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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-F3

Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-F3 front
Portability
86
Imaging
57
Features
60
Overall
58

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-F3 Key Specs

Olympus XZ-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 346g - 113 x 65 x 48mm
  • Revealed December 2012
Sony NEX-F3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 314g - 117 x 67 x 42mm
  • Announced August 2012
  • Previous Model is Sony NEX-C3
  • Newer Model is Sony NEX-3N
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-F3 Overview

The following is a extended analysis of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony NEX-F3, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and NEX-F3 (16MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and NEX-F3 (APS-C) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The XZ-2 iHS was released 5 months after the NEX-F3 and they are of a similar generation. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-F3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the XZ-2 iHS scores against the NEX-F3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Sony NEX-F3

 XZ-2 iHS NEX-F3 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-F3 over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 NEX-F3 XZ-2 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony NEX-F3

 XZ-2 iHS NEX-F3 
AnnouncedDecember 2012August 2012Similar generation
Manually focus More precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Screen resolution920k920kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-F3 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS comes with physical dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") having a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-F3 has dimensions of 117mm x 67mm x 42mm (4.6" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 314 grams (0.69 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony NEX-F3 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the XZ-2 iHS versus the NEX-F3.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-F3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-2 iHS and NEX-F3 is 85 and 86 respectively.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-F3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-F3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions only by reviewing technical specs. The image below will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-2 iHS and NEX-F3.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-2 iHS due to its tinier sensor will make getting bokeh trickier and the Sony NEX-F3 will offer you more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-F3 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-F3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-F3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Portrait photography factors
Sony NEX-F3 Portrait photography factors
46
manual focus
supports face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/1.7")
74
manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Street photography advice
Sony NEX-F3 Street photography advice
66
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
small sensor (1/1.7")
heavier than average (346 grams)
76
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-F3 as a Sports photography camera
43
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking focus
good battery power (340 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/1.7")
doesn't have phase detect AF
53
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
great battery (470 per charge)
max fps very slow (6.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography info
Sony NEX-F3 Travel photography info
61
good battery power (340 per charge)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
missing Time Lapse mode
heavier than average (346g)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
69
great battery (470 CIPA)
megapixel count good (16MP)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse function
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-F3 as a Landscape photography camera
55
manual focus
pretty wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
good battery power (340 per charge)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/1.7")
missing Time Lapse mode
70
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
great battery (470 shots)
no image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Vlogging advice
Sony NEX-F3 Vlogging advice
36
pretty wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detect focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with mic support
screen is not selfie friendly
heavier than average (346g)
27
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
lack of mic socket
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-F3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony NEX-F3
 Olympus XZ-2 iHSSony Alpha NEX-F3
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sony Alpha NEX-F3
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2012-12-18 2012-08-16
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3968 x 2976 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 12800 16000
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/1.8-2.5 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Available lenses - 121
Crop factor 4.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 920k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic (optional)
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate - 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 8.60 m (ISO 800) -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 346 gr (0.76 lb) 314 gr (0.69 lb)
Dimensions 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") 117 x 67 x 42mm (4.6" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 49 73
DXO Color Depth score 20.4 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score 11.3 12.3
DXO Low light score 216 1114
Other
Battery life 340 photographs 470 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-90B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $450 $470