There’s not much doubt that the Canon PowerShot S95 ruled the high-end compact camera roost this holiday season. Both the S95 and its predecessor the S90 have been wowing photo enthusiasts looking for superior image quality in a very compact body since the S90 arrived on the scene in 2009. Today, Olympus is hoping to knock Canon off its pedestal with the announcement of its new Olympus XZ-1.
The high-end compact market is starting to get a bit crowded, with other contenders like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, Nikon CoolPix P7000, and Samsung TL500 — not to mention Canon’s other prosumer compact, the PowerShot G12. But what makes the S95 stand out for most users is its compact and light build, ease of use, and great low-light performance. While the XZ-1 is not quite as tiny as the S95, it’s still relatively trim, roughly the size of the LX5 and smaller and lighter than the P7000, TL500, and G12. Where it really shines (no pun intended), though, is its super bright iZuiko lens — the first Zuiko lens Olympus has used in a compact camera. The 4x zoom lens (28-112mm equivalent) is one of the brightest lens yet seen in a compact camera, with a maximum aperture of f/1.8 at the wide angle and f/2.5 at telephoto. Compare that to the S95’s 28-105mm, f/2.0-4.9 and it’s likely that the XZ-1 will give the S95 serious competition in low-light performance. (Only the Samsung TL500’s 24-72mm, f/1.8-2.4 lens is closer.) Additionally, the XZ-1 includes a dedicated low-light mode that automatically adjusts ISO sensitivity up to ISO 3200 as well as an Autofocus Illuminator for focusing in dark environments.
Another stand-out features is the XZ-1’s high-resolution 610,000-dot, 3-inch OLED display. The OLED technology should give the display deeper blacks and higher contrast ratios than the TFT screens in all but the TL500, which offers a similar 3-inch AMOLED display.
For ease-of-use, the XZ-1 takes a page from the Canon S95 with its new control ring around the lens. Combined with the wheel controller on the back of the camera, the control ring lets you easily access all manual settings on the fly.
As an added bonus, the XZ-1 is compatible with many of the accessories made for the Olympus PEN cameras, including the FL-14 and FL-36R flash units, the VF-2 electronic viewfinder, the SEMA-1 Microphone kit, as well as the newly announced Macro Arm Light MAL-1, which I love.
The Olympus XZ-1 will come in black and white body options and will ship this month for $499.99. A new underwater housing for the XZ-1 will also be available in January (pricing not yet available).
Here’s a quick specs comparison with its likely competitors:
| Olympus XZ-1 | Canon PowerShot S95 | Canon PowerShot G12 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 10 megapixels | 10.4 megapixels | 10.4 megapixels |
| Sensor size | 1/1.63 | 1/1.7 | 1/1.7 |
| Focal Length/Zoom | 28-112mm/4x | 28-105mm/3.7x | 28-140mm/5x |
| Aperture | f/1.8-2.5 | f/2.0-4.9 | f/2.8-4.5 |
| Sensitivity range | ISO 100-6400 | ISO 80-3200 | ISO 80-3200 |
| Display | 3-inch, 610,000-dot OLED | 3-inch, 461,000-dot TFT | 2.8-inch, 461,000-dot TFT |
| Movie Mode | 720p | 720p | 720p |
| Dimensions/Weight | 4.35×2.55×1.67 in/9.7 oz | 3.93×2.3×1.16 in/6 oz | 4.41×3.0×1.9 in /12.4 oz |
| Price | $499.99 | $399.99 | $499.99 |
| Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Nikon CoolPix P7000 | Samsung TL500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 10.1 megapixels | 10.1 megapixels | 10 megapixels |
| Sensor size | 1/1.63 | 1/1.17 | 1/1.7 |
| Focal Length/Zoom | 24-90mm/3.8x | 28-200mm/7.1x | 24-72mm/3x |
| Aperture | f/2.0-3.3 | f/2.8-5.6 | f/1.8-2.4 |
| Sensitivity range | ISO 80-12800 | ISO 100-12800 | ISO 80-3200 |
| Display | 3-inch, 460,000-dot TFT | 3-inch, 921,000-dot TFT | 3-inch, 614,000-dot OLED |
| Movie Mode | 720p | 720p | VGA |
| Dimensions/Weight | 4.32×2.58×1.69 in/9.67 oz | 4.5×3.1×1.8in/12.7oz | 4.5×2.5×1.1 in/12.5 oz |
| Price | $450.00 | $499.95 | $449.99 |
For more information on the XZ-1, read the press release »
