After shooting with this camera for about a month now, I'm still glad I bought it, but I am a bit disappointed with the video.I heard some bad reviews about the XZ1 video, but you seem to get some bad reviews with any camera. Here's what I found with mine:
1) Auto-focus on video is pretty much unusable. You get random focus jumps during the video even when you and your subject are barely moving. I tried all sorts of settings changes to deal with this, but I found none that work reliably (except manual focus).
This is not as bad as I thought it would be. I find that most of the videos I take are short and don't require focus adjust. But it does require you to switch between auto for stills and manual for video. Kind of defeats the purpose of having a dedicated video button. I find I some times mess up when switching and wind up taking stills in manual focus, or getting a random bad video. Seems to me that Olympus must know the auto focus is hosed. Why not make video manual-only? Or at least give a menu option to set that up?
2) You get some vertical lines on the video and while in 'preview' if you have a bright light source in the frame. They do not show up in the still pics though. It's not outrageously bad, and other cameras have the same issue, but I figured I'd point it out.
So short answer is if you must have great video look elsewhere (try maybe the Panasonic LX5?). The XZ1 video is good enough for me to use when I HAVE to have a video, but that's about it.
But the stills on the XZ1 camera are fantastic. It really shines when taking pictures of kids indoors with so-so lighting and no flash. And if you like taking close ups of flowers, prepare to be amazed. I got some amazingly crisp shots just pointing and clicking in full auto mode.
For me the kicker that got me to buy the XZ1 over the LX5 was the cheap underwater case available for it:
Olympus PT-050 Under Water Housing for Xz-1 Digital Camera
I'm dying to take it underwater. Maybe I'll post some pics when I do.
Some odds and ends:
The XZ1 doesn't come with an external battery charger, so you need to charge the battery in the camera. That is unless you buy one of these for like 5 bux. It works just fine and so cheap. And generic replacement batteries are available on Amazon for cheap. Haven't needed one yet, but I may get one before I go on vacation.
Premium Battery Charger with Car Charger Adapter for Olympus LI-50B Digital Camera & Camcorder
High Capacity LI-50B Replacement Lithium-Ion Battery for Olympus Stylus Tough 8000, 6000, 1030 SW, 9000, 1010, 1020 Digital Camera
The lens cap is a bit annoying if you are not used to the removable type caps. I was considering buying one of those auto-retract ones, but I don't want to add bulk to the camera. Instead I just attach the cap to the camera with the included lanyard. It pops off when the lens comes out.
Edit 5/27/2012 Here's some thoughts after using for a few months:
I'm really liking the full-auto mode more than I ever thought possible. Unless I'm doing something very unusual, I'll use this mode for all my stills. Even for macro shots it works really good. It's great to go hiking and be able to stop for 10-15 sec and still get a decent shot of that pretty flower. With my last camera it would be a 1-2 minute stop with me fiddling with the controls and my friends whining. I posted one of these quickie full-auto flowers to Amazon.
I've noticed that indoor low light shots have pretty poor automatic white-balancing. You can use "capture white balance" to correct it, but not in "full auto" or "low light" mode which are my 2 favorite modes for taking stills. Also this takes time to do, so mostly I don't bother. Right now my solution is to either live with the bad white balance or if I have a real "keeper" shot, I'll use post processing to clean it up a bit. The included olympus software is not half bad for stuff like this.
For video I've learned a few more tricks to deal with it, but it's still not ideal. I notice that the auto focus problems are much less severe if you are outside on a bright day, so if this is the case, I feel comfortable taking videos in full auto. Also if I plan to do a video where I'm deliberately moving the camera a lot, I will use auto since you don't notice the focus hunting as much with lots of camera movement. For indoors or where the camera will be still, I have my "P mode" on the dial set to manual focus permanently for video use. So the steps to go from still to video are:
1) switch dial to P
2) Hit 'info' and adjust focus if needed
3) start video
Quick, but not that quick.
Edit 9/03/2012 Finally got to try out my underwater case in Hawaii. Unfortunately I got sand in the camera lens on day 2 of my trip, so I only got in one day of snorkeling with it. I'm looking to get it repaired by Olympus so I'll update later on how that goes. I added some samples to the page. 2 full frame (5mp) shots and 2 100% crops.
Overall I was very pleased with the underwater pics. Even when it was overcast and I was diving down it seemed like the shutter speed "auto selected" by the camera was almost always faster than 1/100, so I got very few blurry fish (unlike every other camera I've ever used). The colors seemed to be improved with using the underwater mode vs normal auto, but I'm sure they could be better with manual white balance (which I did not try).
One last thing, be aware that the white version of the XZ-1 appears to be made with more plastic, as from what I understand, the body of the black version is metal. So to me, the build quality of the white version wasnt as good, and as cool as I thought it looked initially, in practice, I felt like a bit of tool when using it in public and would definitely go with the black version if I were to ever purchase again.
Buy Olympus XZ-1 10 MP Digital Camera with f1.8 Lens and 3-inch OLED Monitor (White) Now
***update: I really enjoy this camera. It is fun to use and very adaptable to any shooting situation. I find myself shooting a lot more in Manual than I expected. The exposure indicator on the front makes that possible to have the right shutter speed and aperture combo based on your ISO selection. iAUTO mode does a great job for those who feel more comfortable with no adjustments. I took about 300 shots (600 writes to a 16 GB 30MB/sec SanDisk Ultra SD card, 1 RAW and 1 High Res Jpeg at the same time) before the battery gave in. The 3" OLED screen is good enough to "talk back" to the Texas bright sun, which was one potential concern since it does not come with a viewfinder and I did not want to spend the additional money for the available optional unit. I also recommend to buy a second battery Olympus LI-50B Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery for Select Olympus Digital Cameras Retail Packaging(http://www.amazon.com/review/RP3Y4CKKCDRCB/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm) and the following leather case COSMOS Black Leather Case Cover Bag For Olympus XZ1 XZ-1 Camera + Cosmos cable tie(http://www.amazon.com/review/R2ZTHOZ11ALJ2M/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B005IJTNI8&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=). If closer than ~2 ft to subjects, set the AF to Macro. You will still have zoom. In super Macro zoom is not possible, but you can take pics of bugs as close as ~ half an inch. The camera has settings for bracketing in exposure settings and white balance. You can also set custom settings for one mode dial position. What a versatile, complete, fun, high quality compact camera! Beginner or pro, this camera is great for making good shots when the DSLR has to stay at home.
***
INITIAL REVIEW:
I just received this today, purchased it after playing with one my friend just received, really was impressed, and for $199 on Amazon it is a steal deal and a complete no-brainer! And since I was looking for a serious compact camera that also gives me DSLR capabilities like choosing shutter speed, aperture, ISO or all...or absolutely nothing ... this is the perfect camera. And with the fast lens from f1.8 to 2.5 over the complete zoom range, the lens is worth the $199 alone as any DSLR owner can attest to. I am using this as my back up camera for the Nikon D7000 DSLR that I am privileged to own and used exclusively over the past 15 month ... and my cell phone (which doesn't cut it ... better than nothing, a 8MP camera cell phone). This camera is also for those times when I simply cannot justify taking the D7000 with, which happens seldomly, but when it does, this camera fills that void beautifully.
So for those who have no clue about cameras: You cannot go wrong with this camera. You cannot find a more simple and feature rich camera with PLENTY of quality mega pixels than this one (10 MegaPixels is enough) at such a low price. $199 is a lot of money for many, but the quality of this camera makes the price laughable. You will be happy you purchased it. Buy it. You will invite me to your family picture for this recommendation...(you don't have to) (Note: The current suggested retail price from Olympus for this camera is $499 as of November 2012, and rightfully so).
For those who know everything about cameras: You will agree from the lens specs alone, from knowing what Olympus produces, knowing that the image sensor is large for this compact camera (Large, High-Sensitivity 1/1.63" CCD Sensor). It is build of the highest quality materials targeted for a much higher price bracket. You also will agree that the XZ-2 isn't worth $400 more. Buy it. You will want to send me a post card for this recommendation.
This camera is very heavy due to the high quality build. The front half shell is a type high end powder coated steel or aluminum shell while the back half shell feels like a powdercaoted surface, but it's made of a high quality plastic.
All control elements are of high quality. Easy to see. Easy to use. Intuitive. You get a quick feeling for it. The rear OLED 3" screen is nice and the user interface is appropriate to the principal mode dial on the top right of the camera. If you want to see all the adjustments you could adjust, then put the mode dial to 'M' (manual control) and you can dial with the rear dial/selection control through the menus (always enter the adjustments by clicking the right side of the dial where the flash symbol is; then you you can select adjustments on a symbol strip to your right and select the options on the bottom symbol strip of the display ... you'll see, it is quite intuitive). The objective ring also lets you dial through options of the menu. The ring's function changes also depending on the mode dial...for example mode dial on 'M' (Manual Shooting) the objective dial controls the aperture from f1.8 to f8.0...mode dial on 'S' (Shutter Priority), the objective ring control the exposure/shutter from 1/2000 sec to 60 seconds...mode dial on 'Aperture Priority', the objective ring controls the aperture from f1.8 to 8.0 (as 'M')...mode dial on 'P' (Program auto sets aperture and exposure), the objective ring controls the ISO from ISO Auto, 100,125,160,...to 6400. In the scene mode on the mode dial you can use the ring to select all the different scene modes. Very easy to use.
I think after a while it becomes natural to select your settings quickly and accurately, because it is very intuitive. The user interface is really ingenious.
The flash release is very fast and might scare you the first time. You will seldom need it because of the low light capabilities of the lens. Also to note is that the mode dial has a dedicated automated lowlight mode, where the camera is already optimized for night shots or in little light conditions. The flash can also be metered full, 1/4, 1/16, 1/64 besides forced off, red eye reduction, normal flash.
The lens cap that comes with the camera takes getting used to it. It's magnetically held and pops off if one simply turns on the camera if you forget to take it off. Both ways work. There is an Olympus cap that opens up mechanically upon turning on the camera and the objective driving out to photo modeOlympus LC-63A Lens Cap for XZ-1 Digital Camera. There are third party ones too. I don't own it, won't need it myself.
There are accessories available, like a TCON-17 teleconverter lens expanding the tele to 190mm (in 35mm comparable terms)Olympus Tcon-17 1.7x Telephoto Converter Lens. for ~$200. A viewfinder can plug into the hot shoe for about $250 Olympus VF-2 Electronic ViewFinder (Black).
For me the accessories like the teleconverter lens and the viewfinder make no sense. The camera costs $200. If I NEED the eye viewfinder (which is very nice to have), I have to just use my DSLR. It doesn't make sense to me to have this camera with a million accessories. It takes away what I purchased it for. It's got to be in the 'box'. Not to mention, for $600 you can buy a DSLR these days. My old Olympus SP-350 had one build in (that camera is for sale now, but you are better off to buy this XZ-1).
The camera did not come with a SD card, so make sure you buy one. I bought a SanDisk Ultra 16GB which has a transfer rate of 30MB/sec which is plenty. Don't stick a crappy low end SD card into the camera. It will take away from the speed of this camera (or any camera when writing to the chip). Use 15MB/sec min, 30MB max. 45 MB/sec (San Disk Extreme) is overkill. It's inexpensive 'film'. With 16 GB you can shoot over 1300 RAW pictures (uncompressed pictures) or more than 2770 10MP fine JPEGs (1/4 compression rate). In other words, plenty of pics. Or you can record RAW and JPEG at the same time (~890 shots). NICE!
The first pictures I took are incredible. Look at flickr.com/groups/xz1/ for pics XZ-1 owners took. Low light pictures are amazing without flash. At ISO6400 the camera behaves just like film would. It's incredible one can take pictures with this camera at that sensitivity.
This camera is amazing. It's fun. It's real quality. It is unique from the design. The user interface is well thought through, the controls are first class. It's ideal for the beginner with the potential to grow and become a better photographer the easy way. It's a serious camera for professionals when one cannot take that DSLR or doesn't want to.
It takes HD video too, but if you want video, buy a video camera. Don't expect this to be a video camera. It's not. But it is, kind of.
Video recording format: AVI Motion JPEG
Recording time: HD: 7min, SD: 14min
Video file sizes: Maximum 2GB
Video with sound: Yes
Built in microphone type: WAVE
External microphone option: Yes
Don't judge a picture camera for video. If it has video great. If the video is great that's even greater. But this is a camera for pictures.
I had my Olympus SP-350 for over six years now. This XZ-1 will be my new companion for a long time to give me the best non-DSLR option.
And yes, the XZ-2 is not worth $450 more. For that advice you can give me half of the difference and I invite you to a beer.
Here are the complete specs for your convenience from Olympus for those who know what they are looking for. For all others, you cannot go wrong!
It truly is a Xtra Zip #1 pic machine haha!
Camera Type: Compact
Effective Megapixels: 10 MP
Image sensor type: CCD High Sensitivity
Image sensor size: 1/1.63"
Image processing engine: TruePic V
ISO range: Auto: 100 800
Manual: 100 6400
Movie: 200 1600
Low Light: 100 3200
Lens focal length: 6.0 24.00mm
Film lens equivalent (35mm): 28 112mm
Widest aperture: Wide(W) F1.8; Tele(T) F2.5
Optical zoom range: 4x
Digital zoom: 4x (16x maximum combined zoom)
Nearest focusing distance: Normal 0.6m
Macro: 0.1m (W); 0.3m (T)
Super Macro: 0.01m
Viewing screen type: OLED
Viewing screen size: 3"
Screen resolution: 610,000
Secondary viewfinder: with optional VF-2
Image stabilisation: Sensor Shift
Autofocus system type: Contrast detection AF system
Focus modes: Manual focus, Single AF, AF Tracking, Face Detection AF, Macro mode, Super Macro mode
Low-light AF assistance: AF Illuminator built-in
Metering modes: ESP light metering, Spot metering, Centre weighted metering
Scene modes: Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Night+Portrait, Indoor, Self Portrait, Sport, Sunset, Fireworks, Multi-Exposure, Cuisine, Document, Beach & Snow, Under Water Wide, Under Water Macro, Pet
Panorama recording: Yes
3D recording: No
Creative filter system: Art Filters (Photo & Movie)
Photo Magic Filter types: Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Dramatic Tone
Video Magic Filter types: Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Dramatic Tone
Shutter speed range: 2 1/2000s
Self timer: 12/2 seconds
Remote: with optional RM-UC1 Remote Cable
Flash type and power: Built-in
Flash hotshoe for external flash: Yes
Compatible external flash units: with optional FL-36R, FL-20, FL-14, FL-50R
Wireless flash capability: Yes
Wi-Fi Compatibility: No
GPS: No
Electronic Compass: No
Date imprint: No
Memory card type: SD/SDHC/SDXC
Internal memory: 54.6MB
Photo recording format(s): JPEG, RAW+JPEG
Video recording format: AVI Motion JPEG
Recording time: HD: 7min, SD: 14min
Video file sizes: Maximum 2GB
Video with sound: Yes
Built in microphone type: WAVE
External microphone option: Yes
Computer interface (Cable type): USB 2.0 High Speed
AV interface (Cable type): HDMI (CB-HD1 Type D); AV cable (CB-AVC3)
Battery type (model): LI-50B
Battery charging: In-camera via USB
Battery charger: with optional LI-50C External Charger
Battery life (CIPA standard): Approx. 320 shots (with 50% flash on)
Manometer: No
Dimensions WxHxD: 110.6 x 64.8 x 42.3
Weight: 275g
Box content: XZ-1 Digital Camera, USB Cable & Charger, Instruction Manual, [ib] Software CD, Audio/Video Cable, Wrist Strap, Lithium-Ion Battery (LI-50B), Warranty Card.
RRP AUD: $499.00
Underwater housing option: YesAmazing camera. F1.8 makes photos like if they were taken with a DSLR. If you attach a RICOH lens protector will interfere with the flash, but you wont need to use it anyways, night times pictures are stunning. I have the lumix LX3 and the olympus take much better photos, though it has a narrower lens (LX-3 24mm, really wide photos)
Like other reviewers said the video quality is no match for current lumix cameras with AVCHDLite, or even the iphone 4, but that's not the point of having a camera.
Want Olympus XZ-1 10 MP Digital Camera with f1.8 Lens and 3-inch OLED Monitor (White) Discount?
This is my first Oly camera I've been a Canon fan entirely. I'm replacing a $130 point and shoot with this XZ-1 because I unfairly compare these things to my wife's Canon 5D and an old Canon SureShot I had in the $400-range that performed admirably.My primary desire in this camera was the low-light sensitivity of the lens. At 1.8, it allows me to use flash less, and stick to lower ISOs to eliminate days. Most of the pictures I take are not in the full sun as I'm sure many of you can relate with. The camera performs pretty well at 1.8, though it is a far cry from the 1.8 85mm portrait lens on the Canon 5D (DSLR). However, it can take some comparable images with less flexibility as is expected in this format. The key to making the best use of this capability is to use more manual settings. Full auto will result in the camera leveraging higher ISOs first so as to maintain the fastest shutter speed possible. Most people should be able to take a steady picture at 1/60 with a subject that isn't moving a great deal. The auto settings in the camera think you need 1/125 and so adjust the ISO gain accordingly.
The other beaut of a feature is the built-in ND filter. You have to enable it through a menu, unfortunately, but it can be a real boon in sunnier settings where you happen to also want a larger shutter (lower fstop).
The only aspect of the camera that I really don't like is the auto focus in video mode. For some reason, the video will periodically blur and refocus every 15 or 20 seconds.
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