Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX5

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus SZ-12 versus Sony TX5, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and TX5 (10MP) and the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and TX5 (1/2.4") posses different sensor measurements.

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The SZ-12 was unveiled 24 months after the TX5 making them a generation away from each other. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony TX5 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving into a thorough comparison, here is a concise overview of how the SZ-12 scores vs the TX5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-12 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5. The full galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery and Sony TX5 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry around your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-12 comes with external measurements 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 TX5 has specifications of 94mm x 57mm x 18mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 148 grams (0.33 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SZ-12 versus Sony TX5 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ-12 compared to the TX5.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-12 and TX5 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Often, its hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes merely by viewing technical specs. The image below may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-12 and TX5.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SZ-12 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus SZ-12 will result in extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images more aggressively. The more modern SZ-12 should have an edge with regard to sensor tech.