Olympus Mal-1

[Yvone Brem]

Ahyes, the Olympus XZ-1. I was supposed to have this review up last week but with all of the Fuji X100 and Leica X1 hoopla I had to push this one back because I did not have the time to go over the images I snapped with the camera until now. I have been toting along this little powerhouse of a compact for a couple of weeks now and I have to say that I am pretty impressed with the cameras capabilities. I will keep this review short and sweet, and it will focus on my real world use of the camera and NOT charts and resolution tests.

Olympus released the XZ-1 with a mission in mind. That mission was to release a small compact camera that would not only have more features, better quality and a larger sensor than others in its class, it appears they also wanted to take on some of the super compacts like the Leica X1 and new Fuji X100. While I do not feel the XZ-1 is a replacement for something like an X100, it can at times give similar results if you are printing small or shooting for web display.

The fact is that 90% of us really do not NEED more camera than this! Most of you reading this are most likely hobbyists who shoot and post to the web. Others may have found this page through google while searching for their 1st high quality compact digital. If that is the case, the XZ-1 is one of the best compacts I have had the pleasure to shoot with (in the smaller sensor compacts) if not THE BEST. It is also a camera that is super easy to take with you anywhere. It fits easily into the front pocket of my cargo shorts.

First off, I know there are other cameras in this class that I already really enjoy. Which ones? The Leica D-Lux 5 and Panasonic LX-5 are at the top of my compact list along with the little Ricoh GRDIII (GRD review HERE). Those are cameras I really loved and raved about right here on this site. The D-Lux 5 was my top choice for a high quality compact camera but this may have just changed with the XZ-1 just because it does so much right, and so little wrong.

What makes this little Olympus special though is its all star cast of features. This little guy has everything you can imagine or wish for in a compact camera, even a little bit larger of a sensor for even better performance over the other small cameras.

With six in-camera Art Filters (Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama and Dramatic Tone) you can explore your artistic side while taking both still shots and HD video. The Art Filters can be applied as you shoot, no additional software required.

F Live View works as seamlessly as a point-and-shoot to display subjects, in focus, on the LCD the instant the shutter is pressed half way. AF Tracking locks your subject into focus right on the LCD, and constantly adjusts focus and brightness whether you or your subject is moving. With this mode, a simple push of the AF button and shutter release enables you to keep fast-moving and unpredictable subjects in focus.

In addition to more detail, the image sensor, combined with the next-generation TruePic V Image Processor, delivers excellent dynamic range, accurate color fidelity and reduced noise, all the way up to 3200 ISO.

The XZ-1 records 720P HD video and has built in image stabilization so you wont get the shakiness in your footage, AND YES, it works pretty good. There are two macro settings, macro and SUPER macro so you can get super close to your subject. The ART filters from the PEN series are here as well, even the new DRAMATIC TONE filter. My personal fave, the grainy B&W filter is also here which is just as good on the XZ-1 as it is in the PEN series.

Sometimes the images seemed a bit soft (at higher ISO) and the in camera noise reduction is a but too aggressive for my tastes. Sometimes the images can appear mushy when shooting higher ISO. I am not 100% convinced that the image quality beats the Leica D-Lux 5 but Olympus also gives you all the cool stuff that you do not get in the D-Lux. The art filters, 1.8 lens, control dial behind the lens barrel, ND filter, etc.

Finally, some are saying that they feel the XZ-1 is too large. Not quite a compact, and not quite a larger sensor camera. The fact is that the XZ-1 is thin, sleek, and somewhat tall. BUT it fits in my pocket no problem. I like the design and style personally.

In fact, the XZ-1 may be the most feature packed little compact camera EVER, and it is available in black or white for those that care about style as well as function. If you want a do it all easy to use camera that you can take with you anywhere, the XZ-1 may be the one you are looking for. If you do not want to mess with changing lenses and just want that ONE small camera that can do just about everything for you, this is the one folks.

IMO, the quality and joy of use you get from it makes it an easy recommend. It was tough to take a bad shot with this camera, wether I was messing with the art filters or shooting in Aperture priority mode. It does come in at $499 though and at that price you are awfully close to the E-PL2 kit which sells for $599. If you do not care to go up in size, I would recommend the E-PL2 over the XZ-1 for its larger sensor and overall better Image Quality and responsiveness. You would lose the macro and super macro modes though. Always a give and take. One thing to keep in mind is that when shooting with smaller sensor cameras you will get more image noise in general and it will be tougher to blur out backgrounds for subject isolation. This is another area where something like an E-Pl2 would do better. Larger sensor usually means less noise, more DOF control. But with cameras like the XZ-1 it is the size that matters, and many of us just want SMALL with big performance. The XZ-1 DOES indeed deliver on this.

Overall, if i were in the market TODAY for a compact-ish camera that delivered the goods, it would be between this XZ-1 and the D-Lux 5/LX-5. Personally, I am not a fan of the Canon S90 or S95. Sure they are small, but when I tried out the S95 I thought it was a bit over rated and I hated the feel and build. Everyone has their own tastes though, so the key is to buy a camera that YOU like with features you want. All I can say is, the XZ-1 is the new king of compacts. It was hard to NOT like this one as it just did so much right.

If you want to buy the XZ-1, I highly recommend B&H photo, which is where this one came from. Many of you know that B&H is my main camera shop of choice and I have never had one bad experience with them in over 15+ years. Their Olympus XZ-1 page is here, and if you follow my link here to buy one, I will get a teeny credit that helps support and keep this website chugging along, so thank you!

Remember, anytime you follow my links here and buy from B&H or AMAZON, this helps to keep my site going. If it was not for these links, there would be no way to fund this site, so I thank you in advance if you visit these links. I thank you more if you make a purchase! I have nifty search bars at the upper right of each page so you easily search for something at either store! I currently spend 10-14 hours a day working on this site and the only way that I can pay for it is with your help, so thank you! Currently my traffic has been increasing but my funds to pay for the site has been decreasing, so any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

Even if you buy baby food, napkins or toothpicks at amazon it helps this site, and you do not pay anything extra by using the links here. Again, you pay nothing extra by using my links, it is just a way to help support this site, so again, I thank you in advance

If you enjoyed this article/review, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page and also be sure to join me on twitter or my new facebook fan page! Also, you can subscribe to my feed at my subscribe page HERE and read these posts in your browser or news reader! Also, the new forums are NOW OPEN on this site so get involved if you like! Thanks so much for visiting my site!

In RAW this is an outstanding camera, I convert using Olympus Viewer 2 and turn off the Noise Filter.

Up through ISO 400 the results are superb and one finds out just how incredibly sharp this lens is!

However, I recommend to get an alternative camera profile for the XZ1 (can be found in the dpreview forum discussions).

The IQ and the lens is great, when using ACR colors are neutral and resolution is outstanding.

i have tested the olympus xz-1 , Panasonic Lx5 and the Canon Powershot s95 and i found the Canon Powershot s95 to have the sharpest IQ.

so for me the s95 is the best and has the most accurate colour Qaulity.

What I mean to state is that the whole sensor/film size linear relation to DOF control has been very over simplified, adopted and believed without understanding or testing and become a bit of a old wives tale. I too jumped on the bandwagon in the past without doing (or understanding) the science.

Other more technical reviews state that the actual circle of confusion is larger on this relative to sensor size and BETTER DOF control exists over pretty much all of the M43 options unless they had a 0.95 lens on it.

The underwater case is excellent, as it transforms the XZ-1 to a one-hand camera, with no risk it will slip out of you hand. Provides excellent weather protection (thus not just water), and weighs just a little.

Steve, I have been reading reviews after reviews of the XZ1 and also loving your review. I think its just a sexy cam. But I have the EP2 and the X100 and the voigtlander 25mm 0.95 Nokton and I am saying to myself, why do I need another XZ1?

The XZ1 is just not much smaller than the Fuji x100 or the EP2 with my tiny c mount 25mm f1.4 lens. So it isnt going to win me over in that department as well. I think Olympus, being the master of minituarization (OM1, XA series, Pen D, etc etc) could have easily made this much more compact, almost discreet, hide in one palm type. I think there is a strong strong market for something that portable and powerful.

But if I didnt have the Ep2 or the Fuji, and if I wasnt interested in Bokeh and shallow DOF type pics, then the XZ1 would probably be a fantastic choice. It would produce stunning sharp pictures as you mentioned.

3a8082e126