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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax E90

Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
 
Pentax Optio E90 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
11
Overall
24

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax E90 Key Specs

Olympus XZ-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 346g - 113 x 65 x 48mm
  • Released December 2012
Pentax E90
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 32-95mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 145g - 102 x 59 x 25mm
  • Revealed January 2010
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax E90 Overview

Here is a complete overview of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Pentax E90, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by brands Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the E90 (10MP) is pretty comparable but the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and E90 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The XZ-2 iHS was launched 2 years later than the E90 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the XZ-2 iHS scores versus the E90 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Pentax E90

 XZ-2 iHS E90 
RevealedDecember 2012January 2010Fresher by 36 months
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax E90 over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 E90 XZ-2 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Pentax E90

 XZ-2 iHS E90 
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax E90 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS comes with outer dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") with a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) while the Pentax E90 has dimensions of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") along with a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs).

Look at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Pentax E90 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is the front view scale comparison of the XZ-2 iHS and the E90.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax E90 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and E90 is 85 and 94 respectively.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax E90 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax E90 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizing just by going through specs. The photograph underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-2 iHS and E90.

All in all, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The XZ-2 iHS featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh easier and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS will produce more detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots much more aggressively. The newer XZ-2 iHS should have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax E90 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax E90 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax E90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax E90 as a Portrait photography camera
46
focusing manually
supports face detect focus
saves RAW formats
low resolution (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
19
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Street photography info
Pentax E90 Street photography info
66
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
more heavy than others (346 grams)
47
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Sports photography with Pentax E90
43
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking focus
good battery (340 per charge)
low resolution (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
lack of phase detect auto focus
16
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Travel photography camera
Pentax E90 as a Travel photography camera
61
good battery (340 shots)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than others (346 grams)
low resolution (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
50
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse function
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (32mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Landscape photography highlights
Pentax E90 Landscape photography highlights
55
focusing manually
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
good battery (340 CIPA)
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
does not have Timelapse function
22
lack of manual focus
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (32mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Vlogging camera
Pentax E90 as a Vlogging camera
36
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone port
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
more heavy than others (346g)
22
wide angle not good (32mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external microphone port
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax E90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Pentax E90
 Olympus XZ-2 iHSPentax Optio E90
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus XZ-2 iHS Pentax Optio E90
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Released 2012-12-18 2010-01-25
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Prime
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 12MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3968 x 2976 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 35 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) 32-95mm (3.0x)
Maximum aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range 1cm 6cm
Crop factor 4.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 920 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 8.60 m (ISO 800) 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless -
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (15 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 346g (0.76 lbs) 145g (0.32 lbs)
Dimensions 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") 102 x 59 x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 49 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 216 not tested
Other
Battery life 340 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model Li-90B 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $450 $100