Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A9

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A9, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and A9 (24MP) and the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-12 was revealed 6 years prior to the A9 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise summation of how the SZ-12 matches up versus the A9 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-12 & Sony Alpha A9. The full galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery & Sony A9 Gallery.

When you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-12 comes with outside 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) and the Sony A9 has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") with a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A9 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using during that time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the SZ-12 vs the A9.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-12 and A9 is 89 and 65 respectively.

Often, it can be difficult to see the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading through technical specs. The photograph below will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-12 and A9.

As you have seen, each of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SZ-12 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A9 will give extra detail because of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older SZ-12 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.