Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX30
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
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96 Imaging
38 Features
41 Overall
39
Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX30 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
- Revealed January 2012
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
- 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
- Released July 2011
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Lets look closer at the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX30, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the WX30 (16MP) is pretty close and both cameras have the same sensor size (1/2.3").
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe SZ-12 was released 6 months later than the WX30 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).
Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the SZ-12 matches up against the WX30 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
Photography Glossary Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX30 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-12 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery & Sony WX30 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Sony WX30
| SZ-12 | WX30 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony WX30 over the Olympus SZ-12
| WX30 | SZ-12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen resolution | 922k | 460k | Sharper screen (+462k dot) | |
| Touch friendly screen | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony WX30
| SZ-12 | WX30 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | January 2012 | July 2011 | Same age | |
| Manual focus | No manual focusing | |||
| Screen type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed screen | |
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen size | |
| Selfie screen | Lacking selfie screen |
Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX30 Physical Comparison
If you're planning to carry your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-12 provides outside 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 WX30 has sizing of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).
Compare the Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX30 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the SZ-12 and the WX30.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-12 and WX30 is 89 and 96 respectively.
Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX30 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, its difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizing just by researching specs. The graphic below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-12 and WX30.
As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You can expect the Sony WX30 to render greater detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively.
Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX30 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony WX30 Specifications
| Olympus SZ-12 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
| Model | Olympus SZ-12 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30 |
| Category | Small Sensor Superzoom | Small Sensor Compact |
| Revealed | 2012-01-10 | 2011-07-25 |
| Physical type | Compact | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | - | BIONZ |
| Sensor type | CCD | BSI-CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 14MP | 16MP |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | - | 4:3 and 16:9 |
| Highest Possible resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 4608 x 3456 |
| Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 3200 |
| Minimum native ISO | 80 | 100 |
| RAW photos | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| AF touch | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| Single AF | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detect focusing | ||
| Contract detect focusing | ||
| Phase detect focusing | ||
| Number of focus points | - | 9 |
| Cross focus points | - | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
| Lens focal range | 25-600mm (24.0x) | 25-125mm (5.0x) |
| Largest aperture | f/3.0-6.9 | f/2.6-6.3 |
| Macro focus distance | - | 5cm |
| Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Display diagonal | 3 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of display | 460 thousand dots | 922 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch functionality | ||
| Display technology | TFT Color LCD | XtraFine TFT LCD display |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | None | None |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/1700 secs | 1/1600 secs |
| Continuous shutter rate | 1.0 frames per second | 10.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual mode | ||
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash range | - | 3.70 m |
| Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AEB | ||
| 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 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps) |
| Maximum video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
| Mic support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| 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 sealing | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 226 grams (0.50 lbs) | 117 grams (0.26 lbs) |
| Physical dimensions | 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") | 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") |
| 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 photos | 250 photos |
| Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | 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 | ||
| Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo |
| Card slots | Single | Single |
| Cost at release | $350 | $259 |