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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A7c

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Sony Alpha A7c front
Portability
78
Imaging
76
Features
88
Overall
80

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A7c 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
  • Announced January 2012
Sony A7c
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Bump to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 509g - 124 x 71 x 60mm
  • Revealed September 2020
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A7c Overview

Following is a complete review of the Olympus SZ-12 versus Sony A7c, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and A7c (24MP) and the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and A7c (Full frame) have different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-12 was released 9 years prior to the A7c which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7c being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief summary of how the SZ-12 grades vs the A7c in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Sony A7c

 SZ-12 A7c 

Reasons to pick Sony A7c over the Olympus SZ-12

 A7c SZ-12 
RevealedSeptember 2020January 2012More modern by 105 months
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeFully articulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution922k460kSharper display (+462k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony A7c

 SZ-12 A7c 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A7c Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-12 has external 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 Sony A7c has measurements of 124mm x 71mm x 60mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 2.4") accompanied by a weight of 509 grams (1.12 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-12 versus Sony A7c in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ-12 vs the A7c.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A7c size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-12 and A7c is 89 and 78 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A7c top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A7c Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizes merely by seeing technical specs. The image here might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-12 and A7c.

As you have seen, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SZ-12 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A7c will show extra detail as a result of its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged SZ-12 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A7c sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A7c Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A7c Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A7c as a Portrait photography camera
33
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
provides face detect focus
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
78
you can focus manually
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
provides face detection focus
saves RAW formats
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SZ-12
Street photography with Sony A7c
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (226g)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
85
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
has touch focus
environment sealing
above average high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography factors
Sony A7c Sports photography factors
40
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
low frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (220 per charge)
does not have phase detect auto focus
88
silent shutter (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
great battery (740 per charge)
has phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A7c as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competition (226 grams)
decent megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery power (220 CIPA)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
86
great battery (740 shots)
environment sealing
connects via bluetooth
has touch focus
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography features
Sony A7c Landscape photography features
40
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
no manual exposure
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
terrible battery power (220 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse recording
88
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
above average high ISO (51,200)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
great battery (740 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A7c as a Vlogging camera
31
rather wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focus
lighter than competition (226 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic support
86
screen is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has external mic socket
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A7c Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Sony A7c
 Olympus SZ-12Sony Alpha A7c
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-12 Sony Alpha A7c
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2012-01-10 2020-09-14
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4288 x 3216 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 1600 51200
Highest boosted ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 693
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Amount of lenses - 122
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully articulated
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/1700 secs 1/4000 secs
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in no built-in flash
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
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) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 pounds) 509 gr (1.12 pounds)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 124 x 71 x 60mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 2.4")
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 740 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-II supported)
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $350 $1,800