Olympus Stylus XZ-1: One of the best CCD Pocket Cameras ever made
I've decided I'm going to do mini-reviews of cameras from my Blog project on here with slightly different context, but only of the ones I really like/ have some sort of attachment to.
The first one of these is the Olympus XZ-1. It's a high-end pocket camera from 2011 that was also my first "Good" pocket camera and led to me eventually upgrading to a Canon S100, Panasonic LX100 (which I sadly can't review now because it broke due to corrupted Firmware and no flashable Firmware option :/ ), Sony RX100 Mark I and my most current 1" sensor workhorse the Panasonic ZS100. I was able to re-buy another one for sale in 2018 for $40 and jumped on it; and am glad I did.
I bought my first one used in 2012 and was blown away that I could get photos that rivaled those taken with my first DSLR camera (A 10mp Canon Rebel XTi) in something I could stick into a pocket.
Since then technology has changed and there's a lot of pocket cameras out there that can produce great results, but in the early 2010s not nearly as many could go toe to toe with a DSLR or a new emerging Mirrorless system camera and get respectable results. The Olympus XZ-1 was in its own league at the time.
The power of this camera came from an incredible lens, a 4x zoom f1.8-f2.5 lens that was so wide that you needed to use the provided lens cap or a 3rd party pedal style cap to protect it- it had no internal lens protective lens shutter that most pocket cameras with a zoom lens have.
One interesting feature was the hotshoe accessory mount which lets you attach an external flash or add an EVF or GPS capabilities. This was the same accessory port that was used on early Olympus PEN M43 bodies, so the accessories for those worked with the XZ-1.
The sensor itself has a very mediocre Dynamic range, so it really needs to be used in even lighting (either direct sunlight or well lit indoor environments) it does not handle shadows well. But with the amount of detail the lens can render for a 10mp 1/1.7" sensor is impressive, along with being able to shoot RAW in with full manual and priority mode controls.
Given good light however this camera produces really great photos even to this day with those great higher end CCD colors and contrast look. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the XZ-1:
Bummer about the LX100, I had the MK II, absolutely a gem of lens and camera. I sold mine and jumped into Olympus instead. Since I wanted to be able to interchange lenses, but maybe I'll buy a used one again to shoot with a small amount of time again.
Really love the rich colors that are shining on the Dragonfly shot!
Yeah. The LX100 first generation never got a user updateable firmware release which likely would have fixed its issue. It would randomly come up with "The Camera must shut down" and then turn off between shots. Factory reset didn't help. I sold it off for what I could as I didn't want to pay to ship it to Panasonic and pay them to factory flash the Firmware. In the end it worked out as I've prefered shooting the ZS100 as my daily pocket carry instead- that 10x zoom really comes in handy for Street Photography and Nature photography in a pinch which means it can take photos of most any situation. Great Jack of All master of None Camera.
Lovely photos and mini review! I have not tried the XZ-1, but I've owned many of it's contemporaries: Pentax MX-1, Samsung EX-1, Panasonic LX3 (similar sized cameras and sensors, but a few were years apart as you probably already know). The lens on the XZ-1 looks like a keeper! Those sample shots are sharp with lovely rendering. I've been really impressed with my older Olympus digicams as well. Olympus really knew what it was doing with their cameras. The C8080 is on my shortlist, mostly because my obsession with 8mp digicams, but also because I've heard great things.
