Olympus XZ-1 gets an “Editor’s choice” at Photoreview Australia.
It looks like the most popular Olympus camera is not a PEN and not a the E-5 but the Olympus XZ-1. As you know it features also a PEN-type accessory port that can use PEN system accessories, including the clip-on VF2 EVF or the FL-14 and FL-36R flash guns and the external stereo microphone adapter kit (SEMA-1): “Image files from the review camera were a cut above those from most other digicams we’ve reviewed, including those from Olympus. Files were clean and not over-processed and colour saturation was restrained for a small-sensor camera. Autofocusing was comparatively fast for a contrast-based TTL system and when face detection was engaged, the camera was able to pick up and track human faces almost instantaneously.”. The only real drawback is the video quality.
The camera gets an oveall score of 8.8/10 which is pretty high!
You can get the camera in Black or White at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay (Clcik on shop name to directly visit the XZ-1 product page).
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Recent comments
Comment from Jonathan: I received mine from Amazon on Friday (3...
Comment from cL: I think compact camera usually will get ...
Comment from wife: On Amazon US, the EPL2 (189 in camera in...
Comment from admin: Hi Wife! it's a correct question. Sadly ...
bilgy_no1
2 years ago |I had an XZ-1 in my hands last week. It feels superb. It’s all metal, but feels lighter than the LX5. Unfortunately, the battery was removed and I didn’t have much time to play. First impression was very good however. Good to see Olympus coming along with great compacts.
BTW I think the E-PL2 is also getting a lot of positive press and reviews. The other new compacts also look a lot more interesting than anything that they produced in the last few years. Seems like Olympus is making a turn for the better.
wife
2 years ago |Base on what statistic do you say “It looks like the most popular Olympus camera is not a PEN and not a the E-5 but the Olympus XZ-1.”?
admin
2 years ago |Hi Wife! it’s a correct question. Sadly I can’t unveil the source. I can only tell you that it’s a terrible good sources. The XZ-1 i selling very well!
wife
2 years ago |On Amazon US, the EPL2 (189 in camera in photo) has a higher sales ranking than the XZ-1 (271). That’s not the entire picture, of course, but it’s one indication of popularity.
I would buy an XZ-1 once the price goes down a little bit, but I think that’s a little too high (especially when one can get the G2 for $299 and the GH1 for $349).
cL
2 years ago |I think compact camera usually will get a sharp slash in price, so don’t worry about that. It appears to be a superb camera. If I didn’t budget to buy a Fuji x100 (I don’t have a lot of spare money and x100 isn’t exactly light on pocket, despite its value), this could be my carry around camera with its nice output I’ve seen from all the samples.
Jonathan
2 years ago |I received mine from Amazon on Friday (3/11) and spent the weekend getting to know it. Out of the box it takes very nice images easily. Adjustments are fairly simple and a lot more intuitive than I expected (though I’m familiar with Olympus menus). I like my colors a little more saturated and the XZ-1 hits exactly the right note there. I’m really impressed with how well the camera performs in low light across the entire zoom range; probably the combination of fast lens and good IS. Build and design are excellent, and it’s a little more pocketable than reviews would have you think. The lens cap is a bit slippery but once aware of it I didn’t find it annoying, and at least it’s tethered on.
It’s a little early yet but at this rate it’s shaping up to be the best fixed-lens I’ve ever used. It’s certainly the best of the digital era. I don’t expect to replace cameras seasonally, so the $499 price tag wasn’t an issue. Haven’t tried the video yet, but that’s not a priority for me. incidentally, I placed the order at Amazon on 2/20 so the wait for shipment was just shy of three weeks, and they overnighted.