Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A6100
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36


81 Imaging
69 Features
88 Overall
76
Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A6100 Key Specs
(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
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 32000 (Boost to 51200)
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Sony E Mount
- 396g - 120 x 67 x 59mm
- Revealed August 2019

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A6100 Overview
Here is a complete review of the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A6100, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and A6100 (24MP) and the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and A6100 (APS-C) offer different sensor size.

The SZ-12 was announced 8 years earlier than the A6100 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony A6100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a short view of how the SZ-12 grades versus the A6100 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A6100 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-12 and Sony Alpha a6100. The whole galleries are available at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery and Sony A6100 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Sony A6100
SZ-12 | A6100 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony A6100 over the Olympus SZ-12
A6100 | SZ-12 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | August 2019 | ![]() | January 2012 | Fresher by 92 months |
Manually focus | ![]() | Very accurate focus | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 922k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+462k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony A6100
SZ-12 | A6100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen size |
Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A6100 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is going to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-12 comes with physical measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony A6100 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") having a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A6100 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the SZ-12 vs the A6100.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-12 and A6100 is 89 and 81 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A6100 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it's hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizing only by seeing specs. The graphic here will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-12 and A6100.
All in all, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SZ-12 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony A6100 will provide extra detail with its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs more aggressively. The older SZ-12 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A6100 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A6100 Specifications
Olympus SZ-12 | Sony Alpha a6100 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus SZ-12 | Sony Alpha a6100 |
Category | Small Sensor Superzoom | Advanced Mirrorless |
Introduced | 2012-01-10 | 2019-08-28 |
Body design | Compact | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | - | Bionz X |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 14 megapixel | 24 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | - | 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 6000 x 4000 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 32000 |
Maximum boosted ISO | - | 51200 |
Min native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | - | 425 |
Cross type focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | Sony E |
Lens zoom range | 25-600mm (24.0x) | - |
Largest aperture | f/3.0-6.9 | - |
Amount of lenses | - | 121 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Screen diagonal | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Screen resolution | 460k dot | 922k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Screen technology | TFT Color LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,440k dot |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.71x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 4s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/1700s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shooting speed | 1.0fps | 11.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | - | 6.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Flash off, auto, fill flash, slow sync, rear sync, wireless, hi-speed |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB 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 |
Maximum video resolution | 1280x720 | 3840x2160 |
Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264 |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | Yes |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 226 grams (0.50 pounds) | 396 grams (0.87 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") | 120 x 67 x 59mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") |
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 photos | 420 photos |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | LI-50B | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) | Yes |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at launch | $350 | $748 |