Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus SZ-12
67 Imaging
61 Features
96 Overall
75
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 4096 x 2160 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
- Released February 2020
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 1600
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
- 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
- Revealed January 2012
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus SZ-12 Overview
Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-M1 III versus Olympus SZ-12, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are offered by Olympus. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and SZ-12 (14MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and SZ-12 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizes.
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe E-M1 III was launched 8 years later than the SZ-12 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.
Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-M1 III scores versus the SZ-12 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
Photography Glossary Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus SZ-12 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III & Olympus SZ-12. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 III Gallery & Olympus SZ-12 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 III over the Olympus SZ-12
| E-M1 III | SZ-12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | February 2020 | January 2012 | More recent by 99 months | |
| Manual focus | Dial exact focusing | |||
| Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating display | |
| Display resolution | 1037k | 460k | Sharper display (+577k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies | |||
| Touch friendly display | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus E-M1 III
| SZ-12 | E-M1 III |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 III and Olympus SZ-12
| E-M1 III | SZ-12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display size | 3" | 3" | Same display dimensions |
Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus SZ-12 Physical Comparison
In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you should think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 III features external dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-12 has specifications of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).
See the Olympus E-M1 III versus Olympus SZ-12 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M1 III versus the SZ-12.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 III and SZ-12 is 67 and 89 respectively.
Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus SZ-12 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements purely by going over specs. The visual below will offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 III and SZ-12.
All in all, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 III because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 III will offer more detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The younger E-M1 III should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.
Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and ViewFinder
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banStreet Comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesSports Comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoTravel Comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideLandscape Comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modesVlogging Comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus SZ-12 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III | Olympus SZ-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Olympus | Olympus |
| Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III | Olympus SZ-12 |
| Category | Pro Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
| Released | 2020-02-11 | 2012-01-10 |
| Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePic IX | - |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.4 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor area | 226.2mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 20 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | - |
| Highest Possible resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 4288 x 3216 |
| Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 1600 |
| Minimum native ISO | 200 | 80 |
| RAW data | ||
| Minimum enhanced ISO | 64 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| AF touch | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detect AF | ||
| Contract detect AF | ||
| Phase detect AF | ||
| Total focus points | 121 | - |
| Cross type focus points | 121 | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | - | 25-600mm (24.0x) |
| Maximal aperture | - | f/3.0-6.9 |
| Total lenses | 107 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of display | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
| Display size | 3 inch | 3 inch |
| Resolution of display | 1,037k dots | 460k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch screen | ||
| Display technology | - | TFT Color LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic | None |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360k dots | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | - |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 4s |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/1700s |
| Fastest quiet shutter speed | 1/32000s | - |
| Continuous shutter rate | 60.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Set WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | - |
| Flash settings | Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AEB | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Fastest flash synchronize | 1/250s | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) |
| Maximum video resolution | 4096x2160 | 1280x720 |
| Video format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Mic port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 580g (1.28 lb) | 226g (0.50 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") | 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | not tested | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
| DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 420 images | 220 images |
| Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLH-1 | LI-50B |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage type | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot) | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Card slots | 2 | 1 |
| Pricing at release | $1,800 | $350 |