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Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SZ-12

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Olympus SZ-12 front
Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Revealed January 2016
Olympus SZ-12
(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
  • Introduced January 2012
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Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SZ-12 Overview

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus PEN-F and Olympus SZ-12, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and SZ-12 (14MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and SZ-12 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The PEN-F was brought out 4 years after the SZ-12 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a in depth comparison, here is a quick summary of how the PEN-F matches up versus the SZ-12 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Olympus SZ-12

 PEN-F SZ-12 
IntroducedJanuary 2016January 2012Newer by 50 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k460kSharper display (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus PEN-F

 SZ-12 PEN-F 

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Olympus SZ-12

 PEN-F SZ-12 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SZ-12 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus PEN-F comes with exterior measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") along with a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-12 has sizing of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus PEN-F and Olympus SZ-12 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising at that time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the PEN-F versus the SZ-12.

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SZ-12 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the PEN-F and SZ-12 is 84 and 89 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SZ-12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SZ-12 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions only by looking through a spec sheet. The pic below may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the PEN-F and SZ-12.

As you can see, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The PEN-F because of its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will render more detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The more recent PEN-F will have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SZ-12 sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SZ-12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus PEN-F
Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-12
75
focusing manually
decent MP (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
exports RAW files
33
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
offers face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
no external flash support
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Street photography camera
Olympus SZ-12 as a Street photography camera
84
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
boasts touch to focus
good high ISO (25,600)
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus PEN-F
Sports photography with Olympus SZ-12
67
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
terrible battery power (330 CIPA)
has no phase detect auto focus
40
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (220 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Travel photography details
Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography details
75
boasts touch to focus
decent MP (20MP)
display is selfie friendly
terrible battery power (330 CIPA)
65
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
great reach (600mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
not so great battery power (220 shots)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Landscape photography information
Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography information
76
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
terrible battery power (330 CIPA)
40
really wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
no manual mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
not so great battery power (220 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus PEN-F
Vlogging with Olympus SZ-12
78
display is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have microphone jack
31
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focus
lighter than competition in class (226g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external mic jack
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Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus SZ-12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Olympus SZ-12
 Olympus PEN-FOlympus SZ-12
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN-F Olympus SZ-12
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2016-01-27 2012-01-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Highest resolution 5184 x 3888 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 25600 1600
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 81 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1700 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash settings Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 427 gr (0.94 lb) 226 gr (0.50 lb)
Physical dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 74 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 894 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 images 220 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $1,000 $350