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Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Portability
68
Imaging
59
Features
93
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
 
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 574g - 134 x 91 x 67mm
  • Introduced September 2016
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M1
  • Successor is Olympus E-M1 III
Olympus XZ-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 346g - 113 x 65 x 48mm
  • Announced December 2012
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 E-M1 II XZ-2 iHS 
AnnouncedSeptember 2016December 2012Newer by 46 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k920kCrisper display (+117k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Olympus E-M1 II

 XZ-2 iHS E-M1 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 E-M1 II XZ-2 iHS 
Manually focus More precise focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS size comparison

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

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Portrait photography details
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Portrait photography details
75
manual focus
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
46
focusing manually
features face detect focus
saves RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Street photography features
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Street photography features
78
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
provides focus by touch
environment proof
lighter than competition in class (574 grams)
very good ISO range (25,600)
66
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
heavier than others (346g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Sports photography advice
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sports photography advice
74
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
fast shooting (60.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
environment proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
terrible battery pack (350 per charge)
43
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking focus
better than average battery (340 CIPA)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Travel photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
72
lighter than competition in class (574g)
environment proof
provides focus by touch
decent MP (20 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
terrible battery pack (350 shots)
61
better than average battery (340 shots)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
does not have Time Lapse function
heavier than others (346 grams)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
76
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
does not have anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
has double storage slots
terrible battery pack (350 shots)
55
focusing manually
really wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
better than average battery (340 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Vlogging advice
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Vlogging advice
79
display is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect autofocus
high quality video (4096 x 2160 resolution)
does have microphone port
lighter than competition in class (574 grams)
36
really wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes mic socket
screen is not selfie friendly
heavier than others (346 grams)
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 II and Olympus XZ-2 iHS
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIOlympus XZ-2 iHS
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2016-09-19 2012-12-18
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Highest resolution 5184 x 3888 3968 x 2976
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Minimum boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 121 35
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-2.5
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 4.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shooting rate 60.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 9.10 m (at ISO 100) 8.60 m (ISO 800)
Flash modes Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM, 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video format MOV, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 574 gr (1.27 lbs) 346 gr (0.76 lbs)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 80 49
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 20.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.8 11.3
DXO Low light rating 1312 216
Other
Battery life 350 photos 340 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLH-1 Li-90B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Two Single
Launch cost $1,700 $450