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Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12

Portability
54
Imaging
61
Features
93
Overall
73
Olympus OM-D E-M1X front
 
Olympus SZ-12 front
Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36

Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1X
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 997g - 144 x 147 x 75mm
  • Announced January 2019
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M1 II
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
  • Revealed January 2012
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Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-M1X (20MP) and SZ-12 (14MP) and the E-M1X (Four Thirds) and SZ-12 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1X was announced 7 years after the SZ-12 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1X being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-M1X grades against the SZ-12 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1X over the Olympus SZ-12

 E-M1X SZ-12 
RevealedJanuary 2019January 2012More modern by 86 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k460kClearer screen (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus E-M1X

 SZ-12 E-M1X 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1X and Olympus SZ-12

 E-M1X SZ-12 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement

Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1X has exterior measurements of 144mm x 147mm x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") along with a weight of 997 grams (2.20 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).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-M1X and the SZ-12.

Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1X and SZ-12 is 54 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizes just by checking specifications. The pic below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1X and SZ-12.

Plainly, both of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M1X with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M1X will give you more detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures far more aggressively. The more modern E-M1X should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1X Portrait photography highlights
Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography highlights
76
you can focus manually
good resolution (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection focusing
supports RAW files
33
megapixel count good (14MP)
comes with face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M1X
Street photography with Olympus SZ-12
67
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
offers touch focus
weather sealing
above average ISO range (25,600)
more heavy than average (997g)
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (226g)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M1X
Sports photography with Olympus SZ-12
80
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet mode (1/32,000s)
max frames per second high (60.0 fps)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather sealing
better than average battery pack (870 per charge)
sensor has phase detect AF
40
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery life (220 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1X Travel photography details
Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography details
68
better than average battery pack (870 shots)
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
offers touch focus
good resolution (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
more heavy than average (997g)
65
lighter than others (226g)
megapixel count good (14MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
low battery life (220 per charge)
does not feature selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1X Landscape photography factors
Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography factors
79
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
better than average battery pack (870 CIPA)
two card slots
40
quite wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
no manual control
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
low battery life (220 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1X as a Vlogging camera
Olympus SZ-12 as a Vlogging camera
68
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focusing
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pixels)
includes external microphone socket
more heavy than average (997g)
31
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focusing
lighter than others (226 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
does not feature selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone port
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Olympus E-M1X vs Olympus SZ-12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1X and Olympus SZ-12
 Olympus OM-D E-M1XOlympus SZ-12
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1X Olympus SZ-12
Type Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2019-01-24 2012-01-10
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Dual TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Max resolution 5184 x 3888 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 121 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
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 speed 60.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash -
Flash options 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
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Max video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes (USB-PD allows charging by laptop or external power bank) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Built-in None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 997 grams (2.20 lb) 226 grams (0.50 lb)
Dimensions 144 x 147 x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 870 images 220 images
Style of battery Built-in Battery Pack
Battery model - 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
Storage slots Dual 1
Retail pricing $2,999 $350