The Olympus XZ-1 is positively fun to use. It's one of those cameras that makes you want to go out and take photos. A lot of that has to do with its size, which is compact, yet despite its small dimensions it also contains relatively easy to use manual controls. It's reminiscent of the Canon PowerShot S95, and it definitely gives it good competition when it comes to ease of use and image quality.
The Olympus XZ-1 has a 10 megapixel CCD sensor and a 4x optical zoom with a range of 28-112mm. It's a fast lens with a wide f/1.8 aperture, and this is even wider than the lens found on the Canon PowerShot S95 (f/2.0). It allows the XZ-1 to be used in low light situations, and combined with built-in optical image stabilisation, the camera can capture handheld shots clearly even when a shutter speed as low as 1/10 is used.
We think the Olympus XZ-1 is great for both enthusiasts and professional users who want a high quality compact on those days when they can't (or are too lazy to) carry the old digital SLR. The manual features of the camera allow for custom exposure settings to be tuned in. The ring around the lens can be used to manipulate the aperture and the rotational thumb control on the rear can be used to change the shutter.
