The Mode Dial is set on the right and back edges of the top panel. While the controls are easy enough to master and free of most design mistakes, there is one problem I never solved. But I kept thinking I had to move the latch back to lock the door when I closed it. Just fingernail the latch back and the spring-loaded door opens. The battery door also continually confused me. Had I owned the camera, I would have applied something to the front.īattery Door. I used a wrist strap to prevent accidents but it really needs a grip. So the Olympus XZ-1 is always slipping south on you. The problem is that the weight of the camera is not where you grip it, but at the lens. Something like Richard Franiec's new Olympus XZ-1 grip, which is even more than a strip of plastic, offering a nice curve for the fingers to sink into. It makes for an attractive camera front but what I would have given for a strip of plastic down the front. While there's a nice rubber pad on the back panel for your thumb, Olympus left the front of the camera bare. I never did get used to the grip on the Olympus XZ-1. Though it covers the f/1.8 logo, it really makes a difference in the XZ-1's handling. Richard Franiec was fast getting the XZ-1 grip ready for the camera. ISO ranges from 100 to 6,400, and the Olympus XZ-1 includes Dual Image Stabilization (both sensor-shift and Auto ISO).Īrt filters and Live Guide modes first introduced in the PEN series are also included in the Olympus XZ-1, and the new camera comes in two colors, black or white. Its built-in hot shoe allows the Olympus XZ-1 to use the company's entire line of FL-series flashes, and the accessory port supports much of the PEN lineup of hot-shoe-mounted accessories, but not the just-announced PENPAL Bluetooth accessory that allows wireless transfer of files to select smartphones. The Neutral Density filter can also be turned on and off at will to slow shutter speeds and tolerate brighter light.

Though the Olympus XZ-1 has iAuto, Art filters, and 18 Scene modes, it also sports Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual modes, as well as a Custom setting on the Mode dial just what the enthusiast photographer is looking for. Video mode is quickly accessible via the Record button on the back of the camera. The XZ-1 can also capture 720p HD video at 30 frames per second maximum. The Olympus XZ-1's 10-megapixel CCD sensor is designed for low light, with a larger 1/1.63' size, and its TruePic V image processor is said to keep colors real while processing out sensor noise. OLED should also offer a wider viewing angle than most LCDs. Olympus says the OLED 'reproduces colors and shades more accurately with deeper black tones,' while using less power than an LCD. Its optics aren't the only story with the Olympus XZ-1, however: it also has a 3-inch OLED display with 610,000 dots. Though early literature dating back to photokina 2010 referred to the lens as 'fixed,' what they mean is that it's not removable it most certainly does zoom. The smallest available aperture is f/8, with 1/3 stop increments available in-between the largest and smallest apertures. Officially dubbed Olympus i.Zuiko Digital, the new lens ranges from 6-24mm, or 28-112mm equivalent, with a widest aperture range of f/1.8, changing to f/2.5 when zoomed. Olympus is quick to point out that the XZ-1 is the first pocket camera to have a Zuiko-branded optic built in. Designed to compete with the likes of the Panasonic LX5, Canon S95 and G12, Nikon P7000, and Samsung TL500, the Olympus XZ-1 is a first for the company though it harks back to the larger C-2040, Olympus's first digital camera with an f/1.8 lens, dating back to 2001. With the market's increased focus on low light photography, it seems quite proper that Olympus has jumped into the fray, introducing the XZ-1, a high-end pocket camera with a fast f/1.8 lens and HD video recording. Imaging Resource ratingīy Mike Pasini, Shawn Barnett, Stephanie Boozer, and Zig Weidelich High ISO performance isn't quite what we hoped for, but we'd be happy to stick with lower ISOs for access to the XZ-1's fine glass. Offering a lens that's both faster and sharper overall than its rivals, the Olympus XZ-1 comes out swinging and lands quite a few punches.

Olympus xz 1 dpreview