Nikon D80 vs Olympus SZ-12 Comparison

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Nikon D80

10 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CCD Sensor

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Olympus SZ-12

14 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CCD Sensor

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Nikon D80 vs Olympus SZ-12 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon D80, which was introduced in September 2006 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 10.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Olympus SZ-12, which was introduced in January 2012 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 14.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor. As you can see, D80 is 6 years older than SZ-12. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D80 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2006-09-23

10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 1600 ( expands to 3200)

Nikon F Mount

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

668g. 132 x 103 x 77 mm

Replaced Nikon D70 Compare

Olympus SZ-12 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-01-10

14MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 1600

25-600 mm F3.0-6.9 Zoom Lens

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

1 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

226g. 106 x 69 x 40 mm

Nikon D80 was replaced by Nikon D90. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D90 vs Nikon D80
Nikon D90 vs Olympus SZ-12

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon D80 over Olympus SZ-12

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Optical vs None	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max Mech. Shutter	1/4000s vs 1/1700s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	3.0fps vs 1.0fps	2 fps faster
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Sensor Pixel Area	37.14µm² vs 2.04µm²	1720% larger pixel area
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Reasons to choose Olympus SZ-12 over Nikon D80

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution	14 MP vs 10 MP	39% more pixels
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.5"	0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	460k dots vs 230k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Weight	226 g vs 668 g	442 g lighter
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720 vs None	Higher Resolution Video

Common Strengths of Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light

Common Weaknesses of Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 460k dots	Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

Nikon D80 vs Olympus SZ-12: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon D80 has external dimensions of 132 x 103 x 77 mm (5.2 x 4.06 x 3.03″) and weighs 668 g (1.47 lb / 23.56 oz) (including batteries). Olympus SZ-12 has external dimensions of 106 x 69 x 40 mm (4.17 x 2.72 x 1.57″) and weighs 226 g (0.50 lb / 7.97 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12. Olympus SZ-12 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 26mm narrower, 34mm shorter and 37mm thinner than Nikon D80. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Olympus SZ-12 has a built-in lens but Nikon D80 doesn't. Once you put a lens on D80, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12.

Top View Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus SZ-12 is significantly lighter (442g ) than the Nikon D80 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on D80, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon D80 nor Olympus SZ-12 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus SZ-12's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Nikon D80's 2.5" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Nikon D80 vs Olympus SZ-12: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D80 has a 10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Olympus SZ-12 has a 14.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Below you can see the D80 and SZ-12 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12 Cameras

As seen above, Nikon D80 has a 13.3x Larger sensor area than Olympus SZ-12. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon D80 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus SZ-12 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus SZ-12 for Street Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus SZ-12 for Sports Photography

POOR

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details

Image Stabilization
600 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1700s
Unknown Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.90
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus SZ-12 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
668g
Body Thickness 77mm
Read the details

Compact Body
226g
24.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Body Thickness 40mm
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus SZ-12 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon D80 vs Olympus SZ-12: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon D80 and Olympus SZ-12 scores compare:

Nikon D80

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #71 out of 95 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #612 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Olympus SZ-12

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #241 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #837 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Nikon D80 scores higher than the Olympus SZ-12 in Overall. It has better image quality and better value than Olympus SZ-12. On the other hand, Olympus SZ-12 is more portable and has more features than Nikon D80.
If image quality is very important for you and you want to get the most bang for your bucks, choose the Nikon D80.
If you are looking for a small camera where you can take everywhere with you, and having more features are also important, Olympus SZ-12 is the right choice for you.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Nikon D80 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon D80	Olympus SZ-12
Brand	Nikon	Olympus
Announced	2006-09-23	2012-01-10
Body Type	Mid-size SLR	Compact
Sensor
Type	CCD	CCD
Size	APS-C	1/2.3-inch
Dimensions	23.6 x 15.8 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area	372.88mm²	28.07mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	14 megapixels
Max Resolution	3872 x 2592	4288 x 3216
Max Native Light sensitivity	1,600 ISO	1,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	3200 ISO	-
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	80 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	n/a	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Nikon F	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	no lens	25-600 mm (24×)
Max Aperture	no lens	F3.0-6.9
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	2.5"	3"
Resolution	230k dots	460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentaprism)	None
Viewfinder Coverage	95%	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	0.64x	n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/1700s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	13.00 m	n/a
Max Flash Sync	1/200s	n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps	1.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	None	1280 x 720
Video Formats	n/a	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	668g	226g
Dimensions	132 x 103 x 77mm	106 x 69 x 40mm
Battery Life	n/a	220 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	61	not tested
DxO Color Depth	22.1	not tested
DxO Dynamic Range	11.2	not tested
DxO Low Light ISO	524	not tested
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