Clicky

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX30

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX30 front
Portability
96
Imaging
42
Features
43
Overall
42

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX30 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
  • Launched January 2012
Sony TX30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F3.5-4.8) lens
  • 141g - 96 x 59 x 15mm
  • Revealed July 2013
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX30 Overview

On this page, we are comparing the Olympus SZ-12 versus Sony TX30, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and TX30 (18MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The SZ-12 was manufactured 18 months prior to the TX30 making them a generation away from one another. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony TX30 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the SZ-12 matches up against the TX30 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Sony TX30

 SZ-12 TX30 

Reasons to pick Sony TX30 over the Olympus SZ-12

 TX30 SZ-12 
RevealedJuly 2013January 2012Newer by 18 months
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display dimensions3.3"3"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k460kClearer display (+769k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony TX30

 SZ-12 TX30 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX30 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to travel with your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-12 provides exterior dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony TX30 has measurements of 96mm x 59mm x 15mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.6") with a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-12 versus Sony TX30 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the SZ-12 vs the TX30.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX30 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-12 and TX30 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX30 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to envision the contrast between sensor dimensions just by looking at specs. The image underneath might give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-12 and TX30.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Sony TX30 to give you greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged SZ-12 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX30 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography advice
Sony TX30 Portrait photography advice
33
decent MP (14MP)
offers face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
38
manual focus
good MP (18MP)
no manual control
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SZ-12
Street photography with Sony TX30
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
64
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment proof
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-12
Sports photography with Sony TX30
40
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery pack (220 shots)
no phase detect auto focus
46
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18MP)
environment proof
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography details
Sony TX30 Travel photography details
65
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
decent MP (14MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
lack of Timelapse function
low battery pack (220 per charge)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
69
environment proof
good MP (18MP)
has built in flash
decently wide (26mm)
does not have Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography information
Sony TX30 Landscape photography information
40
pretty wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
low battery pack (220 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse function
51
manual focus
decently wide (26mm)
good sized screen (3.3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18 megapixels)
environment proof
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Timelapse function
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SZ-12
Vlogging with Sony TX30
31
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focus
lighter than competition in class (226g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external microphone socket
34
decently wide (26mm)
touch screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone jack
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Sony TX30
 Olympus SZ-12Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX30
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-12 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX30
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Launched 2012-01-10 2013-07-26
Body design Compact Ultracompact
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 14 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 80 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 26-130mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.5-4.8
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3.3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT Color LCD OLED monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 1.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data 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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 gr (0.50 pounds) 141 gr (0.31 pounds)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 96 x 59 x 15mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.6")
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 images -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) -
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $350 $230