Compact OLYMPUS XZ-1 fast zoom compact - LX5 and S95 competitor

wolfie

Veteran
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More details at 43rumors.com - looks like Olympus is finally back in the serious compact market ...:)
 
Thanks for being such a camera news hound, wolfie! Here is the link to 43rumors: (FT5) An Olympus Xz-1 hands-on report A big plus for those who already have a PEN is explained:
The real strength of that camera is that it will be able to use all current (like the external Flashes the SEMA-1 Mic the VF-2 viewfinder) and upcoming PEN accessories. Well done Olympus!!!

Looking forward to some personal experiences.:cool:
 
I'm a big fan of the Lumix lx series and this one looks interesting. Is the 28mm not wide enough for you Olli?
I do shot regular with the Lx3 and the zoom seems to be lacking just alittle.
thanks,

Pete
 
Agree the LX3 is sometimes a little short on the long end but for my shooting I prefer wide to long and I like the extra options I get with 24, especially now that I'm so used to it. I was out shooting with the nex5 today and the 18-55 and I noticed the difference a few times with only having 18 (=27) at the wide. I can't imagine ever wanting much wider than 24 but I find it hard to do with less. Like I say though, that's just for me.
 
Olympus ticked nearly every box with this one:

  • 1/1.63" sensor (matches LX5, exceeds others)
  • f/1.8-2.5 lens (matches EX1, exceeds others)
  • 3" OLED LCD
  • Two control dials, one iof which is around the lens
  • Hot shoe
  • Wireless control of off-camera flash
  • Image stabilization
  • HD video (720p)
Not present:

  • Articulated LCD
  • Multi-aspect ratio sensor
  • Ultra-wide angle

I'm glad to see Olympus back in this space after all these years.
 
Olympus ticked nearly every box with this one:

  • 1/1.63" sensor (matches LX5, exceeds others)
  • f/1.8-2.5 lens (matches EX1, exceeds others)
  • 3" OLED LCD
  • Two control dials, one iof which is around the lens
  • Hot shoe
  • Wireless control of off-camera flash
  • Image stabilization
  • HD video (720p)
Not present:

  • Articulated LCD
  • Multi-aspect ratio sensor
  • Ultra-wide angle

I'm glad to see Olympus back in this space after all these years.

I understand it is f2.2 @ up to 100mm equivalent, so it beats them all, including the EX1, which is F2.4 at 72mm. At 90mm the XZ-1 is probably still around F2.1, where the LX5 is already at F3.3, quite a difference.
 
I'm actually excited about this camera after having given up on these small sensor serious compacts (except for the Ricoh GRD3).

I can certainly see this being a fourth worthy contender for the crown that the S95, LX5, and EX1 are fighting for, but I don't see what about this camera would make someone conclude, sight unseen, buttons unpushed, that it will be BETTER than any of those, let alone all of them.

Yes, the speed of the lens throughout the range sounds impressive and that's a point in its favor. Hopefully the optics are as good. But beyond that, it just all seems like tradeoffs to me. As an LX5 shooter, I'd be very hesitant to give up its 24mm wide angle, its incredible hyperfocal setup, and its very quick response and lack of shutter lag. If I was an S95 owner who valued pocketability over some of the other features, this wouldn't lure me away from that. If I was an EX-1 owner, I suspect I'd be pretty addicted to the articulating OLED screen and maybe the 24mm wide, and would be hesitant to give those things up. So this looks like it may be good on a lot of fronts, but it may lack key strengths that each of the other have that may have drawn their owners to them. Aside from the slightly faster apertures at the longer end of the zoom, I don't see anything here that would pull me away from what I have. Or would have caused me to choose it if I was just now looking for one of these cameras. Worth a look, for sure, but I don't quite get the unseen enthusiasm...

-Ray
 
I can certainly see this being a fourth worthy contender for the crown that the S95, LX5, and EX1 are fighting for, but I don't see what about this camera would make someone conclude, sight unseen, buttons unpushed, that it will be BETTER than any of those, let alone all of them.

Yes, the speed of the lens throughout the range sounds impressive and that's a point in its favor. Hopefully the optics are as good. But beyond that, it just all seems like tradeoffs to me. As an LX5 shooter, I'd be very hesitant to give up its 24mm wide angle, its incredible hyperfocal setup, and its very quick response and lack of shutter lag. If I was an S95 owner who valued pocketability over some of the other features, this wouldn't lure me away from that. If I was an EX-1 owner, I suspect I'd be pretty addicted to the articulating OLED screen and maybe the 24mm wide, and would be hesitant to give those things up. So this looks like it may be good on a lot of fronts, but it may lack key strengths that each of the other have that may have drawn their owners to them. Aside from the slightly faster apertures at the longer end of the zoom, I don't see anything here that would pull me away from what I have. Or would have caused me to choose it if I was just now looking for one of these cameras. Worth a look, for sure, but I don't quite get the unseen enthusiasm...

-Ray

I'm not sold on the Oly yet, but to call its lens "slightly faster" at the longer end of the zoom is quite an understatement. The S95 is f4.9 at 105mm, the LX5 f3.3 at 90mm, the Oly at F2.2 up to 100mm, beating the Canon by about 2 1/2 and the Panasonic by clearly more than one stop. I believe the last time I saw a fixed zoom this fast at the long end was with the Leica Digilux 2 (f2.4 at 90mm).
 
I'm not sold on the Oly yet, but to call its lens "slightly faster" at the longer end of the zoom is quite an understatement. The S95 is f4.9 at 105mm, the LX5 f3.3 at 90mm, the Oly at F2.2 up to 100mm, beating the Canon by about 2 1/2 and the Panasonic by clearly more than one stop. I believe the last time I saw a fixed zoom this fast at the long end was with the Leica Digilux 2 (f2.4 at 90mm).

You're right, but it depends on which you're comparing it to. The EX-1 is the fastest of the existing three at the long end at f2.4 (although, admittedly, the long end isn't as long), Pany is a bit behind that, and the S95 is a good bit behind that. So I guess slightly faster refers to the EX-1, more than slightly faster than the LX-5, and a whale of a lot faster than the S95. My main point is that there are a lot of competing features and lens speed at the long end is only one. Probably very significant to some, less so to others.

-Ray
 
I can certainly see this being a fourth worthy contender for the crown that the S95, LX5, and EX1 are fighting for, but I don't see what about this camera would make someone conclude, sight unseen, buttons unpushed, that it will be BETTER than any of those, let alone all of them...

What makes me optimistic, as an Olympus E5 shooter, is the level of quality of most Olympus glass and their recent experimentation with weaker AA filters. That and my love for the Olympus way of rendering things (and color accuracy). If the XZ-1 is an Olympus at heart then I'm encouraged.
 
Yes, I too am excited about how fast the lens is at tele and both form and function-wise, this camera seems to me to be mature product. I do hope that its RAW IQ would live upto high expectations of serious shooters and knowing Olympus, it most likely will!
 
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