Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony HX7V

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony HX7V, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and HX7V (16MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and HX7V (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-2 iHS was released 18 months later than the HX7V making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the XZ-2 iHS matches up vs the HX7V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V. The complete galleries are available at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Sony HX7V Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS features exterior measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") with a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) and the Sony HX7V has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony HX7V in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the XZ-2 iHS versus the HX7V.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and HX7V is 85 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, it is hard to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements only by going through specs. The photograph here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-2 iHS and HX7V.

As you can plainly see, both cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The XZ-2 iHS featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony HX7V will provide more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively. The younger XZ-2 iHS provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.