympus SZ-12 will deliver more detail having its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged E-1 is going to be behind in sensor technology.
Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and ViewFinder
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modesStreet Comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthSports Comparison
Photography GlossaryTravel Comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneLandscape Comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesVlogging Comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Specifications
| Olympus E-1 | Olympus SZ-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer | Olympus | Olympus |
| Model type | Olympus E-1 | Olympus SZ-12 |
| Class | Pro DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
| Launched | 2003-11-29 | 2012-01-10 |
| Body design | Large SLR | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 5 megapixels | 14 megapixels |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | - |
| Max resolution | 2560 x 1920 | 4288 x 3216 |
| Max native ISO | 3200 | 1600 |
| Minimum native ISO | 100 | 80 |
| RAW files | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Total focus points | 3 | - |
| Cross type focus points | - | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | - | 25-600mm (24.0x) |
| Maximal aperture | - | f/3.0-6.9 |
| Total lenses | 45 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Screen size | 1.8 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of screen | 134 thousand dot | 460 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Screen technology | - | TFT Color LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.48x | - |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 60s | 4s |
| Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1700s |
| Continuous shutter speed | 3.0 frames per second | 1.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | - |
| Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Max flash sync | 1/180s | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) |
| Max video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
| Video file format | - | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Mic jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 735 gr (1.62 lbs) | 226 gr (0.50 lbs) |
| Physical dimensions | 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") | 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 | - | 220 photos |
| Style of battery | - | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | - | LI-50B |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Storage media | Compact Flash (Type I or II) | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Storage slots | Single | Single |
| Cost at release | $1,700 | $350 |