Olympus SZ-12 vs Sony A57

Lets look much closer at the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony A57, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the A57 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-12 was manufactured 8 months prior to the A57 which means that they are of a similar age. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the SZ-12 grades against the A57 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-12 & Sony SLT-A57. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery & Sony A57 Gallery.

If you are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-12 offers physical measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony A57 has dimensions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-12 and Sony A57 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at that moment. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ-12 compared to the A57.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-12 and A57 is 89 and 64 respectively.

More often than not, it is tough to see the difference in sensor dimensions just by seeing specs. The pic below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-12 and A57.

All in all, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-12 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A57 will show extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics more aggressively. The more aged SZ-12 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.