Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony A9

On this page, we will be looking at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Sony A9, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and A9 (24MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and A9 (Full frame) have different sensor sizes.

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The XZ-2 iHS was unveiled 5 years before the A9 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the XZ-2 iHS scores vs the A9 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Sony Alpha A9. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Sony A9 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS provides outside measurements 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 Sony A9 has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") and a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Sony A9 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose during that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the XZ-2 iHS and the A9.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and A9 is 85 and 65 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's hard to picture the contrast in sensor measurements just by going through technical specs. The visual here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the XZ-2 iHS and A9.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The XZ-2 iHS having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A9 will show extra detail having an extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The older XZ-2 iHS will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.