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Olympus XZ-1 (photos)

Olympus enters the market for compact enthusiast cameras with the XZ-1, equipped with a large sensor and a notably fast f1.8 lens.

Lori Grunin
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
Lori Grunin
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1 of 4 Sarah Tew/CNET

Control dial

Taking a leaf out of Canon's book, Olympus puts a control dial on the XZ-1's lens that you can use to adjust a variety of settings, such as shutter speed or aperture. It works and feels very similar to Canon's version on the PowerShot S95. The camera itself is bigger than the S95--it's closer in size to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5--but still pretty comfortable to carry and shoot.
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2 of 4 Sarah Tew/CNET

Mode dial

Like its competitors, the XZ-1 has a full set of manual controls. It also has a custom setting slot on the mode dial, and incorporates Olympus' signature Art Filters.
XZ1_BK_1.jpg
3 of 4 Sarah Tew/CNET

Interface

The user interface is pretty straightforward and doesn't have any perplexing operational oddities. I like the scroll wheel. Additionally, the XZ-1 has a nice 3-inch OLED display.
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4 of 4 Sarah Tew/CNET

Slim design

Though it's a bit large and relatively heavy, the XZ-1 has a pretty narrow body.

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