Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-12
71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65


89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
- Introduced October 2013
- Later Model is Olympus E-M1 II
(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-M1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Overview
The following is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SZ-12, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are designed by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the SZ-12 (14MP) is pretty close but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and SZ-12 (1/2.3") provide different sensor size.

The E-M1 was introduced 22 months after the SZ-12 which makes them a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.
Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-M1 scores versus the SZ-12 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M1 and Olympus SZ-12. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 Gallery and Olympus SZ-12 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus SZ-12
E-M1 | SZ-12 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | October 2013 | ![]() | January 2012 | Newer by 22 months |
Manually focus | ![]() | Very exact focus | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+577k dot) |
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus E-M1
SZ-12 | E-M1 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SZ-12
E-M1 | SZ-12 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither comes with selfie screen |
Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 comes with outside measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-12 has proportions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SZ-12 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-M1 against the SZ-12.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and SZ-12 is 71 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it can be tough to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by looking through technical specs. The pic below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 and SZ-12.
As you have seen, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 will result in greater detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-12 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus SZ-12 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Olympus |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus SZ-12 |
Class | Pro Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Introduced | 2013-10-28 | 2012-01-10 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePIC VII | - |
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 | 16 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | - |
Peak resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4288 x 3216 |
Highest native ISO | 25600 | 1600 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Number of focus points | 81 | - |
Cross focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-600mm (24.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.0-6.9 |
Number of lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Screen resolution | 1,037 thousand dots | 460 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Screen tech | - | TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 4 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/1700 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 10.0 frames per sec | 1.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | - |
Flash modes | Flash Auto, 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 |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/320 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 497 gr (1.10 lb) | 226 gr (0.50 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") | 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 73 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 23.0 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 12.7 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 757 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 350 photographs | 220 photographs |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLN-1 | LI-50B |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch pricing | $799 | $350 |