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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220

Portability
89
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX220 front
Portability
96
Imaging
43
Features
41
Overall
42

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220 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
  • Announced January 2012
Sony WX220
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 121g - 92 x 52 x 22mm
  • Introduced February 2014
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220 Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and WX220 (18MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The SZ-12 was unveiled 3 years earlier than the WX220 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony WX220 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going through a complete comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the SZ-12 grades vs the WX220 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Sony WX220

 SZ-12 WX220 

Reasons to pick Sony WX220 over the Olympus SZ-12

 WX220 SZ-12 
IntroducedFebruary 2014January 2012More modern by 25 months

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony WX220

 SZ-12 WX220 
Focus manually Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Screen resolution460k460kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-12 has outer measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony WX220 has measurements of 92mm x 52mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.9") and a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the SZ-12 against the WX220.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-12 and WX220 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizes merely by going through specs. The image underneath might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-12 and WX220.

All in all, both of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Sony WX220 to show more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged SZ-12 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony WX220 as a Portrait photography camera
34
MP count good (14MP)
features face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
37
MP count good (18MP)
has face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography features
Sony WX220 Street photography features
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226g)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
59
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-12
Sports photography with Sony WX220
41
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14MP)
features tracking focus
low fps (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery (220 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
46
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18MP)
has tracking autofocus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SZ-12
Travel photography with Sony WX220
65
lighter than competition in class (226g)
MP count good (14MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
terrible battery (220 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
69
MP count good (18MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (25mm)
great reach (250mm)
no Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-12
Landscape photography with Sony WX220
40
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
terrible battery (220 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
44
decently wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
lack of manual mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Vlogging camera
Sony WX220 as a Vlogging camera
31
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focusing
lighter than competition in class (226g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have microphone jack
34
decently wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
no external microphone support
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX220 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Sony WX220
 Olympus SZ-12Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX220
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-12 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX220
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Announced 2012-01-10 2014-02-12
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz X
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 14MP 18MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4288 x 3216 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Max aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-5.9
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/1700 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter rate 1.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 3.70 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, on, slow synchro, off, advanced
External flash
AEB
WB 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) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 grams (0.50 lb) 121 grams (0.27 lb)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 92 x 52 x 22mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.9")
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 photographs 210 photographs
Battery style 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)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $350 $198