1/22/2024 0 Comments Olympus xz 2 reviewHowever, this is obviously preferable if you require a clinically correct white balance.Īs well as the standard colour settings, the XZ-1 also includes the Olympus Art Filters. When shooting inside a Viennese cafe, switching the camera to the tungsten setting removed all but the slightest trace of the warm tungsten lighting, and with it a hint of the atmosphere. When photographing a tungsten-lit shopping arcade at night, the AWB ever so slightly took the edge off the tungsten cast, leaving it looking as warm as it appeared in reality. Like the evaluative metering, the automatic white balance worked well in various conditions both during the day and at night. The former produced realistic colours, though a few images needed a touch more contrast. White Balance and Colourįor most of the test I set the XZ-1 to its natural or vivid settings. It is straightforward and intuitive to use and the buttons and controls are well positioned for quick access, making the camera apleasure to use. Overall, the build and handling of the XZ-1 is impressive. It does become a little awkward to fit into a pocket with the EVF attached, but I found that I could leave this loose in my pocket and attached it when required. The Olympus camera’s solid plastic body fits easily into a jacket pocket and is great for days out when a DSLR is too intrusive. In terms of size, its body has more in common with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. While there are smaller compact cameras available, the XZ-1 is not as large as the Canon PowerShot G12 or Nikon P7000. However, it feels at its best when used in aperture-priority mode, where it is used to change the lens aperture. Depending on the shooting mode you are in, this dial can be used to change the current settings. Especially useful is the ring at the base of the lens. I was very impressed with how simple it was to change settings, with everything on the on-screen shooting menu self-explanatory and easy to use. The simplicity and ease of the XZ-1’s controls make it great to use. This wheel sits around the directional control buttons and can be rotated to allow menu items and images to be scrolled through quickly. Both models have just the essential buttons on their rear, with the XZ-1 also featuring the live wheel controller found on the E-PL2. Having recently been impressed with the handling and design of the Olympus Pen E-PL2, I was pleased to see that the XZ-1 has much in common with this camera. This setting is also found on the company’s Pen-series cameras, and it is designed to make it simple to change exposure or image settings, with the effect previewed live on the rear LCD screen. Taken from the Olympus micro four thirds cameras, the XZ-1 features an accessory port that allows additional devices, such as an electronic viewfinder or external microphone, to be attached to the camera hotshoe, but more on this later.įor those less competent with manual exposure options there are a range of automatic exposure settings and scene modes, including the Live Guide. However, one area of concern is the presence of barrel distortion when shooting at the shortest focal length. The lens delivered as promised in low light and, combined with sensor-shift image stabilisation, gave me the opportunity to photograph night-time cityscapes handheld. The wide aperture of this optic allows for shooting in low light and offers a shallow depth of field, which can be hard to achieve on compact cameras. However, one of its biggest draws must be the 28-112mm (equivalent) f/1.8 Zuiko lens. With enthusiast photographers in mind, the XZ-1 has the ability to shoot raw and JPEG files, along with a high sensitivity of ISO 6400. Although the resolution may seem low compared to consumer compacts, the idea is that the reduced resolution should help keep image noise to a minimum, particularly at high sensitivities. Like most current high-end compacts, the Olympus XZ-1 uses a 1/1.63in CCD sensor with 10 million pixels. The camera was officially announced in January this year, at the CES trade show in Las Vegas, and its specification will certainly turn a few heads. Not to be outdone, Olympus released details of its forthcoming compact, the XZ-1, which features an 28-112mm (equivalent) f/1.8 Zuiko lens. Canon released the PowerShot G12, Nikon the Coolpix P7000, Samsung the EX1 and Panasonic the Lumix DMC-LX5, winner of the AP High-end Compact of the Year award. Last year was a great one for high-end compact cameras.
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