Clicky

Olympus SZ-15 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44
Olympus SZ-15 front
 
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49

Olympus SZ-15 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Key Specs

Olympus SZ-15
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Launched June 2013
Olympus XZ-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 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
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus SZ-15 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Overview

Lets look much closer at the Olympus SZ-15 versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are designed by Olympus. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the SZ-15 (16MP) and XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") possess totally different sensor sizes.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The SZ-15 was brought out 7 months later than the XZ-2 iHS so they are both of a similar generation. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summation of how the SZ-15 grades against the XZ-2 iHS in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 SZ-15 XZ-2 iHS 
LaunchedJune 2013December 2012Fresher by 7 months

Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Olympus SZ-15

 XZ-2 iHS SZ-15 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k460kCrisper screen (+460k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus SZ-15 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 SZ-15 XZ-2 iHS 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus SZ-15 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-15 enjoys outer measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS has sizing of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") along with a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SZ-15 versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the SZ-15 vs the XZ-2 iHS.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-15 and XZ-2 iHS is 88 and 85 respectively.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizing merely by seeing a spec sheet. The visual below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-15 and XZ-2 iHS.

Clearly, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The SZ-15 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Olympus SZ-15 will provide more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots far more aggressively. The more modern SZ-15 will have an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-15 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
44
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
features face detection focus
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
46
focusing manually
has face detect focus
exports RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Street photography features
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Street photography features
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (250g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
66
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
more heavy than competition (346g)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-15
Sports photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
53
excellent zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
43
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking focus
great battery power (340 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Travel photography features
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography features
68
lighter than average in class (250 grams)
good MP (16MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (23mm)
great reach (483mm)
missing Time Lapse function
does not posses selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
61
great battery power (340 CIPA)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
no Timelapse function
more heavy than competition (346g)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Landscape photography advice
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Landscape photography advice
49
has manual focus
decently wide (23mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
missing Time Lapse function
55
focusing manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
great battery power (340 per charge)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
no Timelapse function
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Vlogging factors
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Vlogging factors
34
decently wide (23mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average in class (250 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not posses selfie friendly display
missing external mic support
36
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have microphone socket
screen isn't selfie friendly
more heavy than competition (346g)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus SZ-15 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-15 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS
 Olympus SZ-15Olympus XZ-2 iHS
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus SZ-15 Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2013-06-21 2012-12-18
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3968 x 2976
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 35
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 23-483mm (21.0x) 28-112mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/1.8-2.5
Macro focus range 5cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 4.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.50 m 8.60 m (ISO 800)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 250 grams (0.55 lb) 346 grams (0.76 lb)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 49
DXO Color Depth score not tested 20.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.3
DXO Low light score not tested 216
Other
Battery life - 340 photos
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model SLB-10A Li-90B
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $200 $450