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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax Q

Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
 
Pentax Q front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
47
Overall
39

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax Q 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 Q
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 180g - 98 x 57 x 31mm
  • Launched June 2011
  • New Model is Pentax Q10
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax Q Overview

Below is a detailed overview of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Pentax Q, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the Q (12MP) is relatively well matched but the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and Q (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The XZ-2 iHS was manufactured 19 months later than the Q which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax Q being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a short view of how the XZ-2 iHS scores versus the Q in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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

 XZ-2 iHS Q 
LaunchedDecember 2012June 2011More recent by 19 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k460kCrisper screen (+460k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

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

 Q XZ-2 iHS 

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

 XZ-2 iHS Q 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax Q Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS provides outer 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) and the Pentax Q has specifications of 98mm x 57mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs).

Check out the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Pentax Q in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the XZ-2 iHS versus the Q.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax Q size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and Q is 85 and 93 respectively.

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

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax Q Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements merely by checking technical specs. The photograph below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-2 iHS and Q.

As you have seen, each of the cameras posses the exact same megapixels albeit different sensor measurements. The XZ-2 iHS uses the bigger sensor which should make obtaining shallow depth of field simpler. The fresher XZ-2 iHS provides an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax Q sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax Q Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Portrait photography highlights
Pentax Q Portrait photography highlights
46
has manual focus
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
45
manual focus
above average flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Street photography with Pentax Q
66
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
heavier than competitors (346g)
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competitors (180 grams)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sports photography highlights
Pentax Q Sports photography highlights
43
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking autofocus
good battery life (340 shots)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
lack of phase detect AF
31
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with tracking focus
low fps (2.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
bad battery life (230 shots)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography features
Pentax Q Travel photography features
61
good battery life (340 CIPA)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
no Time Lapse function
heavier than competitors (346 grams)
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
57
lighter than competitors (180 grams)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
bad battery life (230 shots)
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax Q as a Landscape photography camera
55
has manual focus
pretty wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (340 CIPA)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
no Time Lapse function
51
manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax Q mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
bad battery life (230 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Vlogging camera
Pentax Q as a Vlogging camera
36
pretty wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external mic port
screen is not selfie friendly
heavier than competitors (346g)
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors (180g)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing mic jack
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax Q Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Pentax Q
 Olympus XZ-2 iHSPentax Q
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus XZ-2 iHS Pentax Q
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2012-12-18 2011-06-23
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3968 x 2976 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax Q
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/1.8-2.5 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Total lenses - 8
Crop factor 4.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 920 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed - 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 8.60 m (ISO 800) 5.60 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Trailing-curtain sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720p (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 346 gr (0.76 pounds) 180 gr (0.40 pounds)
Dimensions 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") 98 x 57 x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 49 47
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 20.2
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 11.1
DXO Low light rating 216 189
Other
Battery life 340 photos 230 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-90B D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Launch price $450 $695