Olympus Blown away by XZ-1 image quality....may have to get one!

Location
London UK
Name
Andy
I have been thinking of getting a compact for my holidays and when I go Ghost Hunting!! It's a toss up between the Oly XZ-1, Pany LX-5 and Samsung EX1. I have been poring over hundreds of images from all 3 cameras and it's very close but despite reviews saying the LX-5 is the best all rounder, the XZ-1 just shines above and beyond for IQ. Some of the LX-5 images do look like they are from a compact... well I guess they are but then again the wide focal length is a lovely 24mm compared to the XZ-1's 28mm and also the shutter speed on the LX-5 is 1/4000 compared to the Oly's 1/2000. The Oly and Samsung images look like they come from a DSLR and the XZ-1 images are just SO sharp!!

So have any of you come to the same conclusion or was there another reason why you bought a XZ-1 over the LX-5 or EX1?
 
I have been thinking of getting a compact for my holidays and when I go Ghost Hunting!! It's a toss up between the Oly XZ-1, Pany LX-5 and Samsung EX1. I have been poring over hundreds of images from all 3 cameras and it's very close but despite reviews saying the LX-5 is the best all rounder, the XZ-1 just shines above and beyond for IQ. Some of the LX-5 images do look like they are from a compact... well I guess they are but then again the wide focal length is a lovely 24mm compared to the XZ-1's 28mm and also the shutter speed on the LX-5 is 1/4000 compared to the Oly's 1/2000. The Oly and Samsung images look like they come from a DSLR and the XZ-1 images are just SO sharp!!

So have any of you come to the same conclusion or was there another reason why you bought a XZ-1 over the LX-5 or EX1?

I was seriously considering the EX1 or XZ-1. The faster lens, the VF-2 compatibility and the UI similarities to my E-PL1 really sealed the deal.
I feel I would have been happy with either as far as IQ goes.
 
I am shooting the XZ-1 as I am reviewing it for this very site, but I am considering getting one for myself. That lens is really sharp and, while there is some noise at 1:1 even at ISO 100, it cleans up nicely and easily in LR3. It isn't perfect, but I have found it fun to use and have been very impressed with the results so far. Don't want to say too much too soon, but it is definitely a quality offering worth considering I think.
 
I am shooting the XZ-1 as I am reviewing it for this very site, but I am considering getting one for myself. That lens is really sharp and, while there is some noise at 1:1 even at ISO 100, it cleans up nicely and easily in LR3. It isn't perfect, but I have found it fun to use and have been very impressed with the results so far. Don't want to say too much too soon, but it is definitely a quality offering worth considering I think.

Jeff I rather like the noise, it offers a 'bite' to the images, like grain in film :)
 
I was seriously considering the EX1 or XZ-1. The faster lens, the VF-2 compatibility and the UI similarities to my E-PL1 really sealed the deal.
I feel I would have been happy with either as far as IQ goes.

Lili,

my name is Nicole, I am a few months' new to both this site and Mu-43.com-

those were the exact reasons that sold me on the XZ-1 as well! I have an EPL1 and i just wasn't happy with the larger size of both the camera and the lenses...I have only had the XZ-1 for a few days now so it's too soon to be certain, but so far it seems like it was the right choice. The s95 and LX5 and the Nikon P300 and a few others were all up for consideration, and seem to be fantastic cameras with lots of appealing qualities, but in the end: I just LIKE Olympus products, I love my EVF2 and would have been sad to see it collecting dust, and I am already familiarized with the EPL1 user interface.

So. Yeah. looking forward to sharing some of my own pics and continuing to ogle all of yours! :)
 
Lili,

my name is Nicole, I am a few months' new to both this site and Mu-43.com-

those were the exact reasons that sold me on the XZ-1 as well! I have an EPL1 and i just wasn't happy with the larger size of both the camera and the lenses...I have only had the XZ-1 for a few days now so it's too soon to be certain, but so far it seems like it was the right choice. The s95 and LX5 and the Nikon P300 and a few others were all up for consideration, and seem to be fantastic cameras with lots of appealing qualities, but in the end: I just LIKE Olympus products, I love my EVF2 and would have been sad to see it collecting dust, and I am already familiarized with the EPL1 user interface.

So. Yeah. looking forward to sharing some of my own pics and continuing to ogle all of yours! :)

Good choice Nicole, love my XZ-1!
 
i must be missing something really obvious w/ XZ-1

...I can't seem to turn ON digital zoom- it's grayed out in the menu. Granted I don't think I really WANT digital zoom turned on... but why can't I even get to the on/off submenu? Is there some setting I have set that is preventing me from using digital zoom?
 
Just posted a couple of 'pics' on the XZ-1 image thread one is close a close-up.
I used the 'cuisine' setting instead of the macro because I think it gives a 'closer' pic: which do you use for close-ups/macro.
 
I have been processing my XZ-1 pictures from our summer vacation and all I can say is that I love this camera. Sure, it has limitations, but it is light, small, flexible and takes great pictures.
 
It sure looks like a terrific camera. I have really come to appreciate the small flexible package (like the XZ-1, LX3, LX5 etc.) not only as an addition to my G2 but instead of the G2 in many situations.
 
6016946038_e11e1e7ac3_o.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

no gainsaying just how well that fast lens does
XZ-1 ISO 320 from RAW
 
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