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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX100 III 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
  • Announced December 2012
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Announced May 2014
  • Superseded the Sony RX100 II
  • Successor is Sony RX100 IV
Photography Glossary

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Sony RX100 III, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and RX100 III (1") have different sensor size.

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The XZ-2 iHS was announced 17 months before the RX100 III making them a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting right into a in depth comparison, here is a short highlight of how the XZ-2 iHS scores vs the RX100 III with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Sony RX100 III

 XZ-2 iHS RX100 III 
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 RX100 III XZ-2 iHS 
AnnouncedMay 2014December 2012Fresher by 17 months
Display resolution1229k920kSharper display (+309k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony RX100 III

 XZ-2 iHS RX100 III 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry your camera, you will have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS has external dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") having a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) and the Sony RX100 III has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") and a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Look at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Sony RX100 III in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the XZ-2 iHS versus the RX100 III.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-2 iHS and RX100 III is 85 and 89 respectively.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to picture the contrast between sensor sizing purely by reading a spec sheet. The visual below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-2 iHS and RX100 III.

As you can see, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The XZ-2 iHS using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony RX100 III will offer you more detail with its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics more aggressively. The older XZ-2 iHS is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Portrait photography advice
Sony RX100 III Portrait photography advice
46
manual focus
comes with face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
64
manual focus
above average flash sync (1/2,000s)
good MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
has face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Street photography information
Sony RX100 III Street photography information
66
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
heavier than competitors (346g)
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
lighter than competition in class (290 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sports photography advice
Sony RX100 III Sports photography advice
43
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with tracking autofocus
good battery power (340 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
lack of phase detect AF
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
has tracking focus
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography advice
Sony RX100 III Travel photography advice
61
good battery power (340 CIPA)
has built in flash
decently wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
heavier than competitors (346 grams)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
85
lighter than competition in class (290 grams)
good MP (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
relatively wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Landscape photography advice
Sony RX100 III Landscape photography advice
55
manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
good battery power (340 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
73
manual focus
relatively wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Vlogging features
Sony RX100 III Vlogging features
36
decently wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external mic support
display is not selfie friendly
heavier than competitors (346 grams)
80
relatively wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (290g)
doesn't have mic jack
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony RX100 III
 Olympus XZ-2 iHSSony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Category Small Sensor Compact Large Sensor Compact
Announced 2012-12-18 2014-05-15
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1"
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3968 x 2976 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Largest aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus range 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 4.8 2.7
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 920k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed - 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 8.60 m (ISO 800) -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless -
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 346 grams (0.76 lb) 290 grams (0.64 lb)
Physical dimensions 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 49 67
DXO Color Depth score 20.4 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score 11.3 12.3
DXO Low light score 216 495
Other
Battery life 340 shots 320 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-90B NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $450 $748