Olympus XZ-10 Preview: is this the ideal compact for serious photographers?

jmeyer | Compact Cameras | Reviews | 30/01/2013 15:00pm

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The new Olympus XZ-10 announced today joins the XZ-2 in Olympus’s range of premium compact cameras, but is 40% smaller than its sibling and offers the same f/1.8 lens.

The Olympus XZ-10 also shares the same True Pic VI image processor found in the Olympus OM-D.

Combine this with its 12-million-pixel sensor, a 3in touchscreen and full manual settings, and the Olympus XZ-10, on paper at least, looks like it could be the perfect compact camera for serious photographers.

In our hands-on Olympus XZ-10 preview video below, Amy Davies of our testing teams runs through the rest of the Olympus XZ-10 key specs and features.

Olympus XZ-10 Hands-on Preview Video Transcript

This is the new Olympus Stylus XZ-10, which joins the XZ-2 in the company’s premium compact offering.

It boasts many of the same features as its older brother, but it comes in a body which Olympus says is around 40% smaller than the XZ-2.

It has the same bright f/1.8 lens, full manual settings and a True Pic VI image processor – the same processor which is used in the Olympus OM-D.

One feature which is different is the 12 million pixel sensor, which is smaller, in physical terms, than the sensor in the XZ-2. This could have an impact on image quality, so we’ll been to put it to the test when a final review sample is available.

The 5x optical zoom lens offers 26mm, in 35mm equivalent, at the wide angle, and also boasts a bright f/2.7 aperture even at the telephoto end of the optic.
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Around the lens here is a customisable control ring, which can be used for adjusting key parameters, such as aperture or shutter speed. On the back of the camera is a function button, which can be used for quick access to settings such as ISO and metering.

This three inch screen is a CAPACITIVE touchscreen, which can be used to set the autofocus point or trigger the shutter release. Although this is a pre-production model of the camera, we can see that it’s pretty responsive and it’s nice to see such a feature on a model like this.

The camera doesn’t have built-in Wi-Fi, but, like the latest range of PEN cameras, it it is compatible with Toshiba’s FlashAir Wireless LAN cards which means you can connect it with a smartphone or tablet to share images between the two.

As of yet, Olympus is yet to design an app which can control the camera from a secondary device, but perhaps that is something that will happen in the future.

PAGE 1: Olympus XZ-10 Preview Video
PAGE 2: Olympus XZ-10 Official Press Release

Posted on Wednesday, January 30th, 2013 at 3:00 pm under Compact Cameras, Reviews.