Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-6

The following is a in depth review of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony NEX-6, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and NEX-6 (16MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and NEX-6 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-2 iHS was brought out 3 months prior to the NEX-6 so they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the XZ-2 iHS matches up against the NEX-6 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Sony Alpha NEX-6. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Sony NEX-6 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS offers outer 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 NEX-6 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 345 grams (0.76 lbs).

Examine the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony NEX-6 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use during that time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the XZ-2 iHS and the NEX-6.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and NEX-6 is 85 and 85 respectively.

Usually, it can be hard to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions merely by researching technical specs. The image here might give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-2 iHS and NEX-6.

As you have seen, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-2 iHS because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony NEX-6 will result in more detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively.