Olympus XZ-1 review - Mixed Emotions

[PentHassyKon]

..........

But a word of caution from my personal experience with the Olympus... it excels in the test that DPreview puts it through! It is very strong in macro performance, and especially so when the lighting is good (as in the case of DPReview's studio set-up). Real world performance tends to dip... so that is why I'm posting these photos. 🙂

This is specifically what I'm interested in. Not looking for it to replace my FF film or even APS-C but something to decide between the aforementioned models.
Guess I'll take a 2nd look at the DPReview review of the XZ-1.
I'm torn between the pocketability of the S95, the 24mm on the LX-5 and the XZ-1's "fast" lens.
Bottom line for the XZ-1 appears to be how it's fast lens allows usage of the camera in low-light which as you've stated is not how DPReview shows ea of the camera's output.

Of course there is always the Fuji X100 😀

Again, thank you for the review. Have you other digital camera's to compare it against?

 

[Nelson Tan]

The image below was taken with the Olympus XZ-1 to demonstrate the short shutter lag. That was one of my concerns when purchasing the camera, and I had a short time with it at the store counter before deciding that it is pretty good in terms of shutter lag. However, this is assuming that you don't encounter difficulty in autofocusing, which will definitely have negative repercussions in capturing the image.

So far, the Olympus takes slightly longer to focus in lower light, but it is still mighty quick for a compact. In good light, it's really fast in focusing and the short shutter lag means that you never really miss most subject.

Just to clarify, this shot was taken to test the shutter lag only, not the autofocus tracking! I preset the focus point to the puddle of water and held the focus there by holding down the shutter release button at half-way position, and shot it as soon as the car's front tires hit the puddle. I was at the 112mm end of the lens to keep myself furthest away from the car in case I got hit!



P.S: This shot has been Photoshopped with curves, levels and cloning. Do not use this image to judge out of camera output.

 

[Nelson Tan]

I've just updated the review by consolidating the questions and replies from various questions that I've received, as well as updated the review with more photos (including a comparison of the different creative art modes).

Check out the updated review at my blog at:

http://photographyhappenings.blogspot.com/2011/02/olympus-xz-1-review.html

 

[Nelson Tan]

Olympus XZ-1: High ISO samples uploaded

Olympus XZ-1: High ISO samples uploaded

Everyone is curious about how the Olympus XZ-1 performs at high ISO ratings, given Olympus marketing team’s enthusiastic pitch of the camera as a low-light camera. Well… I wouldn’t exactly call it a “low light camera” even though it carries a bright lens, because the aggressive noise reduction and noisy sensor really limits how much you can shoot in dim conditions.

I don’t think it is as terrible as I imagined it, and it really is quite acceptable for a compact camera with a small sensor. It’s certainly no match for the APS-C or M4/3 sensors, but you certainly can capture images that few (if any) compact cameras can, thanks to the brilliant Zuiko lens mounted on the Olympus XZ-1!

I took some images in JPG mode with default noise reduction and sharpening for readers to judge the quality for yourself.

Enlarged section of image shot at ISO 1600.

ISO 1000 and 1600 compared.

ISO 100, 400, 800 and 1600 compared.


Visit http://photographyhappenings.blogspot.com to see the complete Olympus XZ-1 review!


Photo website @ http://www.nelsontan.com

Photo blog @ http://photographyhappenings.blogspot.com/

 

[jsrockit]

Doesn't look bad to me at high ISOs.

 

[jsrockit]

So, are you still liking / using the XZ-1?

 

[Filson Back]

I love this camera -- I don't tend to crop things and I am not super worried about IQ as a street shooter, great IQ doesn't matter as much as apparent tonal range for me -- it gets a it contrasty in harsh light but so does Tri-X. I only wish I could afford a few more of these, may need a back up in case this one fails in the field -- hoping to do some work in Haiti. Here's my flickr set of XZ-1 images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/motel_noir/sets/72157627342896375/