Clicky

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Zeiss ZX1

Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
 
Zeiss ZX1 front
Portability
67
Imaging
78
Features
62
Overall
71

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Zeiss ZX1 Key Specs

Olympus XZ-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 346g - 113 x 65 x 48mm
  • Released December 2012
Zeiss ZX1
(Full Review)
  • 37MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 4.34" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 80 - 51200
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 35mm (F2-22) lens
  • 800g - 142 x 93 x 46mm
  • Introduced September 2018
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Zeiss ZX1 Overview

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Zeiss ZX1, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Zeiss. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and ZX1 (37MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and ZX1 (Full frame) have totally different sensor sizing.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The XZ-2 iHS was released 6 years before the ZX1 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Zeiss ZX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief summation of how the XZ-2 iHS matches up vs the ZX1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Zeiss ZX1

 XZ-2 iHS ZX1 

Reasons to pick Zeiss ZX1 over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 ZX1 XZ-2 iHS 
IntroducedSeptember 2018December 2012More recent by 70 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions4.34"3"Bigger screen (+1.34")
Screen resolution2765k920kClearer screen (+1845k dot)

Common features in the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Zeiss ZX1

 XZ-2 iHS ZX1 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Zeiss ZX1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS provides outer measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") and a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) and the Zeiss ZX1 has specifications of 142mm x 93mm x 46mm (5.6" x 3.7" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Compare the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Zeiss ZX1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the XZ-2 iHS and the ZX1.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Zeiss ZX1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-2 iHS and ZX1 is 85 and 67 respectively.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Zeiss ZX1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Zeiss ZX1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor measurements purely by seeing specs. The graphic below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-2 iHS and ZX1.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The XZ-2 iHS due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Zeiss ZX1 will provide more detail as a result of its extra 25MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures more aggressively. The older XZ-2 iHS will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Zeiss ZX1 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Zeiss ZX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Zeiss ZX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Portrait photography with Zeiss ZX1
46
has manual focus
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
low MP (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
86
has manual focus
high megapixels (37MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detect focus
exports RAW files
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Street photography camera
Zeiss ZX1 as a Street photography camera
66
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW files
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
more heavy than competition in class (346g)
70
screen can move to multiple angles
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
supports touch to focus
very good high ISO (51,200)
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competitors (800 grams)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Sports Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sports photography features
Zeiss ZX1 Sports photography features
43
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking autofocus
great battery life (340 CIPA)
low MP (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
no phase detect AF
64
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
high megapixels (37 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
can't change focal length (35mm)
slow frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography information
Zeiss ZX1 Travel photography information
61
great battery life (340 shots)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
missing Timelapse mode
more heavy than competition in class (346g)
low MP (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
65
has bluetooth
supports touch to focus
high megapixels (37 megapixels)
very good max aperture (f2)
missing Timelapse recording
more heavy than competitors (800g)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
Zeiss ZX1 as a Landscape photography camera
55
has manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW files
great battery life (340 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
low MP (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
missing Timelapse mode
69
has manual focus
very good max aperture (f2)
very good size screen (4.34")
high megapixels (37MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
very good high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
can't change focal length (35mm)
lack of image stabilization
missing Timelapse recording
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Vlogging camera
Zeiss ZX1 as a Vlogging camera
36
reasonably wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone support
screen isn't selfie friendly
more heavy than competition in class (346g)
31
very good max aperture (f2)
screen is touchscreen
includes face detect focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
missing microphone port
more heavy than competitors (800g)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Zeiss ZX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Zeiss ZX1
 Olympus XZ-2 iHSZeiss ZX1
General Information
Company Olympus Zeiss
Model Olympus XZ-2 iHS Zeiss ZX1
Type Small Sensor Compact Large Sensor Compact
Released 2012-12-18 2018-09-27
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" Full frame
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 36 x 24mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 864.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 37 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Full resolution 3968 x 2976 7488 x 4992
Max native ISO 12800 51200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 255
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) 35mm (1x)
Highest aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/2-22
Macro focus range 1cm -
Crop factor 4.8 1
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 4.34 inch
Screen resolution 920 thousand dot 2,765 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 6,221 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed - 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 8.60 m (ISO 800) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless no built-in flash
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 346 gr (0.76 lbs) 800 gr (1.76 lbs)
Physical dimensions 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") 142 x 93 x 46mm (5.6" x 3.7" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 49 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 216 not tested
Other
Battery life 340 photographs -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model Li-90B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC 512GB internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $450 -