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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ8

Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 front
Portability
94
Imaging
40
Features
31
Overall
36

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ8 Key Specs

Olympus XZ-2 iHS
(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
  • Launched December 2012
Panasonic SZ8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
  • 159g - 100 x 60 x 27mm
  • Released January 2014
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ8 Overview

The following is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic SZ8, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and SZ8 (16MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and SZ8 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The XZ-2 iHS was unveiled 12 months earlier than the SZ8 which means that they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving straight to a full comparison, here is a concise overview of how the XZ-2 iHS grades against the SZ8 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Panasonic SZ8

 XZ-2 iHS SZ8 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k460kSharper screen (+460k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ8 over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 SZ8 XZ-2 iHS 
ReleasedJanuary 2014December 2012Newer by 12 months

Common features in the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic SZ8

 XZ-2 iHS SZ8 
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ8 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS provides physical dimensions 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 SZ8 has dimensions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check out the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic SZ8 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the XZ-2 iHS and the SZ8.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ8 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-2 iHS and SZ8 is 85 and 94 respectively.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ8 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to envision the gap between sensor dimensions just by reviewing a spec sheet. The pic here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-2 iHS and SZ8.

Clearly, both of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-2 iHS having a bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic SZ8 will offer you extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged XZ-2 iHS is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ8 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic SZ8 Portrait photography highlights
46
focusing manually
has face detect focus
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
35
good resolution (16MP)
provides face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Street photography details
Panasonic SZ8 Street photography details
66
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
heavier than others (346 grams)
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (159g)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sports photography highlights
Panasonic SZ8 Sports photography highlights
43
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking focus
great battery pack (340 CIPA)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
no phase detect auto focus
34
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (200 CIPA)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography features
Panasonic SZ8 Travel photography features
61
great battery pack (340 CIPA)
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
missing Time Lapse recording
heavier than others (346 grams)
low megapixels (12MP)
does not contain selfie friendly display
67
lighter than competition (159 grams)
good resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
very long reach (288mm)
missing Timelapse function
terrible battery life (200 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Landscape photography details
Panasonic SZ8 Landscape photography details
55
focusing manually
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is a good size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (340 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
missing Time Lapse recording
42
fairly wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
terrible battery life (200 shots)
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Vlogging with Panasonic SZ8
36
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with mic port
does not contain selfie friendly display
heavier than others (346 grams)
32
fairly wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection autofocus
lighter than competition (159g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone port
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic SZ8
 Olympus XZ-2 iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus XZ-2 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2012-12-18 2014-01-06
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3968 x 2976 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 12800 1600
Maximum enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 24-288mm (12.0x)
Largest aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/3.1-6.3
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Crop factor 4.8 5.9
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 920k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed - 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 8.60 m (ISO 800) 5.20 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
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) 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 346g (0.76 lb) 159g (0.35 lb)
Physical dimensions 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") 100 x 60 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 49 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 216 not tested
Other
Battery life 340 images 200 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID 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, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $450 $275