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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 front
Portability
63
Imaging
44
Features
51
Overall
46

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300 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
  • Released January 2012
Sony HX300
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 623g - 130 x 103 x 93mm
  • Launched February 2013
  • Superseded the Sony HX200V
  • Updated by Sony HX400V
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300 Overview

On this page, we are comparing the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and HX300 (20MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ-12 was manufactured 13 months before the HX300 making them a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief summation of how the SZ-12 grades vs the HX300 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Sony HX300

 SZ-12 HX300 

Reasons to pick Sony HX300 over the Olympus SZ-12

 HX300 SZ-12 
LaunchedFebruary 2013January 2012More modern by 13 months
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution921k460kClearer display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony HX300

 SZ-12 HX300 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-12 features outer dimensions 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 HX300 has specifications of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") and a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ-12 versus the HX300.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-12 and HX300 is 89 and 63 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to envision the difference in sensor sizes merely by going through specs. The image here should give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-12 and HX300.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You can anticipate the Sony HX300 to produce more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos more aggressively. The more aged SZ-12 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography highlights
Sony HX300 Portrait photography highlights
33
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
provides face detect focusing
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
42
has manual focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography details
Sony HX300 Street photography details
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors in class (226 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
50
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
more heavy than average (623 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography details
Sony HX300 Sports photography details
40
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
provides tracking focus
max fps very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
low battery pack (220 shots)
lacks phase detect AF
55
great zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
features tracking focus
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography highlights
Sony HX300 Travel photography highlights
65
lighter than competitors in class (226 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
low battery pack (220 CIPA)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
54
good MP (20MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (24mm)
great zoom (1200mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
more heavy than average (623 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX300 as a Landscape photography camera
40
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
low battery pack (220 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse mode
48
has manual focus
decently wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging information
Sony HX300 Vlogging information
31
rather wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focusing
lighter than competitors in class (226 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone socket
25
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone jack
more heavy than average (623 grams)
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Sony HX300
 Olympus SZ-12Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-12 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2012-01-10 2013-02-20
Body design Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.16 x 4.62mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.5mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Peak resolution 4288 x 3216 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.8-6.3
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 1.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226g (0.50 lb) 623g (1.37 lb)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 130 x 103 x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 220 pictures -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) -
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $350 $339