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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony G3

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony G3 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-12
(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
  • Revealed January 2012
Sony G3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-10.0) lens
  • 185g - 97 x 59 x 22mm
  • Launched January 2009
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony G3 Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony G3, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the image resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and G3 (10MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The SZ-12 was launched 3 years after the G3 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summation of how the SZ-12 scores vs the G3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Sony G3

 SZ-12 G3 
LaunchedJanuary 2012January 2009More modern by 37 months

Reasons to pick Sony G3 over the Olympus SZ-12

 G3 SZ-12 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Display dimensions3.5"3"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution921k460kCrisper display (+461k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony G3

 SZ-12 G3 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony G3 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-12 enjoys external 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 G3 has sizing of 97mm x 59mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") along with a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony G3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at that moment. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the SZ-12 against the G3.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony G3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-12 and G3 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony G3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony G3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very tough to see the difference in sensor sizes merely by going through a spec sheet. The pic here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-12 and G3.

As you can see, both of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You should anticipate the Olympus SZ-12 to produce more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The fresher SZ-12 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony G3 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-12
Portrait photography with Sony G3
33
decent MP (14MP)
comes with face detection autofocus
no manual focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
26
has manual focus
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SZ-12
Street photography with Sony G3
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (226 grams)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography info
Sony G3 Sports photography info
40
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery pack (220 shots)
lack of phase detect autofocus
23
built in image stabilization (Optical)
max shutter speed is low (1/1,000s)
slow frames per second (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography features
Sony G3 Travel photography features
65
lighter than average in class (226 grams)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (25mm)
great reach (600mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
terrible battery pack (220 shots)
does not have selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
50
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low MP (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography highlights
Sony G3 Landscape photography highlights
40
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
no manual control
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
terrible battery pack (220 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
36
has manual focus
bigger than average screen (3.5")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
low MP (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Vlogging camera
Sony G3 as a Vlogging camera
31
rather wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection autofocus
lighter than average in class (226g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not have selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external microphone port
27
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone port
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Sony G3
 Olympus SZ-12Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-12 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2012-01-10 2009-01-08
Body design Compact Compact
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 14 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 35-140mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.5-10.0
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3.5 inches
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 1 secs
Max shutter speed 1/1700 secs 1/1000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 4.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lbs) 185 gr (0.41 lbs)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 97 x 59 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail price $350 $200