Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-M1 II versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Olympus. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") offer different sensor sizes.

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The E-M1 II was introduced 3 years after the XZ-2 iHS which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-M1 II scores against the XZ-2 iHS in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and Olympus XZ-2 iHS. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery and Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 II provides outside dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") along with a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS has sizing of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") and a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M1 II versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M1 II and the XZ-2 iHS.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 II and XZ-2 iHS is 68 and 85 respectively.

Often, its hard to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions simply by seeing technical specs. The picture below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 II and XZ-2 iHS.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 II using its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M1 II will show extra detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The younger E-M1 II should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.