REVIEWS / POINT AND SHOOT / OLYMPUS IMAGING INDIA PVT. LTD.

Olympus XZ-1 Review

03 Mar, 2012, 1:02 pm IST | by Anand Tuliani | Point and Shoot

Point and Shoot

The front of the XZ-1

The front of the XZ-1
Mode dial at the top
4x optical zoom
3-inch OLED display at the back
ISO sensitivity test
Macro shot
Zoom Test

PRICE IN INDIA

25,999

TECH2 RATING

8.0

AVERAGE USER RATING

8.0

How we test

CONTACT

Olympus Imaging India Pvt. Ltd.

 inquiry@olympus.in

 +91 22 614 20400

 www.olympus-imaging.co.in

 


Zoom and other tests

We tried shooting all sorts of subjects – people, still shots, indoors, outdoors, macros, and so on. We must say that the reproduction of colours is excellent. An aperture of F1.8 greatly helps in getting good background blur, due to shallow depth of field. However, we weren’t too satisfied with the quality of JPEG images. There’s a loss in detail, due to strong JPEG compression, which results in minor artefacts / patchiness in areas where fine detailing should have been there. But RAW output is far superior and it can be enhanced using the RAW processing module in imaging applications, such as Photoshop or Lightroom.

Macro shot

Macro shot

 


The quality of video recording and the image stabilization, while shooting is very good. We would have been much happier, if this camera supported full HD capture and optical zoom, while shooting.

The front of the XZ-1

The front of the XZ-1

 


Verdict
The Olympus is priced at Rs. 25,999, which is almost at par with the pricing of the Canon PowerShot S95 and S100, which offer similar features and deliver similar results. The biggest advantages you get with the XZ-1 are bright F1.8 lens, OLED display and hot shoe. But you don’t get full HD video recording. On the other hand, Canon PowerShot S100 delivers better JPEG images and it has better control over noise, especially at higher ISO values. Also the S100 offers higher zoom ratio (5x), higher resolution sensor (12.1 megapixels), better wide angle (24 mm) and GPS. Taking all the factors into consideration the newly released S100 is definitely a better deal. That doesn’t make the XZ-1 bad, infact, we recommend it to those who want pro-quality photos and a great feature set in a compact and a sturdy shell.

Page 2:

Features

Page 4:

Performance Continued - Verdict


Tags:

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How We Test

The Tech2 Labs receives many products every single week and each of them is tested with the utmost care and highest level of objectivity. There’s a constant effort to reduce and totally eliminate subjectivity. Each product is tested according to set test processes so the same test scenario is used.

Verdict
The ratings awarded to a product are derived from a number of tests and calculations, keeping certain important factors in mind. These factors consist of features, performance, quality and value for money. In case of software and some other categories, build quality might be replaced with ease of use or ease of installation. Products are compared with other products in a similar price range or product category.


Features
The features component of the score is rated based on the kind of features present on a particular product. Features are a big part of what people look for when they’re buying a new product such as a phone or a camera.

Performance
The performance score is derived from the benchmarks and tests run on the product. In case of the subjective scores, an average of the scores given by the group of reviewers is considered.

Build Quality
The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.

Value
Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category. 

There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

What is the Average User Rating?

We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.

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