Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GH2
85 Imaging
36 Features
67 Overall
48
70 Imaging
50 Features
65 Overall
56
Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GH2 Key Specs
(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
- Introduced December 2012
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 160 - 12800
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
- Revealed March 2011
- Earlier Model is Panasonic GH1
- Renewed by Panasonic GH3
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Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GH2, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and GH2 (16MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and GH2 (Four Thirds) posses totally different sensor size.
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banThe XZ-2 iHS was unveiled 22 months later than the GH2 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before going right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the XZ-2 iHS scores versus the GH2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Panasonic GH2 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Panasonic GH2
| XZ-2 iHS | GH2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | December 2012 | March 2011 | More recent by 22 months | |
| Screen resolution | 920k | 460k | Sharper screen (+460k dot) |
Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS
| GH2 | XZ-2 iHS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies |
Common features in the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic GH2
| XZ-2 iHS | GH2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | Very exact focus | |||
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen size | |
| Touch friendly screen | Quickly navigate |
Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GH2 Physical Comparison
When you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS has got physical measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") having a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) while the Panasonic GH2 has sizing of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") and a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).
Compare the Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GH2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the XZ-2 iHS compared to the GH2.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-2 iHS and GH2 is 85 and 70 respectively.
Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GH2 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it's tough to see the gap between sensor measurements merely by reviewing specs. The graphic here will offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-2 iHS and GH2.
All in all, each of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The XZ-2 iHS having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Panasonic GH2 will offer you greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The younger XZ-2 iHS will have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.
Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GH2 Specifications
| Olympus XZ-2 iHS | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model | Olympus XZ-2 iHS | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 |
| Type | Small Sensor Compact | Advanced Mirrorless |
| Introduced | 2012-12-18 | 2011-03-23 |
| Physical type | Compact | SLR-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | - | Venus Engine FHD |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/1.7" | Four Thirds |
| Sensor measurements | 7.44 x 5.58mm | 17.3 x 13mm |
| Sensor surface area | 41.5mm² | 224.9mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 12MP | 16MP |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Full resolution | 3968 x 2976 | 4608 x 3456 |
| Max native ISO | 12800 | 12800 |
| Min native ISO | 100 | 160 |
| RAW files | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detect autofocus | ||
| Contract detect autofocus | ||
| Phase detect autofocus | ||
| Number of focus points | 35 | 23 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | fixed lens | Micro Four Thirds |
| Lens focal range | 28-112mm (4.0x) | - |
| Highest aperture | f/1.8-2.5 | - |
| Macro focus range | 1cm | - |
| Number of lenses | - | 107 |
| Crop factor | 4.8 | 2.1 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Tilting | Fully Articulated |
| Display sizing | 3 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of display | 920k dots | 460k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch operation | ||
| Display tech | - | TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | Electronic |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.71x |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 60s |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/4000s |
| Continuous shooting rate | - | 3.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual mode | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash range | 8.60 m (ISO 800) | 15.60 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Highest flash synchronize | - | 1/160s |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (24, 30, 60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps) |
| Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video format | MPEG-4, H.264 | AVCHD, Motion JPEG |
| Microphone support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 346 grams (0.76 pounds) | 442 grams (0.97 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") | 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | 49 | 60 |
| DXO Color Depth score | 20.4 | 21.2 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 11.3 | 11.3 |
| DXO Low light score | 216 | 655 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 340 photos | 330 photos |
| Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | Li-90B | - |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Card slots | 1 | 1 |
| Cost at launch | $450 | $1,000 |