Olympus SZ-12 vs Samsung TL500
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36


88 Imaging
34 Features
54 Overall
42
Olympus SZ-12 vs Samsung TL500 Key Specs
(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
- Released January 2012
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 640 x 480 video
- 24-72mm (F1.8-2.4) lens
- 386g - 114 x 63 x 29mm
- Introduced July 2010
- Also referred to as EX1

Olympus SZ-12 vs Samsung TL500 Overview
Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus SZ-12 and Samsung TL500, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Samsung. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and TL500 (10MP) and the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and TL500 (1/1.7") boast totally different sensor sizes.

The SZ-12 was manufactured 19 months after the TL500 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both cameras have the same body design (Compact).
Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a simple summary of how the SZ-12 scores against the TL500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Samsung TL500 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-12 & Samsung TL500. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery & Samsung TL500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Samsung TL500
SZ-12 | TL500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | January 2012 | ![]() | July 2010 | Newer by 19 months |
Reasons to pick Samsung TL500 over the Olympus SZ-12
TL500 | SZ-12 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very precise focusing | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen resolution | 614k | ![]() | 460k | Crisper screen (+154k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Samsung TL500
SZ-12 | TL500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen dimensions |
Touch screen | ![]() | No Touch screen |
Olympus SZ-12 vs Samsung TL500 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-12 enjoys outside dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Samsung TL500 has sizing of 114mm x 63mm x 29mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.1") having a weight of 386 grams (0.85 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus SZ-12 and Samsung TL500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the SZ-12 compared to the TL500.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-12 and TL500 is 89 and 88 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Samsung TL500 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it is very hard to see the gap in sensor dimensions purely by checking out specifications. The picture underneath may provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-12 and TL500.
To sum up, both of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-12 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Olympus SZ-12 will provide more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The newer SZ-12 will have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Samsung TL500 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Samsung TL500 Specifications
Olympus SZ-12 | Samsung TL500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Samsung |
Model type | Olympus SZ-12 | Samsung TL500 |
Alternative name | - | EX1 |
Class | Small Sensor Superzoom | Small Sensor Compact |
Released | 2012-01-10 | 2010-07-09 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/1.7" |
Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 7.44 x 5.58mm |
Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 41.5mm² |
Sensor resolution | 14MP | 10MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | - | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 3648 x 2736 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 80 | 80 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Cross type focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 25-600mm (24.0x) | 24-72mm (3.0x) |
Maximum aperture | f/3.0-6.9 | f/1.8-2.4 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 5cm |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 4.8 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Display diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 460k dots | 614k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Display tech | TFT Color LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 4s | 8s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/1700s | 1/1500s |
Continuous shooting rate | 1.0 frames per sec | - |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | - | 5.20 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, Slow syncro, Manual |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) | 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 640x480 |
Video format | MPEG-4, H.264 | H.264 |
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 proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 226g (0.50 lb) | 386g (0.85 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") | 114 x 63 x 29mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.1") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | 40 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 19.2 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.1 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 129 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 220 photographs | - |
Battery style | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | LI-50B | SLB-07A |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) | Yes (10 sec, 2 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC, internal |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at launch | $350 | $527 |