Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony RX100 V

The following is a extensive overview of the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony RX100 V, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and RX100 V (20MP) and the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and RX100 V (1") come with different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-12 was manufactured 5 years before the RX100 V which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 V being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving in to a in depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the SZ-12 grades versus the RX100 V with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-12 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery and Sony RX100 V Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-12 features physical dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Sony RX100 V has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony RX100 V in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the SZ-12 and the RX100 V.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-12 and RX100 V is 89 and 89 respectively.

Usually, it can be tough to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by looking at technical specs. The image underneath might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-12 and RX100 V.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-12 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Sony RX100 V will resolve extra detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged SZ-12 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.