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Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FH6

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FH6 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
  • Introduced January 2012
Panasonic FH6
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-6.4) lens
  • 119g - 96 x 56 x 20mm
  • Revealed January 2012
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FH6 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic FH6, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the FH6 (14MP) is pretty similar and they feature the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ-12 was introduced within a month of the FH6 and they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving through a full comparison, below is a short view of how the SZ-12 grades vs the FH6 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Panasonic FH6

 SZ-12 FH6 
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH6 over the Olympus SZ-12

 FH6 SZ-12 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic FH6

 SZ-12 FH6 
RevealedJanuary 2012January 2012Similar age
Manual focus No manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FH6 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-12 enjoys exterior dimensions 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 FH6 has specifications of 96mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") and a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic FH6 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the SZ-12 compared to the FH6.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FH6 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-12 and FH6 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FH6 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FH6 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is hard to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading specs. The photograph underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-12 and FH6.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements and the same megapixels and you can expect similar quality of images but you need to consider the launch date of the products into consideration.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FH6 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FH6 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FH6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-12
Portrait photography with Panasonic FH6
33
MP count good (14MP)
has face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
33
good resolution (14MP)
comes with face detection focusing
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography highlights
Panasonic FH6 Street photography highlights
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (226g)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (119g)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography info
Panasonic FH6 Sports photography info
40
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14MP)
has tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
bad battery (220 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect AF
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14MP)
better than average battery power (280 CIPA)
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FH6 Travel photography advice
65
lighter than others (226 grams)
MP count good (14MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
bad battery (220 per charge)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
70
better than average battery power (280 per charge)
lighter than competitors in class (119 grams)
good resolution (14MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (24mm)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-12
Landscape photography with Panasonic FH6
40
decently wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
bad battery (220 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
41
decently wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
better than average battery power (280 per charge)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FH6 as a Vlogging camera
31
decently wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focusing
lighter than others (226g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external mic jack
32
decently wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
lighter than competitors in class (119 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone port
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FH6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic FH6
 Olympus SZ-12Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SZ-12 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2012-01-10 2012-01-09
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-120mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.5-6.4
Macro focus range - 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech TFT Color LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 8s
Highest shutter speed 1/1700s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 4.60 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video 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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 grams (0.50 pounds) 119 grams (0.26 pounds)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 96 x 56 x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8")
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 shots 280 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $350 $129