Clicky

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS

Portability
89
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS front
Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
40
Overall
37

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Key Specs

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
  • Announced January 2012
Olympus TG-1 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 112 x 67 x 30mm
  • Released May 2012
Europe Approves Revolutionary AI Legislation

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Overview

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Waterproof and both are sold by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the TG-1 iHS (12MP) is pretty close and both cameras posses the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

Peek Behind the Lens of 'Photographer' and Their Go-To Cameras

The SZ-12 was introduced 3 months prior to the TG-1 iHS which means that they are of a similar age. Both the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a concise view of how the SZ-12 matches up versus the TG-1 iHS when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Nikon Coolpix camera search on Google skyrockets by 8,500%
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus TG-1 iHS

 SZ-12 TG-1 iHS 

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-1 iHS over the Olympus SZ-12

 TG-1 iHS SZ-12 
Screen resolution610k460kCrisper screen (+150k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus TG-1 iHS

 SZ-12 TG-1 iHS 
ReleasedJanuary 2012May 2012Same age
Focus manually Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-12 provides outside 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) and the Olympus TG-1 iHS has specifications of 112mm x 67mm x 30mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") with a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the SZ-12 and the TG-1 iHS.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-12 and TG-1 iHS is 89 and 91 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to envision the gap in sensor sizes merely by viewing technical specs. The picture below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-12 and TG-1 iHS.

As you have seen, each of the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Olympus SZ-12 to render more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
TikTok Developing Photo App to Challenge Instagram's Dominance

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus TG-1 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
34
good resolution (14MP)
features face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
27
offers face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
AI-Powered Photo Editing Tools Could Be Added to WhatsApp

Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography advice
Olympus TG-1 iHS Street photography advice
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (226g)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
screen is fixed
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
Leica struggles with L-Mount camera sales, tougher than Q or M

Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-1 iHS as a Sports photography camera
41
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
features tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery power (220 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
40
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking autofocus
weather sealing
better than average battery power (350 per charge)
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
low MP (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
Ulanzi's Tripod Ensures Ultra Smooth Filming

Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography highlights
Olympus TG-1 iHS Travel photography highlights
65
lighter than competition (226g)
good resolution (14MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
bad battery power (220 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.0)
68
better than average battery power (350 CIPA)
weather sealing
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
no Time Lapse recording
low MP (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
Google AI Gemini Could Enhance iPhone Experience, Talks Suggest

Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography factors
Olympus TG-1 iHS Landscape photography factors
40
fairly wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14MP)
manual focus not available
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
bad battery power (220 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse recording
46
relatively wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
better than average battery power (350 CIPA)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not available
low MP (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
no Time Lapse recording
Apple patent reveals improved iPhone camera durability

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging information
Olympus TG-1 iHS Vlogging information
31
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect autofocus
lighter than competition (226g)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
display is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone jack
36
relatively wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
no external mic port
Fujifilm accuses Eastman Kodak of patent violation in new lawsuit

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus TG-1 iHS
 Olympus SZ-12Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus SZ-12 Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Waterproof
Announced 2012-01-10 2012-05-08
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - TruePic VI
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4288 x 3216 3968 x 2976
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.0-4.9
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 610 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 grams (0.50 lbs) 230 grams (0.51 lbs)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 112 x 67 x 30mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 220 photographs 350 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B LI90B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 and 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $350 $399