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Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic S5

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
76
Features
92
Overall
82

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic S5 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
  • Launched January 2012
Panasonic S5
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.0" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 714g - 133 x 97 x 82mm
  • Revealed August 2020
  • Renewed by Panasonic S5 II
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic S5 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus SZ-12 versus Panasonic S5, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and S5 (24MP) and the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and S5 (Full frame) use different sensor sizing.

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The SZ-12 was announced 9 years before the S5 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the SZ-12 scores against the S5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Panasonic S5

 SZ-12 S5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic S5 over the Olympus SZ-12

 S5 SZ-12 
RevealedAugust 2020January 2012More recent by 104 months
Manual focus More exact focus
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1840k460kSharper display (+1380k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic S5

 SZ-12 S5 
Display dimension3"3.0"Identical display measurement

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic S5 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-12 offers exterior measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Panasonic S5 has specifications of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") with a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SZ-12 versus Panasonic S5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the SZ-12 and the S5.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic S5 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-12 and S5 is 89 and 60 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic S5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic S5 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements just by looking at specifications. The photograph here will give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-12 and S5.

To sum up, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ-12 with its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Panasonic S5 will give you extra detail with its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The older SZ-12 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic S5 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography features
Panasonic S5 Portrait photography features
33
good resolution (14 megapixels)
provides face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
85
you can focus manually
MP count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports face detection focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SZ-12
Street photography with Panasonic S5
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
78
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
has focus via touch
environment proofing
good high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-12
Sports photography with Panasonic S5
40
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14MP)
provides tracking focus
max fps very slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (220 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
81
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet mode (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
environment proofing
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography details
Panasonic S5 Travel photography details
65
lighter than competition in class (226g)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery life (220 CIPA)
does not posses selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
79
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
has focus via touch
MP count good (24 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography information
Panasonic S5 Landscape photography information
40
quite wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14MP)
manual focus not available
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
terrible battery life (220 shots)
does not have Time Lapse recording
86
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Leica L mount)
screen size is good (3.0 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
doesnt have low pass filter
good high ISO (51,200)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic S5 as a Vlogging camera
31
quite wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect autofocus
lighter than competition in class (226g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not posses selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic support
79
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has external microphone jack
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic S5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic S5
 Olympus SZ-12Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SZ-12 Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2012-01-10 2020-08-14
Body design Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 1600 51200
Max enhanced ISO - 204800
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Min enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 225
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Leica L
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Amount of lenses - 31
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3" 3.0"
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 1,840 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/1700 secs 1/8000 secs
Max quiet shutter speed - 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync w/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/250 secs
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) 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264, H.265
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes (can be charged with high-power laptop/tablet chargers or portable power banks)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lbs) 714 gr (1.57 lbs)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 133 x 97 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photos 440 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Storage slots 1 2
Retail price $350 $1,999