Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony HX100V

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony HX100V, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and HX100V (16MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and HX100V (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

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The XZ-2 iHS was revealed 15 months after the HX100V which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony HX100V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief overview of how the XZ-2 iHS grades versus the HX100V in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V. The full galleries are available at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Sony HX100V Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS has outer dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") having a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) while the Sony HX100V has dimensions of 122mm x 87mm x 93mm (4.8" x 3.4" x 3.7") and a weight of 577 grams (1.27 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony HX100V 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 at the time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the XZ-2 iHS compared to the HX100V.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and HX100V is 85 and 66 respectively.

Normally, it is difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes just by reading specs. The pic here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-2 iHS and HX100V.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The XZ-2 iHS with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony HX100V will offer you extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The newer XZ-2 iHS should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.