Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GX9

Lets look more closely at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GX9, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and GX9 (20MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and GX9 (Four Thirds) have totally different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-2 iHS was manufactured 6 years earlier than the GX9 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GX9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short highlight of how the XZ-2 iHS matches up versus the GX9 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Panasonic GX9 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS has outer 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) whilst the Panasonic GX9 has proportions of 124mm x 72mm x 47mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.9") and a weight of 407 grams (0.90 lbs).

Check out the Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GX9 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the XZ-2 iHS versus the GX9.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-2 iHS and GX9 is 85 and 82 respectively.

Typically, it is difficult to see the gap between sensor sizing only by reading a spec sheet. The visual below may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-2 iHS and GX9.

Clearly, the 2 cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The XZ-2 iHS featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Panasonic GX9 will offer you greater detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The older XZ-2 iHS is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.