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Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic SZ1

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic SZ1 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 SZ1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 131g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Announced January 2012
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic SZ1 Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic SZ1, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the SZ1 (16MP) is relatively close and they feature the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ-12 was unveiled at a similar time to the SZ1 so they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the SZ-12 matches up versus the SZ1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Panasonic SZ1

 SZ-12 SZ1 
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ1 over the Olympus SZ-12

 SZ1 SZ-12 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic SZ1

 SZ-12 SZ1 
AnnouncedJanuary 2012January 2012Same age
Manual focus No manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic SZ1 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-12 has exterior measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ1 has measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic SZ1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the SZ-12 versus the SZ1.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic SZ1 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-12 and SZ1 is 89 and 95 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic SZ1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic SZ1 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to picture the difference in sensor measurements purely by looking through specifications. The visual underneath will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-12 and SZ1.

Plainly, both the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Panasonic SZ1 to provide you with extra detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic SZ1 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography features
Panasonic SZ1 Portrait photography features
33
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
offers face detect focus
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
34
good MP (16 megapixels)
offers face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography features
Panasonic SZ1 Street photography features
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (131g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography factors
Panasonic SZ1 Sports photography factors
40
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (14MP)
offers tracking focus
max fps low (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (220 shots)
no phase detect auto focus
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography features
Panasonic SZ1 Travel photography features
65
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
good megapixels (14MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
long zoom (600mm)
missing Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (220 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
70
lighter than others in class (131 grams)
good MP (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
great reach (250mm)
no Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography features
Panasonic SZ1 Landscape photography features
40
quite wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
not so great battery power (220 shots)
missing Timelapse mode
43
quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging advice
Panasonic SZ1 Vlogging advice
31
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focus
lighter than competition in class (226g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone support
32
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
lighter than others in class (131g)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic support
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic SZ1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic SZ1
 Olympus SZ-12Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SZ-12 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2012-01-10 2012-01-09
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 23
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing range - 4cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology TFT Color LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 8 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/1700 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 5.60 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
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)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lbs) 131 gr (0.29 lbs)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
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 photographs 250 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $350 $179