Olympus SZ-14 review

A 14MP 24x superzoom camera with HD video for under £200

Olympus SZ-14 review
A 24x wide-angle zoom make this travel superzoom an impressive camera

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We shoot a specially designed chart in carefully controlled conditions and the resulting images are analysed using DXO Analyzer software to generate the data to produce the graphs below.

A high signal to noise ratio (SNR) indicates a cleaner and better quality image.

Our results from the lab have been compared against the Canon IXUS 125 HS, Fujifilm Finepix 550 EXR and Nikon Coolpix S8200.

Our analysis shows that the Olympus SZ-14 has better signal to noise ratio results than the Canon IXUS125 HS at all but ISO 80, and the Nikon Coolpix S8200 at all sensitivities but ISO 1600. At all other sensitivities the SZ-14 out performs the comparison cameras. When it comes to dynamic range the charts show that the competition all have better results except at the higher end of the sensitivity scale where the SZ-14 just takes the lead.

For more more details on how to interpret our test data, check out our full explanation of our noise and dynamic range tests.

JPEG Signal to Noise Ratio

Olympus SZ-14 review: Signal to noise ratio

Olympus SZ-14 review: Signal to noise ratio

JPEG images from the Olympus SZ-14 show better signal to noise ratio across the sensitivity range than the comparison cameras, except for the Canon IXUS 125 HS at ISO 80 and the Nikon Coolpix S8200 at ISO 1600.

JPEG dynamic range

Olympus SZ-14 review: Dynamic range

Olympus SZ-14 review: Dynamic range

This chart shows that the Olympus SZ-14 has a lower dynamic range than the Canon IXUS 125 HS,Fujifilm 550 EXR and Nikon Coolpix S8200 at all but ISO 1600 where it just takes the lead.