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Features
10-megapixel CCD sensor with the TruePic V Image Processor
iZUIKO f1.8-2.5 6.0-24mm [28-112 mm equiv.] (4x zoom) lens for improved shooting in low-light scenarios
Capture all the action in crisp 720p HD video at 30 frames-per-second
3-inch OLED monitor; six creative Art Filters
Capture images and HD video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
Description
XZ-1 DIGITAL CAMERA BLK - product specs to follow via CD. What's in the Box : Strap, Lens cap and Lens cap strap, LI-lithium ion battery, F-2AC USB-AC, Adapter, USB cable, AV cable, Olympus Setup CD-ROM.
Product Details
Product Length:
4.35 inches
Product Width:
2.55 inches
Product Height:
1.67 inches
Product Weight:
0.61 pounds
Package Length:
7.4 inches
Package Width:
5.6 inches
Package Height:
3.2 inches
Package Weight:
1.3 pounds
Average Customer Rating:
based on 67 reviews
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: ( 67 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
117 of 120 found the following review helpful:
XZ-1 Wins Out Apr 06, 2011
By Zachary Wagner This is my preliminary review for the Olympus XZ-1, which arrived at my house this afternoon. I will update as necessary.
Over the last two weeks, I have ordered, and returned, two other cameras: the Fujifilm HS20EXR, and the Panasonic LX5. Neither one of them really satisfied me in terms of a total package. The build quality (at least on my copy) of the HS20 was suspect, and worried me a bit. The RAW processing time was quite slow, and I guess I just didn't like the overall feel of it. The Panasonic, despite all the rave reviews, did not satisfy in terms of IQ. Color blotching crept in far too early (even as early as ISO 200) for my taste, and by ISO 400 it was unbearable. The Jpeg processing on the LX5 wasn't great, either. So I finally decided to order the Olympus after much reading and staring at sample images on the internet, though I was becoming skeptical it would be able to satisfy me. At least so far, I was wrong.
The Olympus XZ-1 is a marvel of technology. From the blazing fast Zuiko lens to the quick and slick menu interface, to the conservative beauty of the design, this camera means business. Shooting with the XZ-1 is an effortless joy, and it works so well and so intuitively at times that you almost forget you're using a camera at all. I've read in other reviews that the rear control ring is finicky and annoying, but that is not my experience. I find it to work quite well, with the right amount of tactile feedback. The same is true of the front ring around the lens, used to control various settings based on the mode you are in. Sure, there's not a dedicated button for ISO, but it's so easy to set the ISO from the menu that I'm not quite sure what the issue is. The lack of an AFL/AEL button is a bit of a letdown, but I don't find it to be a dealbreaker by any means. The art filters range from quaint novelty effects that I will rarely use to things like the Dynamic Tone filter, which (though the effect is a bit hit or miss) can be incredibly striking. As far as all the other modes go, it's pretty much your standard fare, with the addition of the 'low light' mode. But I wouldn't go too crazy with that mode, as the noise at higher ISOs from the XZ-1 is pretty pronounced. And that leads me to image quality.
For some reason, though the XZ-1 possesses quite a large sensor for a point-and-shoot, it produces quite a lot of noise. What this creates is the necessity to find the right balance with your RAW processing between noise reduction and image clarity and sharpness. Or, you can just use the Jpegs, which I must say, are very well processed, but when put up against the RAW files, can't compare to the detail, due to the noise reduction applied to the Jpegs. This is the one bit of a bummer about the image quality of this camera. You will see a decent amount of noise as low as ISO 400, though nothing that can't be dealt with in post until you pass 800. 1600 might be salvageable, but it's questionable. The nice thing is that the noise is more luminance than color oriented, because I find it's more difficult (as with the LX5) to deal with large blotches of inappropriate color. So, bad news dealt with. And it's really not that bad, because guess what? You've got one of the fastest lenses in a compact camera at your command. This means that you will rarely need to jump above ISO 800 to shoot just about anything. The speed of this lens is simply a marvel to behold, and a joy to employ. Not only does it allow you much, much more freedom in ALL your shooting (aperture only hits 2.5 at telephoto, which is still faster than most dslr lenses are at wide!), but the size of the sensor in relation to the aperture capability of the lens also allows for some of the nicest bokeh you'll find in a compact. Olympus also smartly employs an in-camera ND filter to help you keep those aperture numbers low whilst shooting in bright daylight, which is a godsend. And despite what I've said about the noise issue, the images from this camera are, in general, pretty spectacular. This is no dslr, but the images are about as close as you'll get without buying one at this point. While the noise reduction applied to the jpegs definitely reduces fine details, they still look spectacular. The colors from this camera absolutely scream, and even if you're not fond of the detail loss in jpeg, just go for RAW shooting, which is still really, really fast. Shot to shot times are very fast, seemingly regardless of the file type (though I am using a very fast Sandisk card as well). The continuous shooting speed of this camera isn't wonderful, but honestly, it's not bad when you consider that you can fire off quite a few pics (even with the images set at Fine Jpeg + RAW) before it gets stumped. You can also reduce the quality of the Jpegs to 5MP to grab some more fps, and even down to 2MP to grab even more fps, but I certainly wouldn't go that low.
Autofocus is generally good, though I did encounter some questionable choices when in macro mode that did annoy me a bit. However, you can choose between 11 different focus points to get the pic you want, or hold the shutter button down halfway and recompose. In general though, I found the autofocus to be reasonably fast and accurate thus far. One other caveat is that for some reason the Auto WB seems to have trouble with incandescent lighting, creating overly warm tones and forcing you to manual select the incandescent setting for accurate colors. This is not a huge deal, but it's a bit of an annoyance.
The LCD screen is gorgeous, and while I wish the camera came with an EVF, Olympus has given us the ability to add the VF-2 viewfinder, which is both a great and, unfortunately, incredibly expensive option. I will be ordering the viewfinder, though I don't relish spending half the price of the camera on a tiny little accessory.
I look forward to many glorious outings with the XZ-1, and can honestly say that I highly recommend it to anyone looking to move up from a simple point and shoot, but not yet ready to go full on with a dslr and a bunch of lenses.
(UPDATE 1) Received my VF2 viewfinder today, and was able to try it out for a few hours before work. WOW. Talk about a quality product. I was concerned about the cost (and really I still am), but you definitely get a great little add-on. The picture is ultra clear and makes all other EVFs tremble before it. Obviously using it in daylight is great, but for me, coming from a dslr background, just having it was a no-brainer. And if I decide at some point to upgrade to the EPL2, I don't have to buy it again. So that made it worth it to me. Still loving the camera (even more with the viewfinder)!
(UPDATE 2) Man, I LOVE this camera. The VF2 viewfinder has increased my enjoyment of it by quite a lot, and I honestly didn't think that was possible. I could sit and nit-pick the image quality compared to dslr cameras, but it's just not worth it. Upping the sharpness and contrast applied to the jpegs makes them usable straight out of the camera, as long as you keep the ISO reasonable (800 or lower). Flipping the 'gradation' feature to auto can garner you better dynamic range in shadows as well as better detail, though you will experience more shadow noise, so use it wisely. I certainly didn't buy this camera for the art filters, just thought they'd be a fun little addition... but they really do help me with my creative picture taking, and get me thinking about things from a different perspective. Highlights are the Grainy B&W (allows for some interesting videos as well), Diorama!(I've come to LOVE this one), and of course the popular Dramatic Tone. Soft Focus is useful as well for portraiture or weddings. The super fast lens allows me to shoot at ISO100-200 most of the time, occasionally venturing to 400 and, much more rarely, to 800. Also, make yourself take pics using the Monochrome setting. Turn up the sharpness to +1 and the contrast to +2, and behold the beautiful B&W photos this camera spits out. Pretty awesome. Also great is the Macro and Super Macro. I'm not the biggest fan of the tracking AF though, a sports camera this is not, though the continuous shot is pretty decent in the right situations. Good for kids and such, but really fast movers like dogs can sometimes be problematic. Pretty much forget birds, but the range of this lens doesn't really allow for that anyway.
The bundled software is actually not bad either. I'm used to using PSE, so I use that for most everything, but I do a simple distortion correction in the Viewer 2 software first, which works quite well (the lens has some decent barrel at wide, and a little pincushion at tele, nothing really problematic). All in all I can't say enough about this camera. If you're on the fence, just buy it. You can return it if you don't like it, but why would you do that? Kudos, Olympus!
40 of 40 found the following review helpful:
A point & shoot that can be both serious and fun! Apr 10, 2011
By D. Turkmen My girlfriend and I were tired of carrying all the DSLR gear with us whenever we go somewhere, so we started looking for a lighter alternative. After reading some reviews and comparisons online (dpreview.com is a great source for that) we decided to buy Olympus XZ-1.
Pros: - It has a bright f/1.8 lens which is pretty good at low-light situations (or just taking shallow pictures) - The screen has live view where you can see the depth of field in Aperture mode before taking the photo - OLED screen is bright enough to see in day light. It also isn't that power-hungry. - The big sensor can capture the subject in great details. - Anti-shake mechanism works pretty well. I tested 1/40, 1/25, even 1 second exposures which turned out better than I expected. With my DLSR's anti-shake off, those pics would be more blurry. - Charges through USB (this may be a con for you if you use card readers) simply keep your camera plugged in to your computer after transferring the images, and you don't have to take out the battery for charging anymore. - The dial around the lens is easy to use. Depending on the mode it changes aperture, shutter, scene mode; or rotates images. - 6 Art filters which applies digital effect to your photo/movie in realtime. - 18 Scene modes which will make taking any occasion easy. For example, "pet" will track the moving animal in the frame. Or "panorama" scene mode will help you take 3 consecutive images and stitch them together auto-magically. - Macro mode can focus even at the closest distance possible (be careful, your lens may be easily touching that flower!) - It fits in a pocket (maybe not jeans or shirt pockets) - (ADDED) Built-in ND filter lets you have longer exposures (1/10 seconds, for example) during day time. See the waterfall picture as an example. - (ADDED) Splash-proof. Used under heavy rain where water drops were all over the place (lens, dials, screen) with no problems.
Cons: - Art and Scene modes are on the top dial along with P/A/S/M modes, so you cannot combine those (e.g. cannot apply an art filter while in Aperture Priority. But I guess some of those filters are meant to overwrite aperture/shutter) - Shutter lag is definitely noticeable if you are a DSLR user. If the timing is important, try sequential mode. Luckily there is even a hi-speed burst shooting mode. - The lens is too bright sometimes. Shutter speed cannot go faster than 1/2000s. In a bright day light at f/1.8, you'll start seeing overexposure and fringing. EDIT: With the built-in Natural Density Filter on, this is not the case anymore! - Some of the art filters need more processing power than others, which makes the screen (live view) refresh slower. For taking photos this is not a big deal. But if you record a movie that way, you will get lower frame rates. But again, this camera is not meant to replace your camcorder or your post processing software. - No viewfinder. - (ADDED) Lens cap is pretty lose. We ended up buying an after-market cap that fits around the lens (you can see the threads if you look carefully) with spring-powered blades that will automatically open/close when lens is in/out. - (ADDED) RAW version of the photo looks pretty dull comparing to JPEG. We had hard time editing the RAW to match the colors to the JPEG. It would have been nice if some color profile was provided with the camera.
158 of 176 found the following review helpful:
Very good camera.. Best in class, with one exception... Feb 17, 2011
By Radio Man
"yarns13"
I was very much looking forward to this XZ-1 for a long time. Seemed to have the BEST of all the similar cameras in this category, put into ONE camera. I have owned the Canon S90, Samsung TL-500, and STILL own the LX5. All of these cameras are rather good and certainly way better than an average point and shoot, especially if you want a lot of control over the camera.
The XZ-1 does have a rather amazing lens..in that it is very fast(bright) throughout it's entire range..impressive. It is true I found that being able to shoot with the 1.8 aperture in doors..I did not have to use a very high iso, yet the shutter speed was indeed faster than my LX5 with same settings for example.
Faster shutter speed did result in mostly really good indoor pictures without the usual slow shutter blurriness, THOUGH all pics indoors in even rather good light tended to be a bit dark oddly enough until I cranked up exposure compensation. The image stabilization on the XZ-1 seems really WAY above average as well.
HOWEVER doing a ton of side by side pics vs my LX5 or even JUST looking at the output of the XZ-1, jpeg pictures at default setting look "somewhat" soft, if you use the default Natural setting(With no adjustments as to sharpness, contrast etc.)! I mean even at iso100 my pictures look..too soft, airbrushed looking SLIGHTLY. In camera somewhat aggressive Noise reduction is that one exception I listed in the title.
Living with his camera for a while it is obvious Olympus chose to use too much noise reduction at ALL isos!.But,the overall output in most cases is almost amazing for a camera in this class. There is just a bit of slight softness especially on skin especially now and then it seems. If I shoot raw..then take off, or lower the noise reduction, finally the pictures become MUCH more sharp. As you raise the iso..Olympus uses more and more noise reduction to it's jpegs as all manufacturers will do. Not uncommon, but now I find I'm almost always shooting in jpeg PLUS raw just to have the option to do away with so much UNNEEDED noise reduction which will cause smudging/smearing as iso rises above 200iso..some even at iso100. One may not notice this as much or AT all if you are shooting general scenery out doors. It's more noticeable I find on portrait work.
You can check out the Comparometer at Imaging resource. Instead of just my OPINION,
I replaced the . with a DOT so hopefully the link does not get deleted..
[...]
Put the XZ-1 on one side..put an S95/ TL500, LX5 or a G12 etc on the other. Check different ISOS and see if you don't agree the XZ-1 starts losing too much detail vs the other cameras 200iso and above. You will notice it most easily on the clothing, the threads become blurred vs most of the competition. Even the wall paint becomes much more blurred vs most of the other cameras DUE to noise reduction..
However overall the jpegs from the XZ-1 are generally REALLY good with great looking color and the detail is not that bad, actually GOOD..but COULD be so much better with lower aggressive noise reduction..that's all I'm saying.
Using raw..there is a ton of GOOD detail and not much noise in fairly good light till you get to about 400/500iso...if you want the VERY best out of this XZ-1
Vs my LX5 the LX5 almost always has more detail AND noise, but most of the LX5's jpegs look sharper at same iso. HOWEVER OVERALL, the pics from the XZ-1 just LOOK WAY WAY better as to the WHOLE picture, dynamic range, IQ, almost no lens distortion, GREAT corner to corner sharpness, lack of purple fringing...nice rather accurate color overall..it beats the LX5 and my S90 that I owned.
Bokeh (Blurred background) is amazing on this camera if that's important to you. I never knew a camera with a small sensor (compared to a full sized or micro four's sensor) could give you so much depth of field with that great blurred background.
The battery life is above average. Video: I didn't do much video recording but what I did record looked VERY good.
In summary in my opinion, At default picture JPEG setting vs an LX5, S95, or even the TL-500, I am finding the XZ-1 to be best in class (Except again..stronger overall noise reduction than all the others.) Each camera though in this category seems to have some strong points, some weaknesses.
Use raw on the XZ-1 this camera looks REALLY really good and on balance, JUST may really be the best of the crop here. Jpegs DO look VERY good too..just you will see night and day sharpness if you chose to shoot raw and take OFF the noise reduction, when you want that extra detail. Noise reduction can not be changed IN camera.
Since owning and using this camera A LOT now..I feel confident in saying it's probably the best camera in this 10meg smallish pocketable category. I like this camera so much now I bumped it up to 5 stars from it's initial 4 star rating I gave it. If Olympus can include IN camera noise reduction adjustment, perhaps in a future firmware update this camera has no competition in this category in my opinion!
131 of 152 found the following review helpful:
Video killed the Photograph Star - XZ-1 vs. LX5 Mar 14, 2011
By Stillness My review of the XZ-1 is from the perspective of being proud father and the family member in charge of capturing memories (and a major geek). Through the years, I have tried just about every type of camera from the Fujifilm F30 to the Canon ti2, the Lumix GF1, GH1 and so on. My ideal camera is small enough to carry in a pocket (or in my case, a belt holster), has great low light capability, great video capability and some zoom capability.
Many enthusiast compacts and all Micro 4/3 cameras like the GF1, PL2 and so forth, don't fit in a belt holster. That leaves the S95, the LX5 and the XZ-1. The S95 is out due to no video autofocus and slow min. aperture at telephoto.
The XZ-1 fits in my hand better than the LX5 (more room for the fingers of my right hand w/o rubbing the lens barrel), and has a faster lens than the LX5 in a very meaningful and practical way. At the same shutter speed the XZ-1 will be ISO 320 where the LX5 will be ISO 640. At high and low ISO, the Olympus jpeg processing is much more pleasing to my eye than the LX5 (I don't have time to deal with RAW.) I also prefer the XZ-1 28mm over the wider LX5 24mm
But I'm returning the XZ-1 and keeping the LX5 because the XZ-1 video quality is unacceptably poor. The quality is so bad as to be distracting and useless for capturing family memories. Not just the wild focus hunting which would be enough, the compression codec makes everything look soft, digital and just awful. Anyone with a few years shooting AVCHD lite on these Lumix cameras like the old ZS3 will be heartbroken. That's why I have to give 3 stars.
If I didn't need video, the XZ-1 would be perfect.
BTW if you're looking for a killer belt holster for your XZ-1 or LX5 the Lowepro Napoli 30 is a perfectly snug fit and you won't need the lens cover anymore.
27 of 29 found the following review helpful:
This camera is a joy to use. Feb 25, 2011
By J. H. Smith The XZ-1 is a terrific camera, one tat meets my expectations since the mockup of the camera was shown last fall at Photokina. I have previously owned a Panasonic LX3 (since upgraded to the LX5) and also own a Canon S90 (since upgraded to the S95), so I feel qualified that I can objectively compare the Olympus XZ-1 to those two cameras in the same premium fixed-lens genre. I have had the XZ-1 for over a week and have taken dozens of photos with it so far. The photo quality of the XZ-1 is excellent! Photos have nice color and most camera controls are very intuitive. I especially like the built-in neutral density filter that is easy to toggle on and off. The menu system is more simplified that both the Panasonic and Canon, which while lacking some in-depth customization functions is very easy to navigate - another nice feature is that the camera remembers what function you last used, a very handy time saver. The panoramic picture mode is simple to use and works far better than the Canon's stitch assist mode. The front control ring around the lens is taken from the S90 but both it and the rear control dial operate far better than on the S90. I have yet to use video so cannot comment on that though the dedicated video start/stop button seems convenient. The size of the camera is more in line with the LX3/LX5 than the S90/S95; this is not a bad thing as the S90 is very compact yet also more difficult to hold (even with an aftermarket grip added to the S90 I am always fearful of dropping it due to its size and my fingers are usually in the way of its motorized flash). As for quibbles: manual focus on the XZ-1 is via an enlarged screen box that would benefit greatly by the addition of a distance scale; also it would be nice if the camera shipped with an AC battery charger in addition to the USB charger (I have already ordered the Olympus AC charger and a spare battery). Overall I am very pleased with the XZ-1's image quality and ease of use.
Update: I have had this camera for two months now and have taken hundreds of photos with it so thought I should update my review based on usage experience.
The Good: Camera is well built and shows no wear, macro shots are terrific, lens is very good, JPEG colors are good and pleasing to the eye, outdoor daylight shots are generally quite acceptable, controls are fairly straight forward, like the built-in ND filter a lot.
The Bad: As many others have stated the noise, especially in low light shots, is noticeable and sometimes downright unacceptable. I hope Olympus addresses the noise issue in a firmware update soon; manual focus mode is not that useful because there is no distance scale and trying to focus with the scroll wheel and an enlarged box on the screen is not very easy - especially in bright outdoor lighting.
Other: Have yet to find a decent case for it that is not too large or too snug a fit. I tried a Tamrac Digital II case but it was a good deal larger than the camera which kind of defeats the point of carrying a premium compact camera, also tried a Lowepro Dublin 30, but that case is thin and not rigid enough to easily slide the camera into. Ended up ordering a leather case off eBay from Hong Kong - at $11 bucks including shipping its not a bad deal, however the case is still about a half inch wider than it needs to be, but it is much better than the other two cases I tried. Based on some reviews of other users I think I will try some shots saved in RAW and JPEG to see if it is worth the hassle of adjusting the RAW photos to reduce noise in low light shots.
Based on the noise issue in low light and not terribly useful manual focus I think 4.5 stars in more appropriate for this camera. My dream camera is something like the XZ-1 in terms of size and lens specification with an APS-C sized sensor. Olympus please make one for me. In the interim how about a firmware update for less noise in low light and a manual focus scale.
based on 67 reviews
XZ-1 Wins Out Apr 06, 2011
By Zachary Wagner
Video killed the Photograph Star - XZ-1 vs. LX5 Mar 14, 2011
By Stillness
