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Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1

Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Stylus SH-2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 front
Portability
97
Imaging
40
Features
26
Overall
34

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1 Key Specs

Olympus SH-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Announced March 2015
  • Older Model is Olympus SH-1
  • Replacement is Olympus SH-3
Panasonic XS1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 103g - 94 x 54 x 14mm
  • Revealed January 2013
Photography Glossary

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1 Overview

Following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the SH-2 (16MP) and the XS1 (16MP) is relatively similar and both cameras boast the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SH-2 was revealed 2 years after the XS1 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before delving into a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the SH-2 scores against the XS1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-2 over the Panasonic XS1

 SH-2 XS1 
RevealedMarch 2015January 2013More modern by 27 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic XS1 over the Olympus SH-2

 XS1 SH-2 

Common features in the Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic XS1

 SH-2 XS1 
Manual focus No manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-2 provides physical measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Panasonic XS1 has dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") accompanied by a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the SH-2 vs the XS1.

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-2 and XS1 is 88 and 97 respectively.

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to envision the difference between sensor sizes simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The picture underneath will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-2 and XS1.

As you can see, the two cameras feature the identical sensor size and the identical megapixels therefore you can expect similar quality of files although you will need to take the age of the products into consideration. The younger SH-2 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SH-2
Portrait photography with Panasonic XS1
44
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
no manual focus
external flash not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
30
good MP (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SH-2
Street photography with Panasonic XS1
70
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
offers focus via touch
lighter than competition (271 grams)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
64
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (103 grams)
screen is fixed
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Sports photography advice
Panasonic XS1 Sports photography advice
51
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
good battery life (380 per charge)
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
41
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
low frames per second (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic XS1 Travel photography highlights
74
good battery life (380 shots)
lighter than competition (271g)
offers focus via touch
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
69
lighter than competitors (103g)
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (24mm)
no Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SH-2
Landscape photography with Panasonic XS1
55
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (380 CIPA)
no manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
small sensor (1/2.3")
39
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-2 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic XS1 as a Vlogging camera
35
rather wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (271 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing microphone socket
31
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (103g)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone jack
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Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic XS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic XS1
 Olympus Stylus SH-2Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Stylus SH-2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2015-03-11 2013-01-07
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-120mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.8-6.9
Macro focusing distance 3cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 11.5 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) 4.40 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 271 grams (0.60 pounds) 103 grams (0.23 pounds)
Physical dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 94 x 54 x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 380 shots 260 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $399 $130