Olympus E-400 vs Olympus SZ-12

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.

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.

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.

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.