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Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus VG-120

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Olympus VG-120 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus VG-120 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
  • Revealed January 2012
Olympus VG-120
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2011
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus VG-120 Overview

Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus VG-120, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Ultracompact and both are manufactured by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the VG-120 (14MP) is relatively comparable and they use the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The SZ-12 was launched 13 months later than the VG-120 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the SZ-12 scores vs the VG-120 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Olympus VG-120

 SZ-12 VG-120 
IntroducedJanuary 2012January 2011Fresher by 13 months
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Olympus SZ-12

 VG-120 SZ-12 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus VG-120

 SZ-12 VG-120 
Manual focus No manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus VG-120 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-12 provides external 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 VG-120 has measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus VG-120 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the SZ-12 against the VG-120.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus VG-120 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-12 and VG-120 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus VG-120 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus VG-120 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to envision the contrast in sensor sizing purely by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-12 and VG-120.

As you can see, the 2 cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements and the identical megapixels therefore you should expect comparable quality of files though you may want to consider the release date of the cameras into account. The more recent SZ-12 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus VG-120 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus VG-120 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus VG-120 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus VG-120 as a Portrait photography camera
33
MP count decent (14MP)
includes face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
33
decent MP (14MP)
comes with face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography advice
Olympus VG-120 Street photography advice
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
48
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography highlights
Olympus VG-120 Sports photography highlights
40
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
low fps (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
low battery (220 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
26
decent MP (14MP)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (160 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SZ-12
Travel photography with Olympus VG-120
65
lighter than competition in class (226g)
MP count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low battery (220 shots)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
62
decent MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (26mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
not so great battery power (160 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography info
Olympus VG-120 Landscape photography info
40
reasonably wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not available
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
low battery (220 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
36
pretty wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
decent MP (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
no manual exposure
no image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
not so great battery power (160 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging advice
Olympus VG-120 Vlogging advice
31
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect autofocus
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have microphone jack
28
pretty wide (26mm)
comes with face detection focus
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone port
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Olympus VG-120 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Olympus VG-120
 Olympus SZ-12Olympus VG-120
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus SZ-12 Olympus VG-120
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Revealed 2012-01-10 2011-01-06
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by - TruePic III
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3
Full resolution 4288 x 3216 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 1600 1600
Lowest native ISO 80 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 26-130mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.8-6.5
Macro focus distance - 7cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech TFT Color LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/1700s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 4.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
WB 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) 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone 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 None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 gr (0.50 pounds) 120 gr (0.26 pounds)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
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 pictures 160 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B LI-70B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $350 $190