Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Ricoh GR II

Let's examine more in depth at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Ricoh GR II, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Ricoh. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and GR II (16MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and GR II (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The XZ-2 iHS was launched 3 years earlier than the GR II and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Ricoh GR II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the XZ-2 iHS grades against the GR II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Ricoh GR II. The complete galleries are available at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Ricoh GR II Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS enjoys external measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") along with a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) and the Ricoh GR II has sizing of 117mm x 63mm x 35mm (4.6" x 2.5" x 1.4") with a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs).

Check out the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Ricoh GR II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the XZ-2 iHS vs the GR II.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and GR II is 85 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, it's tough to see the contrast in sensor sizing only by looking through specs. The photograph underneath should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-2 iHS and GR II.

All in all, both of those cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The XZ-2 iHS because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Ricoh GR II will result in greater detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older XZ-2 iHS will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.