Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SZ-12

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus SZ-12, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both designed by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the SZ-12 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and SZ-12 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 was introduced 4 months later than the SZ-12 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a complete comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-M5 scores vs the SZ-12 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Olympus SZ-12. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Olympus SZ-12 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 has got physical dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-12 has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus SZ-12 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 and the SZ-12.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and SZ-12 is 81 and 89 respectively.

Generally, it can be hard to see the gap between sensor sizing purely by looking at technical specs. The photograph underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and SZ-12.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-M5 will give greater detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively.