Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12
77 Imaging
43 Features
31 Overall
38
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs
(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
(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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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.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe 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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Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-400 & Olympus SZ-12. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-400 Gallery & Olympus SZ-12 Gallery.
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | January 2012 | September 2006 | More modern by 64 months | |
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") | |
| Screen resolution | 460k | 215k | Crisper screen (+245k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-400 and Olympus SZ-12
| E-400 | SZ-12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen type | Fixed | 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.
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.

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