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Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Pentax Optio P70 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
20
Overall
28

Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70 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
  • Introduced January 2012
Pentax P70
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 155g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Revealed March 2009
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70 Overview

On this page, we are matching up the Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Ultracompact by brands Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the P70 (12MP) is very similar and both cameras provide the same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SZ-12 was manufactured 2 years after the P70 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Pentax P70 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a short summary of how the SZ-12 scores vs the P70 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Pentax P70

 SZ-12 P70 
RevealedJanuary 2012March 2009More modern by 35 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax P70 over the Olympus SZ-12

 P70 SZ-12 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Pentax P70

 SZ-12 P70 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera, you'll need to consider 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") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Pentax P70 has measurements of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") with a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ-12 vs the P70.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-12 and P70 is 89 and 95 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizes only by reviewing specs. The pic here should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-12 and P70.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different resolution. You can expect to see the Olympus SZ-12 to offer greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The newer SZ-12 provides an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography info
Pentax P70 Portrait photography info
33
good MP (14 megapixels)
offers face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
27
you can focus manually
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
megapixel count low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography factors
Pentax P70 Street photography factors
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
47
fixed screen
no image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
more heavy than average (155g)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography features
Pentax P70 Sports photography features
40
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (14MP)
offers tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery life (220 per charge)
has no phase detect autofocus
17
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,000 seconds)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography info
Pentax P70 Travel photography info
65
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
good MP (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
no Timelapse mode
bad battery life (220 shots)
does not offer selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
56
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse function
more heavy than average (155g)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography factors
Pentax P70 Landscape photography factors
40
relatively wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (14MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
no manual control
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
bad battery life (220 per charge)
no Timelapse mode
32
you can focus manually
pretty wide (28mm)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
manual mode not available
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax P70 as a Vlogging camera
31
relatively wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection autofocus
lighter than competition in class (226g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not offer selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone socket
25
pretty wide (28mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone support
more heavy than average (155g)
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax P70 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Pentax P70
 Olympus SZ-12Pentax Optio P70
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus SZ-12 Pentax Optio P70
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Introduced 2012-01-10 2009-03-02
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
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 area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Peak resolution 4288 x 3216 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 64
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 28-110mm (3.9x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.8-5.0
Macro focus range - 10cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/1000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - 4.60 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB 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 (15 fps), 848 x 480 (15 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lbs) 155 gr (0.34 lbs)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $350 $200