Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Following is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are created by Olympus. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") provide totally different sensor size.

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The E-M1 was revealed 11 months after the XZ-2 iHS which means that they are of a similar age. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-M1 matches up versus the XZ-2 iHS with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Olympus XZ-2 iHS. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery.

When you are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 has outer measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") along with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Olympus XZ-2 iHS has sizing of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") having a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M1 versus the XZ-2 iHS.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and XZ-2 iHS is 71 and 85 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by researching a spec sheet. The pic here might offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 and XZ-2 iHS.

As you can see, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 having a bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-M1 will result in greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 is going to have a benefit in sensor tech.