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Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Olympus SZ-30MR front
Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
39
Overall
39

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Key Specs

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
  • Released January 2012
Olympus SZ-30MR
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Released March 2011
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Overview

The following is a extended overview of the Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus SZ-30MR, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras and they are both created by Olympus. The resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the SZ-30MR (16MP) is relatively close and they use the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SZ-12 was manufactured 11 months after the SZ-30MR which means that they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the SZ-12 grades against the SZ-30MR in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus SZ-30MR

 SZ-12 SZ-30MR 
ReleasedJanuary 2012March 2011Newer by 11 months

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-30MR over the Olympus SZ-12

 SZ-30MR SZ-12 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus SZ-30MR

 SZ-12 SZ-30MR 
Focus manually Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Screen resolution460k460kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-12 has got external measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-30MR has dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus SZ-30MR in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the SZ-12 against the SZ-30MR.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-12 and SZ-30MR is 89 and 89 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is difficult to envision the difference in sensor dimensions just by looking through specifications. The pic underneath may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-12 and SZ-30MR.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same megapixels. You can count on the Olympus SZ-30MR to render greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The newer SZ-12 will have an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography advice
Olympus SZ-30MR Portrait photography advice
33
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
comes with face detection focus
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
34
decent MP (16 megapixels)
includes face detect focusing
manual focus not available
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography highlights
Olympus SZ-30MR Street photography highlights
60
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (226 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (226g)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography highlights
Olympus SZ-30MR Sports photography highlights
40
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (220 shots)
lack of phase detect auto focus
41
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
includes tracking focus
max fps low (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
not so great battery (220 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus SZ-30MR as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competition (226 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
terrible battery life (220 CIPA)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
65
lighter than competitors (226g)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
great reach (600mm)
missing Time Lapse function
not so great battery (220 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-12
Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-30MR
40
really wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
terrible battery life (220 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
41
really wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
no manual control
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
not so great battery (220 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging advice
Olympus SZ-30MR Vlogging advice
31
really wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focus
lighter than competition (226g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external mic support
34
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors (226g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing mic socket
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus SZ-30MR
 Olympus SZ-12Olympus SZ-30MR
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus SZ-12 Olympus SZ-30MR
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2012-01-10 2011-03-02
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - TruePic III+
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-600mm (24.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology TFT Color LCD TFT Hypercrystal III Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 4s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1700s 1/1700s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 4.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in 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
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lbs) 226 gr (0.50 lbs)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 220 images 220 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Launch pricing $350 $279