Olympus SZ-12 14MP Digital Camera with 24x Wide-Angle Zoom (Silver)

by Olympus

• 14 Megapixel
• 24x wide-angle zoom
• 3" LCD
• HD Video
• Dual Image Stabilization

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.6 x 2.7 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B006ZAHMPA
• Item model number: SZ-12 Silver
• Batteries 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,646 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 18, 2012

Product Description

Color: Silver

From the Manufacturer

r

WHERE ELEGANCE AND FUNCTION MEET.

Be ready for every close-up with the ultra-compact SZ-12 long zoom camera. Stunningly sleek & stylish with a powerful 24x optical zoom and 3D Photo Mode, this camera is perfect for family and sporting events alike. Take your HD videos to a whole new level with creative Magic Art Filters like Punk, Fisheye & Pop Art. But that's not all. With Wi-Fi compatibility, there's no need to wait to share your favorite photos on Facebook.* An elegant look without a hefty price tag.

*WiFi connectivity made possible through optional EyeFi card.

SUPER-SLIM 24X WIDE-ANGLE OPTICAL ZOOM.

All the capabilities you need in one compact lens. The 24x optical zoom gets you amazingly close to the action while the 25mm wide-angle lens lets you capture group shots and breathtaking panoramas.

HD VIDEO WITH HDMI CONTROL

A simple, one-touch button allows you to record video with amazing clarity in high-definition, right from your camera. HDMI output and control makes playing back videos on your HD television a breeze.

HIGH-SPEED SEQUENTIAL SHOOTING

Shoot like a pro. With high-speed burst shooting, nail the perfect shot by taking a quick sequence at the touch of a button. You'll have so many great shots, you won't be able to share just one!

MAGIC ART FILTERS (STILL & MOVIE)

Add style and artistic flair to stills and movies with Olympus Magic Art Filters. Express your creativity with any of these 10 special effects: Pop Art, Pin Hole, Drawing, Fish Eye, Soft Focus, Punk, Watercolor, Sparkle, Miniature and Reflection. Some filters restrict maximum image size.

DUAL IMAGE STABILIZATION

Dual Image Stabilization combines Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds to capture crisp, clear images in any situation.

INTELLIGENT AUTO

Automatically identifies the scene you’re shooting -- up to 30 different scene modes including Portrait, Landscape, Night + Portrait, Macro or Sports -- and adjusts the settings for ideal results. (Number of scene modes varies by model.)

Product Description

Be ready for every close-up with the ultra-compact SZ-12 long zoom camera. Stunningly sleek & stylish with a powerful 24x optical zoom and 3D Photo Mode, this camera is perfect for family and sporting events alike.

r

WHERE ELEGANCE AND FUNCTION MEET.

Be ready for every close-up with the ultra-compact SZ-12 long zoom camera. Stunningly sleek & stylish with a powerful 24x optical zoom and 3D Photo Mode, this camera is perfect for family and sporting events alike. Take your HD videos to a whole new level with creative Magic Art Filters like Punk, Fisheye & Pop Art. But that's not all. With Wi-Fi compatibility, there's no need to wait to share your favorite photos on Facebook.* An elegant look without a hefty price tag.

*WiFi connectivity made possible through optional EyeFi card.

SUPER-SLIM 24X WIDE-ANGLE OPTICAL ZOOM.

All the capabilities you need in one compact lens. The 24x optical zoom gets you amazingly close to the action while the 25mm wide-angle lens lets you capture group shots and breathtaking panoramas.

HD VIDEO WITH HDMI CONTROL

A simple, one-touch button allows you to record video with amazing clarity in high-definition, right from your camera. HDMI output and control makes playing back videos on your HD television a breeze.

HIGH-SPEED SEQUENTIAL SHOOTING

Shoot like a pro. With high-speed burst shooting, nail the perfect shot by taking a quick sequence at the touch of a button. You'll have so many great shots, you won't be able to share just one!

MAGIC ART FILTERS (STILL & MOVIE)

Add style and artistic flair to stills and movies with Olympus Magic Art Filters. Express your creativity with any of these 10 special effects: Pop Art, Pin Hole, Drawing, Fish Eye, Soft Focus, Punk, Watercolor, Sparkle, Miniature and Reflection. Some filters restrict maximum image size.

DUAL IMAGE STABILIZATION

Dual Image Stabilization combines Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds to capture crisp, clear images in any situation.

INTELLIGENT AUTO

Automatically identifies the scene you’re shooting -- up to 30 different scene modes including Portrait, Landscape, Night + Portrait, Macro or Sports -- and adjusts the settings for ideal results. (Number of scene modes varies by model.)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 115 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A remarkably competent long-zoom camera that costs very little June 19, 2012

By conradb212

Color Name:Red|Amazon Verified Purchase

It's absolutely remarkable how far digital cameras have come. And how much camera you can get for the money these days. And that's precisely the problem camera makers face today: it's hard to make a profit as prices drop ever lower. And, adding insult to injury, almost all of today's smartphones already have increasingly competent high res still/video cameras built in.

That's why we're seeing the traditional camera makers get into specialties and niches that the smartphone cameras can't touch (yet). Things like tough cameras that can go underwater, or, as is the case with the SZ-12 from Olympus, a very long optical zoom. Most inexpensive cameras have 3X to 5X optical zooms. The SZ-12 has 24X. That means you can get really close to far-away objects, and unlike digital zoom that multiplies the reach of most digital cameras, optical zoom results in much better and sharper pictures. And the SZ-12's rather sophisticated image stabilization works remarkably well.

The SZ-12 has other nice features, like a bright and sharp 3-inch LCD display and it can take not only those high-res 14-megapixel pictures, but also very respectable 720p HD video. That's not quite the 1080p that takes full advantage of today's large HDTVs, but you usually can hardly tell the difference between 720p and 1080p.

In terms of features, the SZ-12 has pretty much everything that some of the much more expensive Olympus cameras have (like the $350 Tough TG-810 or so). The controls are simple and easy to figure out. While the camera is described as "stunningly sleek and stylish," the SZ-12 is really an inch and a half thick, and a full 3.5 inches with the lens fully motored out. It's still very handy, though, and the film camera-like bulge on the right side makes for a good grip.

While the SZ-12 looks like it's solid metal, it's really plastic and actually feels a bit, dare I say it, on the cheapish side. And a couple of other blemishes: the battery doesn't last as long as I'd like, and the camera tends to oversaturate color.

Overall, the Olympus SZ-12 offers an awful lot for not much money, and the good greatly outweighs the few issues. I'd buy this one again.

88 of 89 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Digital Camera Can Do it All October 12, 2012

By John

Color Name:Silver

My perspectives on the Olympus SZ-12 camera derive from my extensive photographic experience--mostly and formerly with 35-mm technologies (last century)--in photographing biological and scientific subjects; wild plants, vegetation communities, etc. I am an accomplished photographer of such subjects.

In summary, the Olympus SZ-12 digital camera is unsurpassed in almost every regard. It is relatively inexpensive, it is feature-packed (and the features actually function well), it is small, and the camera is easy to use. It is superbly designed. For those who wish to utilize advanced telephoto lenses (this camera has a 35-mm equivalent 600mm lens--which is a gigantic telephoto), along with wide-angle shots (this camera has a 35-mm equivalent 25mm lens, which is a wonderfully broad wide-angle, seldom found on cameras of this size and price), the lens capabilities, alone, set this camera apart.

But more important than the long telephoto lens is the camera's dual image stabilization system, which works extremely well. I am able to take clear, unblurred telephoto closeups in rather low light, and often hand-held. Of course, it's always best to use a tripod, or at least prop the arm and camera against a tree or solid object before snapping a long telephoto shot, to minimize image motion at high magnifications. But this camera allows you to grab close-in telephotos at long lens lengths with remarkable clarity. In bright overcast and sunny clear skies, hand-held full length telephotos turn out exceptionally well. Now perhaps I'm better at keeping the camera fixed and still when snapping long telephoto shots, as I'm a very good rifle marksman. Still, the image stabilization system of this camera is superb.

And it also allows the taking of normal, non-telephoto shots in lower light conditions, hand-held. The combination of wide angle to long telephoto, coupled with its superb image stabilization systems allow the taking of photos in reduced light or distant placements that few other cameras can--and no other camera matches these capabilities at the modest price of the Olympus SZ-12. The wide angle and telephoto capabilities are unmatched.

I like the camera controls layout. They are about as intuitive as possible. A real problem I've encountered on other cameras is a confusion between still photography and movie photography controls. On some other digital cameras I've used, I've inadvertently begun to shoot a video sequence, when I thought I was taking my preferred still shot. Very frustrating. Not so with this Olympus, where the video start button is clearly marked (different, bright color) and located separately from the still shot controls. Well designed. Thank you, Olympus. When I want to shoot some video, I can easily press the right key. Otherwise, I never inadvertently touch it.

All the other features and controls are similar to other digital cameras in the $200 price range. No, the camera does not shoot RAW images, only JPEG. But at 14MB, images are finely detailed. Color renditions are superb. I have not used the flash feature, so I have no comment on its functionality--but I do like the ease with which automatic flash can be turned and left off.

Frankly, this little wonder has all the capabilities of the three 35-mm single lens reflex cameras I used to use to shoot wildlife and nature photos in my business (as a biologist). Now, with a single small camera kept in a cheap little nylon case, I can shoot macro closeups without any supplemental lens, and turn in an instant and shoot a flying bald eagle two hundred yards away, bringing her right into the image. With the super-macro feature, I can quickly and easily fill a frame with a full-sized bee or wasp, several feet away. The images are quickly recorded on the card, which is instantly and easily retrieved and plugged into the photo-card shot on my computer for instant download.

For those who wish only to point and shoot, or for those more experienced with variable zoom lens and atypical photographic subjects, this camera can't be beat.

68 of 75 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars great little camera March 29, 2012

By molly j

Color Name:Silver

I just got this camera a few days ago. I didn't buy it online...ran across it in Walmart of all places....and it was $10 cheaper. Most stores don't even stock this camera yet. I was looking for a small pocket camera that I could carry around w/ me. This camera is a gem! I love the filters on it.....the reflection and sparkle are great. But it is a great camera in general. I've had Olympus cameras in the past and been happy with them. I wasn't sure what I wanted, but what I didn't want was to spend too much.....this camera packs so much in for the price...buy it, you won't regret it.