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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX1

Portability
89
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 front
Portability
96
Imaging
33
Features
21
Overall
28

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX1 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-12
(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
  • Launched January 2012
Sony TX1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-4.6) lens
  • 142g - 94 x 58 x 17mm
  • Revealed August 2009
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX1 Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus SZ-12 versus Sony TX1, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and TX1 (10MP) and the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and TX1 (1/2.4") possess different sensor sizing.

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The SZ-12 was revealed 2 years after the TX1 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony TX1 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple view of how the SZ-12 grades versus the TX1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Sony TX1

 SZ-12 TX1 
RevealedJanuary 2012August 2009More modern by 30 months
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony TX1 over the Olympus SZ-12

 TX1 SZ-12 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony TX1

 SZ-12 TX1 
Manually focus No manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX1 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-12 has got external measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony TX1 has sizing of 94mm x 58mm x 17mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.7") and a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SZ-12 versus Sony TX1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the SZ-12 vs the TX1.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX1 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-12 and TX1 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX1 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is tough to picture the difference in sensor sizes only by researching specs. The picture below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-12 and TX1.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SZ-12 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus SZ-12 will provide you with more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The younger SZ-12 provides a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX1 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography highlights
Sony TX1 Portrait photography highlights
34
good resolution (14MP)
features face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
19
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
cannot use external flash
low resolution sensor (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography info
Sony TX1 Street photography info
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226g)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Sports photography camera
Sony TX1 as a Sports photography camera
41
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
low frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
terrible battery (220 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
24
has image stabilization (Optical)
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,250 seconds)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution sensor (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.4")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography factors
Sony TX1 Travel photography factors
65
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
decently wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
terrible battery (220 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.0)
51
flash built-in
missing Timelapse recording
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-12
Landscape photography with Sony TX1
40
decently wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
terrible battery (220 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse mode
31
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging details
Sony TX1 Vlogging details
31
decently wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detection focus
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic support
28
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external microphone port
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Sony TX1
 Olympus SZ-12Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-12 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Launched 2012-01-10 2009-08-06
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.4"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.9mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4288 x 3216 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Min native ISO 80 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection 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/3.5-4.6
Macro focusing range - 8cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 2 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1700 secs 1/1250 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 3.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 -
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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lb) 142 gr (0.31 lb)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 94 x 58 x 17mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.7")
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 photographs -
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 feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $350 $350