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Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
31
Overall
38
Olympus E-400 front
 
Olympus SZ-12 front
Portability
89
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37

Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs

Olympus E-400
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 435g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Launched September 2006
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-410
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
  • Released January 2012
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Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12 Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-400 versus Olympus SZ-12, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both built by Olympus. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-400 (10MP) and SZ-12 (14MP) and the E-400 (Four Thirds) and SZ-12 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-400 was manufactured 6 years before the SZ-12 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-400 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-400 grades versus the SZ-12 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-400 over the Olympus SZ-12

 E-400 SZ-12 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus E-400

 SZ-12 E-400 
ReleasedJanuary 2012September 2006More modern by 64 months
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k215kCrisper screen (+245k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-400 and Olympus SZ-12

 E-400 SZ-12 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-400 has got outside measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-12 has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-400 versus 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 vary dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-400 against the SZ-12.

Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-400 and SZ-12 is 77 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizes merely by checking a spec sheet. The picture below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-400 and SZ-12.

As you can see, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-400 because of its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SZ-12 will resolve more detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged E-400 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-400 Portrait photography factors
Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography factors
46
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
manual mode not available
sensor resolution low (10MP)
34
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
offers face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-400
Street photography with Olympus SZ-12
60
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors in class (226g)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-400 Sports photography information
Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography information
38
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
41
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
offers tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (220 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-400
Travel photography with Olympus SZ-12
49
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (10MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
65
lighter than competitors in class (226 grams)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery power (220 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-400
Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-12
45
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is small (2.5 inch)
no liveview feature
manual mode not available
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
does not have Timelapse recording
40
really wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
not so great battery power (220 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-400
Vlogging with Olympus SZ-12
9
no video recording
31
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focus
lighter than competitors in class (226 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-400 and Olympus SZ-12
 Olympus E-400Olympus SZ-12
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-400 Olympus SZ-12
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2006-09-14 2012-01-10
Physical type Compact 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 surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 1600 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 3 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Number of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5" 3"
Screen resolution 215 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1700 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye 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
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 435g (0.96 lbs) 226g (0.50 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 220 photographs
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Launch cost $599 $350