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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus SZ-12 front
Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Launched June 2008
  • Previous 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
  • Announced January 2012
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-420 versus Olympus SZ-12, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and SZ-12 (14MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and SZ-12 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-420 was revealed 4 years prior to the SZ-12 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-420 matches up versus the SZ-12 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus SZ-12

 E-420 SZ-12 
Focus manually Dial precise focus

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus E-420

 SZ-12 E-420 
AnnouncedJanuary 2012June 2008Newer by 43 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus SZ-12

 E-420 SZ-12 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 has exterior measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-12 has dimensions 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-420 versus Olympus SZ-12 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-420 against the SZ-12.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and SZ-12 is 77 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions purely by checking a spec sheet. The pic underneath will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and SZ-12.

As you can see, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-420 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus SZ-12 will resolve extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography features
Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography features
56
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution low (10MP)
33
megapixel count good (14MP)
supports face detect focus
manual focus not available
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Street photography camera
Olympus SZ-12 as a Street photography camera
64
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition (426 grams)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (226g)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus SZ-12 as a Sports photography camera
38
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
low battery life (500 per charge)
40
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14MP)
supports tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery (220 CIPA)
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-420
Travel photography with Olympus SZ-12
52
lighter than competition (426g)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
low battery life (500 per charge)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
65
lighter than competition (226 grams)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
long zoom (600mm)
does not have Timelapse function
bad battery (220 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-420
Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-12
47
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
low battery life (500 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse function
40
quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14MP)
manual focus not available
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
bad battery (220 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging factors
Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging factors
9
lack of video recording
31
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detect focus
lighter than competition (226 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone support
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus SZ-12
 Olympus E-420Olympus SZ-12
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-420 Olympus SZ-12
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2008-06-23 2012-01-10
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor 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
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 3 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1700 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported 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
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 grams (0.94 lbs) 226 grams (0.50 lbs)
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 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 photographs 220 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $999 $350