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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A33

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Sony SLT-A33 front
Portability
67
Imaging
54
Features
80
Overall
64

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A33 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
  • Launched January 2012
Sony A33
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Launched August 2010
  • Refreshed by Sony A35
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A33 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Olympus SZ-12 versus Sony A33, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the A33 (14MP) is pretty close but the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and A33 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-12 was unveiled 17 months later than the A33 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony A33 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple overview of how the SZ-12 matches up against the A33 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Sony A33

 SZ-12 A33 
LaunchedJanuary 2012August 2010More recent by 17 months

Reasons to pick Sony A33 over the Olympus SZ-12

 A33 SZ-12 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony A33

 SZ-12 A33 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A33 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-12 comes with exterior measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Sony A33 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-12 versus Sony A33 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the SZ-12 against the A33.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A33 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-12 and A33 is 89 and 67 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A33 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A33 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements simply by viewing specifications. The photograph below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-12 and A33.

Plainly, both cameras offer the same exact megapixel count albeit not the same sensor measurements. The SZ-12 provides the smaller sensor which should make obtaining shallower DOF more challenging. The newer SZ-12 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A33 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A33 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A33 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A33 Portrait photography highlights
33
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
comes with face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
72
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography highlights
Sony A33 Street photography highlights
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226g)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
76
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-12
Sports photography with Sony A33
40
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
comes with tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (220 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
not so great battery (340 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography factors
Sony A33 Travel photography factors
65
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
not so great battery power (220 per charge)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
61
megapixel count decent (14MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
no Time Lapse recording
not so great battery (340 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography advice
Sony A33 Landscape photography advice
40
rather wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not available
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
not so great battery power (220 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
67
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
not so great battery (340 per charge)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A33 as a Vlogging camera
31
rather wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detect autofocus
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of mic support
77
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external mic jack
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A33 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Sony A33
 Olympus SZ-12Sony SLT-A33
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-12 Sony SLT-A33
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2012-01-10 2010-08-24
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4288 x 3216 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Number of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 seconds
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 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lbs) 500 gr (1.10 lbs)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 70
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 591
Other
Battery life 220 photos 340 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $350 $230