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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony G3

Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony G3 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
  • Released December 2012
Sony G3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-10.0) lens
  • 185g - 97 x 59 x 22mm
  • Revealed January 2009
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony G3 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Sony G3, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the G3 (10MP) is fairly close but the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and G3 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-2 iHS was manufactured 4 years after the G3 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief summation of how the XZ-2 iHS grades versus the G3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Sony G3

 XZ-2 iHS G3 
RevealedDecember 2012January 2009More modern by 48 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Sony G3 over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 G3 XZ-2 iHS 
Display dimension3.5"3"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution921k920kSharper display (+1k dot)

Common features in the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony G3

 XZ-2 iHS G3 
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony G3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS has physical 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 G3 has specifications of 97mm x 59mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") and a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Sony G3 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the XZ-2 iHS vs the G3.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony G3 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-2 iHS and G3 is 85 and 94 respectively.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony G3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony G3 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes simply by looking through a spec sheet. The image below will help give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-2 iHS and G3.

Clearly, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The XZ-2 iHS due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS will provide you with greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more modern XZ-2 iHS provides a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony G3 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
Sony G3 as a Portrait photography camera
46
focusing manually
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
26
manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
low resolution (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Street photography camera
Sony G3 as a Street photography camera
66
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
more heavy than average in class (346g)
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sports photography information
Sony G3 Sports photography information
43
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking focus
great battery power (340 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
has no phase detect autofocus
23
built in image stabilization (Optical)
max shutter speed is low (1/1,000 seconds)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography information
Sony G3 Travel photography information
61
great battery power (340 per charge)
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
does not have Timelapse mode
more heavy than average in class (346 grams)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
50
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
low resolution (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (35mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Landscape photography factors
Sony G3 Landscape photography factors
55
focusing manually
rather wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (340 per charge)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
does not have Timelapse mode
36
manual focus
bigger than average screen (3.5")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not available
low resolution (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Vlogging camera
Sony G3 as a Vlogging camera
36
rather wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone support
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
more heavy than average in class (346 grams)
27
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have external mic jack
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony G3
 Olympus XZ-2 iHSSony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Released 2012-12-18 2009-01-08
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3968 x 2976 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 35-140mm (4.0x)
Max aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/3.5-10.0
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Crop factor 4.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3.5 inch
Display resolution 920 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 1 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed - 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 8.60 m (ISO 800) 4.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 346g (0.76 lb) 185g (0.41 lb)
Dimensions 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") 97 x 59 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 49 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 216 not tested
Other
Battery life 340 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID Li-90B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $450 $200