Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus SZ-12

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.

Photography Glossary

The 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.

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.

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.

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.