Comparison of some of the key features I really care about...
Based on the table below, it appears the newcomer, Olympus XZ-1, is stacked quite well amongst its competitors in terms of features (weaker in video though). But one key thing drew me to XZ-1, it's the LENS!!!
Notice in red ink in the table below, XZ-1 has a low f/stop number of 1.8; but more importantly at tele of 112mm, it offers f2.5! That's amazing considering it's a compact camera. Other high-end camera only provided f3.3 to f5.6 as minimum f/stop.
Notice in red ink in the table below, XZ-1 has a low f/stop number of 1.8; but more importantly at tele of 112mm, it offers f2.5! That's amazing considering it's a compact camera. Other high-end camera only provided f3.3 to f5.6 as minimum f/stop.
Why does it matter? A lot of people are concerned about 1) high ISO performance (how much noise etc), and 2) the Image Stabilization capability. Note that if you have a good lens that can open wide, like this XZ-1, you don't need to use the high ISO, and you don't need to use such slow a shutter speed to utilize image stablization.
Furthermore, I think it's able to create some bokeh (aka background blur) for portraits. That's almost impossible with any Point and Shoot (P&S) camera I'm aware of! Well, it can have bokeh for close-up shots, but not for portraits.
Furthermore, I think it's able to create some bokeh (aka background blur) for portraits. That's almost impossible with any Point and Shoot (P&S) camera I'm aware of! Well, it can have bokeh for close-up shots, but not for portraits.
Olympus E-PL2 | Olympus XZ-1 | Canon S95 | Panasonic LX-5 | |
Announcement date | Jan 2011 | Jan 2011 | Aug 2010 | Jul 2010 |
Price (1) | $599 | $499 | $499 | $399 |
Sensor size, and type | 4/3" 12.3MP Live MOS | 1/1.63 10MP CCD | 1/1.7" 10MP CCD | 1/1.63" 10MP CCD |
Lens (wide angle) | 28mm | 28mm | 28mm | 24mm |
Lens (tele) | 84mm | 112mm | 106mm | 90mm |
Min f/stop @ wide angle | f3.5 | f1.8 | f2.0 | f2.0 |
Min f/stop @ telephoto | f5.6 | f2.5 | f4.9 | f3.3 |
ISO range (2) | 100-6400 (manual) | 100-6400 (manual) | 80-3200 (manual) | 80-3200 (manual) |
Image stabilization | In-body sensor shift | In-body sensor shift | Lens Shift | Lens Shift |
Flash hotshoe (3) | Yes | Yes | NO | Yes |
On-camera flash | Yes Sync speed 1/30 - 1/180 | First or Second curtain sync. Wireless control of flash guns FL-36R, FL-50R | Fastest sync speed 1/1600s | Yes |
Video | 720p 30fps in Motion JPEG | 720p 30fps in Motion JPEG | 720p at 24fps Motion JPEG | 720p at 30fps in AVCHD Lite and Motion JPEG |
Display | 3" 460k dots HyperCrystal LCD | 3" 621k OLED | 3" 461k dots TFT LCD | 3" 460k dots TFT LCD |
Battery Life | TBD | 320 | 200 | 400 |
Dimension (inch) | 4.4x2.6x1.7 | 3.9x1.2x0.2" | 4.3x1.7x2.6 | |
Weight | 16.7oz (with kit lens) | 9.2oz | 6oz | 9.6oz |
(1) based on Amazon.com as of Jan 18, 2011
(2) This data appears to be conflicting between various sources.
(3) I consider this to be important to expand the possibilities of lighting effects