Canon PowerShot G12 vs Olympus SH-50

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon PowerShot G12 and the Olympus SH-50, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon PowerShot G12 was introduced in January 2011 and Olympus SH-50 was introduced in January 2013. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon PowerShot G12 over Olympus SH-50.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus SH-50 over Canon PowerShot G12.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon PowerShot G12 has a 2.80" Fully Articulated screen with 461k dot resolution and Olympus SH-50 has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 460k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Canon PowerShot G12 selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Olympus SH-50 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Olympus SH-50) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Optical (tunnel) Viewfinder on Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12 has a built-in Optical (tunnel) viewfinder. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Olympus SH-50.

Canon PowerShot G12 features a 10 megapixel 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor with dimensions of 7.44 x 5.58 mm and a total area of 41.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 3,200. Olympus SH-50 features a 16 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 125 - 6,400.

Olympus SH-50 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Canon PowerShot G12 is equipped with DIGIC 4 processor and can take pictures up to 3648 x 2736 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3648 x 2736, 3648 x 2432, 3648 x 2048, 2816 x 2112, 2816 x 1880, 2816 x 1584, 2736 x 2736, 2192 x 2736, 2112 x 2112, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1064, 1696 x 2112, 1200 x 1200, 960 x 1200, 640 x 480, 640 x 424, 640 x 360, 480 x 480, 384 x 480, 320 x 240 with 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Olympus SH-50 is equipped with TruePic VI processor and can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4608 x 3072, 4608 x 2592, 3648 x 2736, 2832 x 2832, 2592 x 1944, 1984 x 1488, 1920 x 1080, 1024 x 768 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in [y] image stabilization.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Olympus SH-50

Olympus SH-50 has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Both cameras have HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon PowerShot G12 comes with NB-7L battery pack with battery life of 370 shots and Olympus SH-50 comes with SLB-10A battery pack.

External Storage Slots

Canon PowerShot G12 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus card slot. Olympus SH-50 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Canon PowerShot G12, and up to 1/2000 sec on Olympus SH-50. Canon PowerShot G12 can shoot continuously up to 1.1 fps. Olympus SH-50 can shoot continuously up to 11.5 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 7.00 m on Canon PowerShot G12 and 4.00 m on Olympus SH-50. Canon PowerShot G12 also accepts external flash which can be connected via Shoe Mount. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/2000 sec on Canon PowerShot G12.

Canon PowerShot G12 body has dimensions of 112 x 76 x 48 mm (4.41 x 2.99 x 1.89") and Olympus SH-50 body has dimensions of 112 x 63 x 42 mm (4.41 x 2.48 x 1.65"). Canon PowerShot G12 weighs 401 g (0.88 lb / 14.14 oz) and Olympus SH-50 weighs 269 g (0.59 lb / 9.49 oz).

Canon PowerShot G12

Olympus SH-50

112 mm

76 mm

112 mm

63 mm

76 mm

63 mm

48 mm

42 mm