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Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
 
  • 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
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49

Olympus XZ-2 iHS overview

Olympus XZ-2 iHS is Olympus's Small Sensor Compact camera first revealed on December of 2012. It comes with a 12 MegaPixel, CMOS 1/1.7" size sensor with a maximum resolution of 3968 x 2976.

The XZ-2 iHS is positioned #4 out of 261 in Small Sensor Compact cameras and all round #443 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. Remember to test our Advanced camera search to find camera results based on your personalized requirements.

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Below is a chart of various criteria used in the scoring system.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Pros and Cons

Here is a shortlist of pluses and minuses of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS based on things that are often viewed as crucial in a camera.

built-in flash
built in lens has zoom (28-112mm 4.0 x zoom)
comes with external microphone jack
comes with HDMI support
fast at the tele end (f2.5)
good battery (340 per charge)
good max aperture (f1.8)
good min ISO (100)
good resolution screen (920 thousand dot)
has a tilting screen
has manual focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection autofocus
includes tracking autofocus
pretty good screen size (3")
relatively wide (28mm)
saves RAW formats
touch screen
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
lack of phase detect autofocus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
more heavy than average (346g)
no headphone jack
no Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sensor information

The spec of the sensor on the Olympus XZ-2 iHS is 7.44mm x 5.58mm (1/1.7"). The 42 mm² sensor is able to resolve 3968 x 2976 pixels with aspect ratios of 4:3. The camera includes Image Stabilization (Sensor-shift). Sensor stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization since the latter can easily produce cropping.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 12 megapixels and gives a native ISO range of 100 to 12800. RAW photos are supported so the user has more margin for error.

The graphic below illustrates the XZ-2 iHS's sensor size in comparison to other common sizes. The XZ-2 iHS sensor comes with a crop factor of 4.8 and is showcased in green.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS sensor size C500 Mark II gets new Cinema RAW Light modes from Canon

To get an idea of different aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Olympus XZ-2 iHS dimensions

Olympus XZ-2 iHS weighs about 0.76 lbs (346g / 12.20 oz) and the size of the camera is 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9"). The weight of normal Small Sensor Compact camera is 174g and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS is heavier compared to its rivals.

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Below is a pic of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS beside a soft drink so you can have a sense of its size.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS dimensions scale

The top view directly below will show the button arrangement on the XZ-2 iHS.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS topview buttons dials

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Lens information

The XZ-2 iHS houses a built-in lens giving a focal range of 28-112mm making it a 4.0 x zoom which may not be very good but it would certainly be useful in certain circumstances.

At it's widest 28mm, it offers an aperture of f1.8 and that is beneficial in low light situations and capturing good bokeh. It would also enable you to use a much lower ISO to produce more clean pictures. On the long end, 112mm comes at f2.5 which is very good and means that you can have higher shutter speeds.

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Olympus XZ-2 iHS Connectivity

The XZ-2 iHS has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • Wireless Yes
  • HDMI Yes

Cameras that include NFC and / or Bluetooth connectivity can easily be used wirelessly through smartphones. You will be able to send pictures and sometimes alter settings without connecting directly with the camera.

Several apps also enable a Liveview and click the shutter if you aren't near the camera. If the camera contains a HDMI out, it could be attached to an external monitor. A lot of cameras will allow you to recharge the battery through the USB socket.

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Olympus XZ-2 iHS Video information

The maximum video resolution on the Olympus XZ-2 iHS is 1920 x 1080 and it can save in MPEG-4 and H.264 format. 1080p resolution is an excellent balance for quality and file size but FULL HD isn't going to leave you with much room to downsample. While the body includes a microphone socket, it is sadly lacking a headphone socket so you will not have the option to check your sound levels.

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Olympus XZ-2 iHS Weather Sealing

Olympus XZ-2 iHS doesn't have weather sealing so rainy conditions may damage the camera.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Display and Viewfinder

The Olympus XZ-2 iHS comes with a 3 inch tilting display with a resolution of 920 thousand dots.

Moreover the display is touch friendly so you can easily set focus point and adjust settings using your fingers.

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The View Finder specifications regarding Olympus XZ-2 iHS are below:

  • ViewFinder Electronic (optional)

Viewfinders are very handy for bright outdoor situations which may make the camera display washed out and very difficult to view.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Shutter information

The highest shutter speed is 1/2000 seconds.

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Olympus XZ-2 iHS Flash and Hot shoe information

Olympus XZ-2 iHS includes both inbuilt flash and external flash ability.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Autofocusing information

Olympus XZ-2 iHS includes only Contrast Based Auto Focus and doesn't have Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot more quicker & exact compared to Contrast Based focusing. The camera comes with Face detect which is handy for portrait photography.

The Sensor comes with 35 focus points to choose from. It also includes Tracking Auto Focus for moving subjects. Olympus XZ-2 iHS has the ability to use manual focusing in case it is required for low light situations or you require more exact focusing control.

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Olympus XZ-2 iHS Battery life

The battery (Li-90B) for the Olympus XZ-2 iHS is made to last for 340 pictures as per the CIPA benchmarks making it above average when compared to its category. The general Small Sensor Compact camera battery life is 241. Fujifilm X30 features the highest possible (470) battery life for this category of cameras.

Underneath is a collection of Small Sensor Compact cameras which have the strongest battery life:

Olympus XZ-2 iHS for various types of photography

The following illustration indicates a summation of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS for various types of photography. To find out more, go to the specific paragraph below.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Portrait photography factors

The Olympus XZ-2 iHS has a score of 46 which is moderate, and means the camera is relatively suited to use for portrait photography. Photographing portraits leans greatly towards sensor resolution, support for RAW photos plus the ability to utilize external lighting.

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manual focus
features face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Street photography camera

Getting a above average rating of 66, the Olympus XZ-2 iHS is a good choice to buy for street photography. A good street photography camera provides a good balance of picture quality and portability.

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screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
tiny sensor (1/1.7")
more heavy than others (346 grams)

Sports photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS

A really bad sports photography score of 43 suggests the Olympus XZ-2 iHS is not really appropriate for photographing sports. A camera needs very good tracking and fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

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image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking focus
better than average battery power (340 shots)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
lacks phase detect auto focus

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography advice

Portability is really critical when picking a camera for travel. In general, the Olympus XZ-2 iHS gets a above average 61 as a travel camera which is a fine fit for your trips.

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great battery life (340 shots)
flash built-in
decently wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
missing Time Lapse recording
heavier than others in class (346 grams)
megapixel count low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display

Landscape photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS

If you are looking to choose a camera for landscape photographs, the most critical aspect will no doubt be image quality. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS and it's decent grade of 55 as a landscape camera is somewhat suitable amongst it's competitors.

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focusing manually
relatively wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
better than average battery pack (340 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
lack of Time Lapse recording

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Vlogging advice

A camera for vlogging preferably should come with a moving screen, microphone port and preferably image stabilization. Taking everything into account, the Olympus XZ-2 iHS is not really appropriate as a vlog camera as it comes to a really bad rating of 36.

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pretty wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external mic jack
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
heavier than competition (346 grams)

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Alternatives

If you are searching for replacements to the XZ-2 iHS, here is a collection of the highest placed cameras that fall under the category of Small Sensor Compact.

The graph followed below offers you a summary of the XZ-2 iHS versus it's top scoring competitors shown earlier.

Here are a few more cameras you may consider as alternatives. To see a full comparison, just click on the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Brand Name
Olympus
Model type
Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Type
Small Sensor Compact
Announced
2012-12-18
Body design
Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Sensor size
1/1.7"
Sensor measurements
7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor area
41.5mm²
Sensor resolution
12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio
4:3
Maximum resolution
3968 x 2976
RAW images
Maximum native ISO
12800
Lowest native ISO
100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points
35
Lens
Lens mount type
fixed lens
Lens zoom range
28-112mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture
f/1.8-2.5
Macro focusing distance
1cm
Crop factor
4.8
Screen
Display type
Tilting
Display diagonal
3"
Resolution of display
920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder
Electronic (optional)
DXO scores
DXO All around rating
49
DXO Color Depth rating
20.4
DXO Dynamic range rating
11.3
DXO Low light rating
216
Features
Slowest shutter speed
60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed
1/2000 seconds
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation
Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance
8.60 m (ISO 800)
Flash settings
Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
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)
Maximum video resolution
1920x1080
Video data format
MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless
Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight
346g (0.76 lbs)
Physical dimensions
113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9")
Other
Battery life
340 images
Style of battery
Battery Pack
Battery ID
Li-90B
Self timer
Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media
SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots
One
Retail price
$450