Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony HX300

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.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-12 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery & Sony HX300 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.