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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55

Portability
89
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55 front
Portability
97
Imaging
39
Features
46
Overall
41

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55 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
  • Introduced January 2012
Sony TX55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F3.5-4.8) lens
  • 109g - 93 x 54 x 13mm
  • Launched July 2011
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55 Overview

Here, we will be analyzing the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the TX55 (16MP) is relatively similar and both cameras provide the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ-12 was released 6 months after the TX55 which means that they are of a similar age. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony TX55 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick overview of how the SZ-12 matches up versus the TX55 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Sony TX55

 SZ-12 TX55 

Reasons to pick Sony TX55 over the Olympus SZ-12

 TX55 SZ-12 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Screen size3.3"3"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1230k460kCrisper screen (+770k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony TX55

 SZ-12 TX55 
LaunchedJanuary 2012July 2011Similar age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-12 has exterior 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) while the Sony TX55 has sizing of 93mm x 54mm x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5") accompanied by a weight of 109 grams (0.24 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the SZ-12 compared to the TX55.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-12 and TX55 is 89 and 97 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading a spec sheet. The pic below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-12 and TX55.

Clearly, each of the cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Sony TX55 to offer greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots a good deal more aggressively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony TX55 as a Portrait photography camera
34
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
offers face detect focusing
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
36
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography advice
Sony TX55 Street photography advice
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (226 grams)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
58
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography features
Sony TX55 Sports photography features
41
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
offers tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (220 shots)
has no phase detect AF
44
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good battery power (250 per charge)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography factors
Sony TX55 Travel photography factors
65
lighter than others (226g)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
terrible battery life (220 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
69
good battery power (250 shots)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (26mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-12
Landscape photography with Sony TX55
40
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
no manual mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
terrible battery life (220 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
50
has manual focus
reasonably wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3.3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good battery power (250 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Vlogging camera
Sony TX55 as a Vlogging camera
31
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focusing
lighter than others (226g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of microphone port
34
reasonably wide (26mm)
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone support
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony TX55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Sony TX55
 Olympus SZ-12Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-12 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Introduced 2012-01-10 2011-07-24
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4288 x 3216 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 26-130mm (5.0x)
Max aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.5-4.8
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3.3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 1,230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT Color LCD XtraFine OLED display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/1700s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 3.70 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
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) 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lbs) 109 gr (0.24 lbs)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 93 x 54 x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5")
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 pictures 250 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC microSD/SDHC, Memory Stick Micro
Card slots 1 1
Launch pricing $350 $350