Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax K-S2

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Pentax K-S2, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and K-S2 (APS-C) have different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-2 iHS was manufactured 3 years earlier than the K-S2 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving into a thorough comparison, here is a simple overview of how the XZ-2 iHS scores versus the K-S2 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Pentax K-S2. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Pentax K-S2 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS has physical 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 Pentax K-S2 has dimensions of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") having a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Pentax K-S2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the XZ-2 iHS compared to the K-S2.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and K-S2 is 85 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, it can be hard to picture the gap between sensor sizes only by looking at specs. The image underneath may give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-2 iHS and K-S2.

All in all, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The XZ-2 iHS due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-S2 will give you more detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged XZ-2 iHS is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.