Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony W550
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36


96 Imaging
37 Features
28 Overall
33
Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony W550 Key Specs
(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
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
- 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
- Revealed July 2011

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony W550 Overview
Its time to look much closer at the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony W550, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the W550 (14MP) is relatively close and they use the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

The SZ-12 was brought out 6 months after the W550 and they are of a similar age. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.
Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a short overview of how the SZ-12 matches up vs the W550 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony W550 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-12 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery & Sony W550 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Sony W550
SZ-12 | W550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Olympus SZ-12
W550 | SZ-12 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony W550
SZ-12 | W550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | January 2012 | ![]() | July 2011 | Same age |
Focus manually | ![]() | No manual focus | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen sizing |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lack of selfie screen | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Lack of Touch screen |
Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison
In case you're intending to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-12 enjoys exterior dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has sizing of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).
Look at the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony W550 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the SZ-12 vs the W550.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-12 and W550 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it's hard to envision the gap in sensor sizes only by looking through specifications. The picture underneath will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-12 and W550.
Plainly, both cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements and the same MP and you can expect comparable quality of pictures however you will need to factor the age of the cameras into account.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony W550 Specifications
Olympus SZ-12 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus SZ-12 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 |
Class | Small Sensor Superzoom | Ultracompact |
Launched | 2012-01-10 | 2011-07-24 |
Body design | Compact | Ultracompact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | - | BIONZ |
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
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 | 14MP | 14MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | - | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 4320 x 3240 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 3200 |
Minimum native ISO | 80 | 80 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Total focus points | - | 9 |
Cross type focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 25-600mm (24.0x) | 26-104mm (4.0x) |
Maximum aperture | f/3.0-6.9 | f/2.7-5.7 |
Macro focusing range | - | 5cm |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 460 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Display tech | TFT Color LCD | Clear Photo LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 4s | 2s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/1700s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shutter speed | 1.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | - | 3.80 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
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 format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4 |
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 | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 226 grams (0.50 lb) | 110 grams (0.24 lb) |
Dimensions | 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") | 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall 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 shots | - |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | LI-50B | NP-BN1 |
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 | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | One | - |
Retail pricing | $350 | $119 |