Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-M10 III versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are offered by Olympus. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-M10 III (16MP) and XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the E-M10 III (Four Thirds) and XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") posses different sensor sizes.

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The E-M10 III was unveiled 4 years after the XZ-2 iHS which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-M10 III matches up vs the XZ-2 iHS when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III & Olympus XZ-2 iHS. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-M10 III Gallery & Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery.

If you are planning to carry around your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M10 III comes with exterior dimensions of 122mm x 84mm x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") and a weight of 410 grams (0.90 lbs) whilst the Olympus XZ-2 iHS has sizing of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M10 III versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-M10 III versus the XZ-2 iHS.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M10 III and XZ-2 iHS is 80 and 85 respectively.

Normally, it is very difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizes purely by researching specs. The picture here will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M10 III and XZ-2 iHS.

All in all, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M10 III having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M10 III will result in greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures more aggressively. The more modern E-M10 III provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.