From previews and early reviews, the Olympus XZ-1 loomed as a surprisingly cool and powerful compact with some very attractive and unpretentious unique features, aimed at experienced and demanding amateurs. Appearance of the camera on the store shelves adds another dimension to the picture, namely, a very high price for the device with unreplaceable optics. One of the most expensive cameras in our review, and on the market in general. The XZ-1 beats even one of the E-PL1’s signature non-smooth cameras and is slightly behind the price of the new E-PL2.
10MP 28-112 4x 3″ $680
Is the price really worth it? The question is interesting and of course there is no hard and fast answer, that is – it depends on what you need from the camera. If you make quality an absolute and unconditional priority then you should forget about compacts in general: the sensor of Pen cameras is much bigger than of any compact one and a priori provides much better quality of pictures.
No need to compare: it’s physics and, when it comes to the area of light-sensitive sensor elements, simple geometry. Add a little subjectivity – like demanding a camera that is small as small as possible while maintaining quality, or fits into your particular pocket – and the XZ-1 suddenly begins to beat even the older “system” machines.
The developers did their best on all fronts. Olympus XZ-1 is by no means the smallest, but still relatively small 111×65×42 mm compact. The E-PL2 isn’t technically much bigger when you measure the body, but it loses out on portability and weight when the lens is attached.
losing not just millimeters, but the only important pocket size difference: the XZ-1 fits in any pocket, while the interchangeable optics don’t. So you can have the XZ-1 anytime, anywhere and the non-smoothies much less DSLRs with undeniably better image quality are not always and not everywhere.
One of the unique things about the XZ-1 is that it has the first non-replaceable Zuiko lens. More precisely, not the optical brand itself, but the features of the optics that led to its appearance: the lens with a focal length range of 28-112 mm has aperture range from F1.8 at the short end to F2.5 in the teleposition.
Practically, this means effective work with light in conditions of lack of it light optics allows you to save on sensitivity or shutter speed and advanced control over the zone of sharpness. To put it bluntly, the optics’ ability to blur the background effectively, for instance when shooting a portrait, thanks to the shallow depth of field.
Another unique feature is the size of the XZ-1’s sensor. It uses a CCD-form-factor 1/1,63 inch with a resolution of 10 million. pixels. This sensor is one of the biggest in the compact class, which combined with a low resolution a laudable decision of the developers to put quality before marketing ideas means high real sensitivity and consequently low noise in photos nominal values up to 6400 ISO .
The sensor, unfortunately, was not the speed, so in continuous mode, the camera produces only 2 frames per second and up to 15 fps at 1600 × 1200 pixels , and the video mode is limited to conventional HD-format 720p at 30 fps with outdated coding Motion JPEG.
Finally, a third significant factor is the user-friendliness and flexibility of the settings. All XZ-1 parameters are quickly and accurately controlled with two pan/tilt rings in addition to the traditional buttons. One around the back panel navigator, the other on the lens barrel sets, depending on the exposure mode, the main exposure mode parameter .
Beginners are allowed to avoid complicated manual control both by means of simple automatics and with the help of the proprietary “guide” which optimizes settings according to the photographer’s target wishes to shade the object, blur the background, increase the color saturation, etc. . p. . Sighting, as well as viewing the result, is performed on a bright OLED display with a diagonal of 3 inches and a resolution of 610 thousand. dots.
All these features combine to make the XZ-1 not only a “premium” the name that people now give to similar compacts but also a very capable and effective camera. It is no exaggeration to say that in terms of picture quality, the Olympus XZ-1 definitely tops the list of all cameras with fixed lenses, far ahead of conventional compacts.
The device confidently competes with its main opponents: Canon S95, Panasonic LX5, Nikon P300, and in some respects, such as the properties of optics in comparison with the standard “kit”, presses even “system” cameras.
If it had cost at least a few thousand less, it would have been priceless! At this point, a buyer should pay attention to compact “system” cameras first and then to versatile “travel” compacts with handy 10-15x zooms. Not content with the size of the former and the shooting quality of the latter, you can safely buy the Olympus XZ-1 – then it’s sure to look great and you’ll have a lot of fun taking pictures. The price issue also goes away on its own.
The Olympus XZ-1 seems to exude confidence among other compact cameras in the market. However, I’m curious to know what sets it apart from its mainstream competitors?
Does the Olympus XZ-1, being a compact camera, truly hold its ground against its mainstream counterparts? Are there any specific features that make it stand out and give it that much-needed confidence?