Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony A99 II

Following is a thorough assessment of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony A99 II, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and A99 II (Full frame) come with totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-2 iHS was launched 4 years before the A99 II which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight into a complete comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the XZ-2 iHS scores against the A99 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony Alpha A99 II. The complete galleries are available at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery and Sony A99 II Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS features outer measurements 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 Sony A99 II has measurements of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") having a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Look at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony A99 II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the XZ-2 iHS against the A99 II.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-2 iHS and A99 II is 85 and 57 respectively.

Quite often, it is hard to see the difference in sensor sizes purely by viewing a spec sheet. The image underneath may offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-2 iHS and A99 II.

Clearly, the 2 cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The XZ-2 iHS due to its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A99 II will provide you with greater detail utilizing its extra 30 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged XZ-2 iHS will be behind with regard to sensor tech.