Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs
(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
(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
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.
Photography GlossaryThe 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.
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-420 & Olympus SZ-12. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Olympus SZ-12 Gallery.
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 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | January 2012 | June 2008 | Newer by 43 months | |
Screen dimension | 3" | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") | |
Screen resolution | 460k | 230k | Crisper screen (+230k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus SZ-12
E-420 | SZ-12 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | 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.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.
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 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 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-420 vs Olympus SZ-12 Specifications
Olympus E-420 | Olympus 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 |