Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic GX850

Following is a detailed analysis of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic GX850, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and GX850 (16MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and GX850 (Four Thirds) use different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-2 iHS was revealed 5 years earlier than the GX850 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GX850 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a full comparison, below is a brief summary of how the XZ-2 iHS scores against the GX850 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850. The full galleries are provided at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery and Panasonic GX850 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS offers outer measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") and a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GX850 has dimensions of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check out the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic GX850 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose at that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the XZ-2 iHS vs the GX850.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and GX850 is 85 and 90 respectively.

Often, it can be hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizes only by looking through specifications. The picture underneath should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the XZ-2 iHS and GX850.

Plainly, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The XZ-2 iHS having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Panasonic GX850 will render greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more aged XZ-2 iHS will be behind in sensor innovation.