In this year's pro compact tournament, Olympus has naturally updated its XZ-1. The new XZ-2 has switched to CMOS and gained a few handling features, as well as a tilt screen.
The Olympus XZ-1 was one of the first pro compacts to really highlight the brightness of its lens. The 28-112 mm lens opened to f/1.8-2.5, which at full zoom was better than most wide-angle compacts.
With the XZ-2 Olympus has amended its baby. It has the same excellent lens (although others, such as the Panasonic LX7 and Samsung EX2F, have wider apertures), but now the sensor is a 1/1.7" 12-Mpx BSI CMOS sensor, like the one on the EX2F. And while they were at it, Olympus added Full HD video with stereo sound.
The handling has changed quite a bit. With the detachable grip, the XZ-2 fits much better in hand, and a small lever and button on the front provide two extra functions to the multifunction ring (for example, you can use it to zoom even when in manual mode, where the ring traditionally controls the exposure).
More importantly, the display is now conveniently a forward-tilting touchscreen (Canon, which has always been big on movable displays, has just nixed the swivel hinge from the screen of its G15).
At €549 (around £440), Olympus' new star compact will be in the upper price range of pro compacts, a good deal more expensive than what will likely be its biggest competitors, the LX7 and EX2F.
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Olympus Stylus XZ-2
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The Olympus XZ-1 was one of the first pro compacts to really highlight the brightness of its lens. The 28-112 mm lens opened to f/1.8-2.5, which at full zoom was better than most wide-angle compacts.
With the XZ-2 Olympus has amended its baby. It has the same excellent lens (although others, such as the Panasonic LX7 and Samsung EX2F, have wider apertures), but now the sensor is a 1/1.7" 12-Mpx BSI CMOS sensor, like the one on the EX2F. And while they were at it, Olympus added Full HD video with stereo sound.
The handling has changed quite a bit. With the detachable grip, the XZ-2 fits much better in hand, and a small lever and button on the front provide two extra functions to the multifunction ring (for example, you can use it to zoom even when in manual mode, where the ring traditionally controls the exposure).
More importantly, the display is now conveniently a forward-tilting touchscreen (Canon, which has always been big on movable displays, has just nixed the swivel hinge from the screen of its G15).
At €549 (around £440), Olympus' new star compact will be in the upper price range of pro compacts, a good deal more expensive than what will likely be its biggest competitors, the LX7 and EX2F.
> Reviews: Digital Compact Cameras
> Photokina 2012: See all news
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