Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-3
Portability
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
Portability
90 Imaging
40 Features
46 Overall
42
90 Imaging
40 Features
46 Overall
42
Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-3 Key Specs
Olympus SZ-12
(Full Review)
(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 TG-3
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
- 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
- Introduced March 2014
- Newer Model is Olympus TG-4
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Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-3, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Waterproof and they are both manufactured by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the TG-3 (16MP) is very well matched and they use the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banThe SZ-12 was launched 3 years prior to the TG-3 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).
Before going in to a detailed comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the SZ-12 matches up versus the TG-3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus Tough TG-3. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery and Olympus TG-3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus TG-3
| SZ-12 | TG-3 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Olympus SZ-12
| TG-3 | SZ-12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | March 2014 |  | January 2012 | More modern by 27 months |
Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus TG-3
| SZ-12 | TG-3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus |  | Lack of manual focus | ||
| Display type | Fixed |  | Fixed | Fixed display |
| Display dimension | 3" |  | 3" | Identical display dimensions |
| Display resolution | 460k |  | 460k | Equal display resolution |
| Selfie screen |  | Lack of selfie screen | ||
| Touch display |  | Lack of Touch display |
Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-3 Physical Comparison
For those who are looking to carry around your camera often, you will have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-12 has got exterior dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Olympus TG-3 has dimensions of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") with a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs).
Look at the Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the SZ-12 and the TG-3.
Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-12 and TG-3 is 89 and 90 respectively.
Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-3 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, its tough to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes only by looking at technical specs. The image underneath should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-12 and TG-3.
As you can tell, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You should expect to see the Olympus TG-3 to give extra detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SZ-12 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.
Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-3 Screen and ViewFinder
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Portrait Comparison
Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography details
Olympus TG-3 Portrait photography details
MP count good (14MP)
provides face detect focus
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
MP count decent (16MP)
provides face detection focus
manual focus not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Olympus SZ-12 Street photography details
Olympus TG-3 Street photography details
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
heavier than others in class (247g)
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Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography advice
Olympus TG-3 Sports photography advice
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (220 per charge)
lacks phase detect auto focus
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proof
better than average battery (330 shots)
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
Photography GlossaryTravel Comparison
Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography info
Olympus TG-3 Travel photography info
lighter than competition in class (226g)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
terrible battery power (220 shots)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
better than average battery (330 shots)
environment proof
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
heavier than others in class (247g)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography information
Olympus TG-3 Landscape photography information
quite wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
terrible battery power (220 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
pretty wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
environment proof
better than average battery (330 CIPA)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging details
Olympus TG-3 Vlogging details
quite wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focus
lighter than competition in class (226g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone socket
pretty wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic port
heavier than others in class (247g)
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus TG-3 Specifications
| Olympus SZ-12 | Olympus Tough TG-3 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Olympus | Olympus |
| Model type | Olympus SZ-12 | Olympus Tough TG-3 |
| Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Waterproof |
| Released | 2012-01-10 | 2014-03-31 |
| Body design | Compact | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | - | TruePic VII |
| 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 surface area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 14 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | - | 3:2 |
| Highest resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 4608 x 3456 |
| Highest native ISO | 1600 | 6400 |
| Min native ISO | 80 | 100 |
| RAW pictures | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Tracking autofocus | ||
| Selective autofocus | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Autofocus live view | ||
| Face detection focus | ||
| Contract detection focus | ||
| Phase detection focus | ||
| Cross type focus points | - | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | 25-600mm (24.0x) | 25-100mm (4.0x) |
| Maximal aperture | f/3.0-6.9 | f/2.0-4.9 |
| Macro focusing distance | - | 1cm |
| Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Screen size | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of screen | 460 thousand dot | 460 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch operation | ||
| Screen technology | TFT Color LCD | TFT-LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | None | None |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 4 seconds | 4 seconds |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/1700 seconds | 1/2000 seconds |
| Continuous shooting speed | 1.0 frames/s | 5.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED |
| External flash | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) | 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
| Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | H.264, Motion JPEG |
| Mic jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | Built-In |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | BuiltIn |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 226 grams (0.50 lb) | 247 grams (0.54 lb) |
| Dimensions | 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") | 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") |
| 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 shots | 330 shots |
| Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | LI-50B | LI-92B |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) | Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory |
| Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
| Price at launch | $350 | $350 |