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Olympus E-PM2 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Portability
89
Imaging
53
Features
63
Overall
57
Olympus PEN E-PM2 front
 
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49

Olympus E-PM2 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Key Specs

Olympus E-PM2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Introduced May 2013
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PM1
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
  • Launched December 2012
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Overview

The following is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-PM2 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are sold by Olympus. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The E-PM2 was announced 6 months after the XZ-2 iHS which means that they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a short view of how the E-PM2 scores vs the XZ-2 iHS for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM2 over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 E-PM2 XZ-2 iHS 

Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Olympus E-PM2

 XZ-2 iHS E-PM2 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k460kCrisper display (+460k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PM2 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 E-PM2 XZ-2 iHS 
LaunchedMay 2013December 2012Similar age
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PM2 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PM2 enjoys external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Olympus XZ-2 iHS has dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PM2 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PM2 vs the XZ-2 iHS.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PM2 and XZ-2 iHS is 89 and 85 respectively.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to envision the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing specs. The pic here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PM2 and XZ-2 iHS.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PM2 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PM2 will offer extra detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images far more aggressively.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM2 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Portrait photography highlights
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Portrait photography highlights
71
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
saves RAW formats
46
manual focus
includes face detect focusing
exports RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Street photography information
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Street photography information
79
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
features touch to focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
screen does not articulate
66
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
more heavy than average in class (346g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PM2
Sports photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
lacks phase detect auto focus
43
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes tracking focus
great battery power (340 shots)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
lacks phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Travel photography information
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography information
66
features touch to focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
61
great battery power (340 per charge)
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
missing Timelapse recording
more heavy than average in class (346 grams)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Landscape photography details
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Landscape photography details
74
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
lack of Timelapse recording
55
manual focus
relatively wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
great battery power (340 shots)
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Vlogging info
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Vlogging info
36
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of microphone port
36
relatively wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes microphone jack
display isn't selfie friendly
more heavy than average in class (346g)
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM2 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS
 Olympus PEN E-PM2Olympus XZ-2 iHS
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PM2 Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2013-05-21 2012-12-18
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 3968 x 2976
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 35
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-2.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 4.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic (optional)
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames per sec -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 8.60 m (ISO 800)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 269 gr (0.59 lbs) 346 gr (0.76 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 49
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 20.4
DXO Dynamic range score 12.2 11.3
DXO Low light score 932 216
Other
Battery life 360 shots 340 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 Li-90B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $448 $450