Olympus Creator XZ-1

Now this is a great quality camera I can take anywhere! – Now this is it! I've had several basic 'point and shoot' cameras inc a long zoom model, all worked ok but I wanted a step up in image quality without the bulk of a DSLR. The XZ-1 is well made and only slightly larger than most compact digicams. The f1.8-2.5 4x wide angle lens is amazing, the larger than average CCD sensor handles most lighting conditions well and the IQ is brilliant. I love the 3" OLED display with its high contrast, deep colors, and lower power consumption. The i-Auto works really well so my wife loves it, and it has full PASM controls. The ring around the lens is neat and the operation in P mode, aperture or shutter priority is intuitive. The panorama mode works well and the Art filters are neat. (filters can be used in movie mode too). It's low light performance is above average and hardly ever need to pop up the flash. It does get fairly noisy at ISO 3200 or 6400 but the bright lens means you can keep ISO below 800 most of the time. I have never had a problem with purple fringing and the amazing lens is sharp right across the frame. The movie mode is HD 1280x720 30fps, and works well but uses memory hungry MJPEG. The image stabiliser works well but the movies look a bit soft and the focus tends to 'hunt'. Sound is good and the optical zoom is smooth while videoing. The most annoying thing is the rather silly pop off lens cover which needs to be tethered to the camera otherwise it ends up on the floor when you switch on. The responsiveness of the XZ1 is great with fast start up, shot to shot times and burst modes. The exposure is rock solid in most conditions, the color fantastic, and it can focus fast and accurately. I think it produces the best looking JPEGs straight from the camera I've ever seen. It's got RAW of course for even better quality for those who like to do lots of PP. A great compact camera for folks who want easy use yet high image quality and aren't too fussy about movies. Brilliant Image Quality in all lighting conditions. Creative camera with Art Filters, full Manual yet good i-Auto for easy use.. A little hard to hold and the annoying lens cap. HD movie mode not quite as good as main competitors.

Exceeded expectations – I was amazed with that little gem. I needed a small camera capable to register RAW format as well as JPEG. I needed macro lens, I needed larger size sensor to reduce noise. I will not repeat all praises from the first reviewer. It is all true, plus I like all the parameters easily accessible and visible on the brilliant screen. I also like ability to correctly focus in very poor light conditions. We shot ;P a possum an a tree well after dark. The camera focused quickly and accurately. Macro photos of flowers - great depth of field (mode A), true and vibrant colours. Nice function of tracing faces or pets. A filter to smooth face skin. And so on..

Not happy with battery, which has to be charged inside the camera via USB cable. A charger is included or it can be charged from a laptop or from a lighter in a car. Quick save of double RAW/JPEG - maximum file size. Made mainly of a light alloy. The cap is a drawback. Image quality is excellent, becoming poor at higher ISO speed, which is not unusual anyway. For extra money, we got a leather case with a little retro look (another plus).

In general an excellent camera with quality lens (bright!). Excellent image quality, true colors, very good focusing. None, except battery (charging).