Olympus compact camera Rails, but only in decent light-Wired News

 Compact cameras with quick professional-style lentils have blow up big time last year.

However, only recently acceded to the Olympus fun. Yes, the company produce some point-and-shoot style models with "fast" apertures back in the early 2000 — chunky 4-megapixel Olympus C-4040, with its f/1.8 lens was one of our favorites at the time. But of late its focus has been on, mirrorless interchangeable lens, Micro four thirds cameras such as the PEN E-PL2.

All that changes with the new 10-megapixel Olympus XZ-1, a stylish small camera with an impressive attached lens: 4 x zoom (28-112 mm equivalent) with a maximum aperture of f/1.8.

The lower aperture number, the larger opening in the lens, to allow more light hitting the sensor, which (theoretically) makes for better pictures in dim conditions. Camera nerds already know the importance of this — most professional photographers consider an f/1.8 DSLR lens an important part of any camera bag — but plan consumer, it is a big step from the norm.

Compact cameras are f/1.8 designation slightly different, however. You can only achieve that Aperture lens when kameræts withdrew back to the widest focal length — 28 mm in the XZ-1 cases — and because the sensor in a point-and-shoot is so small, it is difficult to get the shallow depth of field to create beautiful background blur for portrait images.

There are other advantages to a fast aperture, however, not least of which is that you can turn off this nasty flash on your camera and still capture crisp photos in the dark. Some of the XZ-1 competitors, such as the 10-megapixel Canon Powershot S90 and Panasonic Lumix LX5, both of which boast f/2 lenses, are real low-light killers. They let you snap sharp images of your friends at pub no matter how pale you feel. Actually we had seen the LX5 as much as we called the camera in the year 2010.

In addition to its fast lens, XZ-1 uses a larger than average imaging chip to a point-and-shoot: a 1/1.63-inch CCD 10 MP, which has the same size as the one in our favorite LX5. With this football expression punch, plus a row of interesting functions packaged in a sleek, attractive camera body, XZ-1 should be quite the little Sharpshooter, right? Well, Yes and no.

Although all-black XZ-1 I tested (it also comes in white) looks like some competing cameras in this category, there are a few of the differences. For someone who iZuiko-branded f/1.8 lens not themselves fully in the body such as the S90 camera, lens, makes for a thicker than Powershot empty at its widest point.

This was not such a big deal — it is still pretty thin — but what annoyed me was løsthængende the lens cap. If you decide to use the common agricultural policy, you must bind it down to the neck hanger eyelet with included cords or it will fall when the camera expands its lens while the power transfer. Good luck to fit both the neck strap and camera cords in the eyelet. It is a struggle. On the other hand, if you decide to give up on the common agricultural policy (Cap), have a tendency to get smudged projecting lens.

Disappointing is also very small buttons and overly Spartan layout on the back of the camera. Da XZ-1, supposedly, seeks photographers who may know their way around f/stop and shutter speeds, why is there not the button on the camera ISO, white balance or other key creative functions? Yes, you can access to some of these by using the control Ring around the lens at the front of the camera, but it is an extra step, you will brake.

And while the 3-inch OLED display with a resolution of 610,000-dot on the back of the XZ-1 is a sweet, kameræts menu system is messy and counterintuitive. Napkin medium-sized Quick Start Guide was also not much help to make sense of settings and menus. If you want to do a deep dive on the XZ-1 functions, you have to pop in a CD-R to see the full user's Guide. Not practical.

The good news is that when you count everything out on the XZ-1, hums it like a well-oiled machine. The camera uses Olympus ' TruePic V processor and it powers on and is ready to shoot in on-and-a-half seconds. Shutter lag is almost non-existent in good lighting and only less in low light. I had also seen the red one-touch video button on the back of the camera below mode call, which immediately gives the camera rolling in its 720 p, 30 fps HD video mode.

Posted in digital cameras

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