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PCMag UK

Olympus XZ-1

Our Expert
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65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS
The Olympus XZ-1 dazzles when you compare it with other compact cameras, but its price and size pit it squarely against a class of cameras that can best its performance and quality.

Olympus XZ-1 : Angle

The body of the XZ-1 measures 2.55 by 4.35 by 1.67 inches (HWD) and weighs 9.44 ounces.

Olympus XZ-1 : Right

This camera may or may not fit in your pocket, and certainly won't fit comfortably.

Olympus XZ-1 : Left

The lens on the XZ-1 is its best feature. Its diameter allows it to pass plenty of light through to the image sensor.

Olympus XZ-1 : Ports

There's a standard micro-HDMI out to connects the camera to an HDTV for image playback, and a proprietary USB port for connecting the XZ-1 to your computer.

Olympus XZ-1 : Back

The 3-inch display on this camera is incredible. It's an OLED screen, which offers a few key benefits over LCD.

Olympus XZ-1 :

Olympus includes its proprietary digital accessories port on the XZ-1. You can add a stereo microphone, an electronic viewfinder, an external flash and more.

Olympus XZ-1 : Top

There's no denying the fact that the Olympus XZ-1 is a fast camera that produces top-notch pictures. But it's big, and at $500, it's pricey for a compact-class camera.

Olympus XZ-1 :

Like the S95, the XZ-1's noise level was below the 1.5 percent threshold all the way up to and including ISO 1600. Even at ISO 3200, when images showed higher than 1.5 percent noise, to my eye, photos weren't unusable.

Olympus XZ-1 :

In all real-world shooting tests, the XZ-1 truly dazzled me.

Olympus XZ-1 :

The XZ-1's display is filled with 614,000 dots, and is extremely crisp and clear.

Olympus XZ-1 : Angle

The problem is that that the XZ-1 is too big and expensive to compete with compact cameras, and lacks the features and performance to measure up to D-SLRs or interchangeable-lens cameras.