Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony W830

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony W830, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and W830 (20MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and W830 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

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The XZ-2 iHS was released 12 months prior to the W830 which means that they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony W830 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a short view of how the XZ-2 iHS grades against the W830 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Sony W830 Gallery.

If you are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS has got 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) whilst the Sony W830 has specifications of 93mm x 52mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.0" x 0.9") having a weight of 122 grams (0.27 lbs).

Check out the Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony W830 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the XZ-2 iHS versus the W830.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the XZ-2 iHS and W830 is 85 and 96 respectively.

Usually, it is very difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by going over a spec sheet. The pic here will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-2 iHS and W830.

Clearly, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-2 iHS featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Sony W830 will offer more detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged XZ-2 iHS is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.