Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS200

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic ZS200, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and ZS200 (20MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and ZS200 (1") offer different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-2 iHS was released 6 years before the ZS200 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Panasonic ZS200 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving into a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the XZ-2 iHS scores vs the ZS200 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Panasonic ZS200 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS has outer measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") having a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS200 has specifications of 111mm x 66mm x 45mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.8") having a weight of 340 grams (0.75 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic ZS200 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the XZ-2 iHS compared to the ZS200.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-2 iHS and ZS200 is 85 and 86 respectively.

Generally, it can be tough to imagine the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading through a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-2 iHS and ZS200.

As you can see, the 2 cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The XZ-2 iHS featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Panasonic ZS200 will give greater detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics more aggressively. The older XZ-2 iHS is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.