Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX10 IV

Here, we will be matching up the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony RX10 IV, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and RX10 IV (20MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and RX10 IV (1") posses totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-2 iHS was released 5 years earlier than the RX10 IV and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the XZ-2 iHS grades vs the RX10 IV with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Sony RX10 IV Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS comes with outer dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") and a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 IV has measurements of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") accompanied by a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony RX10 IV in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at the time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the XZ-2 iHS versus the RX10 IV.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and RX10 IV is 85 and 52 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's tough to see the gap between sensor measurements purely by looking at specs. The visual below might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-2 iHS and RX10 IV.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The XZ-2 iHS due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony RX10 IV will give you more detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older XZ-2 iHS is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.