Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5

Here is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Sony NEX-5, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is pretty close but the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and NEX-5 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-2 iHS was revealed 2 years later than the NEX-5 and that is a fairly large 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 Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the XZ-2 iHS matches up against the NEX-5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Sony Alpha NEX-5. The full galleries are provided at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS comes with exterior 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) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Sony NEX-5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the XZ-2 iHS vs the NEX-5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-2 iHS and NEX-5 is 85 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it's tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by researching technical specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-2 iHS and NEX-5.

As you have seen, both of those cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The XZ-2 iHS using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-5 will provide you with greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more modern XZ-2 iHS provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.