Olympus XZ-10 Review

May 7, 2013 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

The new Olympus XZ-10 is a pocketable premium compact camera featuring a 12 megapixel backlit 1/2.3” CMOS sensor and an ultra-bright 26-130mm equivalent f/1.8-2.7 zoom lens. The XZ-10 also offers a high-resolution 3-inch touch-sensitive LCD screen, TruePic VI image processor, 1080p Full HD movie recording and Eye-Fi/FlashAir compatibility for sharing images directly on your social network. Other standout features include a customisable control ring around the lens, full manual exposure mode, raw image capture, 120fps high-speed HD video recording and 11 Art Filters. Priced at £349.99 / $399.99, the Olympus XZ-10 is available now in black.

Ease of Use

The Olympus XZ-10 is a serious compact camera which offers full manual control over the picture-taking process. About 40% smaller than its big brother, the XZ-2, the XZ-10 has shrunk in comparison mainly because of the inclusion of a physically smaller 1/2.3” CMOS sensor and a fixed, rather than tilting, LCD screen. It's still a slim yet substantial affair made of a combination of metal and plastics.

The XZ-10 feels good in the hand, thanks to thoughtful ideas like a small but well placed thumb rest on the rear panel and a fixed hand-grip on the front. The design manages to be functional and classy at the same time, with an almost minimalist front plate that nevertheless includes a highly useful click-stop dial around the lens housing; a top plate featuring a power button, shutter release, zoom lever and mode dial; and a rear panel dominated by a high-resolution, touch-sensitive LCD display.

The XZ-10's touchscreen can be configured in one of three ways - turned off, one-touch focusing, or simultaneous one-touch focusing and shutter release. It also enables you to interact with the camera's key settings in addition to setting the focusing point and fire the shutter via the onscreen Super Control Panel. One small limitation is the inability to focus right at the extreme edges of the frame - you're effectively limited to one of the 35 AF points that the XZ-10 offers.

A crucial element of the design is a rear control wheel around the four-way pad, which is used to set shutter speed in manual mode, exposure compensation in a number of other modes, and can also be used to navigate menus. The XZ-10 is small enough to be carried comfortably in a shirt- or jeans pocket. Alternatively, it can be worn around the neck courtesy of an eyelet on the side and a nice neck strap that ships with the camera.

The main attraction of the Olympus XZ-10 is undoubtedly its ultra-fast, 26-130mm equivalent zoom lens. The company is heavily touting the f/1.8 maximum aperture at the 26mm end, but the telephoto end is also interesting with the XZ-10 boasting a maximum aperture of f/2.7 at the 130mm end. As you can see from some of our sample images, this translates into a surprising (for a compact camera) ability to isolate the subject from the background, resulting in images reminiscent of those taken with cameras sporting much bigger sensors.

Subject isolation aside, the biggest benefit of a super-fast lens - combined with sensor-shift image stabilisation - is the ability to take hand-held shots in low light, without having to dial in crazy-high ISO sensitivity settings. This is important, as the 1/2.3” CMOS sensor is very small compared to the sensors used in DSLRs.

Ricoh CX4 Ricoh CX4
Front Rear

The other big attraction of the Olympus XZ-10 is the presence of a full manual exposure mode, complete with a live histogram and raw file support. This mode is very well implemented in the XZ-10, and is therefore likely to become the preferred shooting mode for advanced users. In M mode, the click-stop dial encircling the lens housing controls the aperture, while shutter speed can be set with the scroll wheel around the four-way pad. In order to avoid accidentally bumping this wheel, you first have to hit the Up button on the navigation pad before you can modify the shutter speed setting. The live histogram - as well as a helpful compositional grid - can be activated with the Info button. The fly in the ointment is that the camera still doesn't offer direct-button access to ISO sensitivity settings. You need to enter the function menu - called “live control” by Olympus - to do that. That's a shame, although the Fn button on the rear of the camera can be configured to change the ISO amongst up to 16 different options.

Also present and correct are the usual aperture and shutter priority modes, in which the corresponding exposure variable is controlled via the front dial, with the rear wheel now serving for exposure compensation. Finally, in P mode you now get to control Program AE shift via the front dial, with the ability to change the aperture and override the camera's own settings.

Other shooting modes on the mode dial include Scene, iAuto, Art, and a Custom mode. The Olympus XZ-10 offers eighteen scene modes, most of which are standard fare like Portrait, Landscape, Sport etc. A few of the scene modes are more special though - these include Multi Exposure, Panorama, E-Portrait and Backlight HDR. Multi Exposure has nothing to do with HDR imaging - it's a feature inherited from the film era, which allows you to record and combine two completely different images into a single photo.

The Panorama mode works exactly the same way as on some of the more recent Mju compacts: there are three options on offer, including Auto, Manual and PC. In Auto mode, you only have to press the shutter release once. After that, all you need to do is move the camera to the next position, so that the target marks and pointers overlap, and the camera automatically releases the shutter for you. Three frames can be taken this way, which are then combined into a single panoramic image automatically in-camera. In Manual mode, you can also take three frames with the help of an on-screen guide, but you have to release the shutter manually. Finally, in PC mode, you can take up to 10 photos, which can be stitched using the supplied [ib] software after being downloaded to the computer.

E-Portrait is an on-board solution to touch up portraits. In this mode, you take a picture of a person, then the camera identifies the face and tries to remove blemishes and other minor imperfections, giving the skin a smooth look in the process. The resulting image is then saved alongside the original. The Backlight HDR combines several frames taken at different exposures into a single image with greater detail in the shadow and highlight areas.

The iAuto mode is a fully automatic shooting mode in which the camera analyses the scene in front of its lens, and tries to decide which scene mode to apply. Most of the typical camera controls/functions are inaccessible while you are in iAuto, but there is a live guide featuring on-screen sliders to modify things like saturation, colour, image brightness and depth of field. Additionally, the camera offers up various shooting tips on demand.

Ricoh CX4 Ricoh CX4
Front Top

The Art setting on the mode dial lets you choose from 11 Art Filters that include Pop Art, Diorama, Grainy Film, Soft Focus, Pinhole and Dramatic Tone. The optimum shooting settings are preprogrammed for each filter, and you have very little control over the final look. Because of this, it is worth shooting RAW+JPEG, as the raw files can be modified later if you do not like the effect. You can see some examples of these art filters at work in the Image Quality section of this review.

Of probably more interest to serious shooters are the Custom Mode setting, denoted with a “C” on the mode dial. This allows you to retrieve your saved settings, which is great if you often find yourself shooting under the same conditions. To save your current settings, go to the Setup menu, select Custom Mode Setup, and hit Set.

As mentioned earlier, most of the shooting settings and functions are available from the “live control”, a function menu called up by pressing the OK button that sits in the middle of the four-way pad. The range of available functions may differ slightly depending on the shooting mode you are in, but the full list includes the following: image stabilisation, picture mode, white balance, drive mode, aspect ratio, image quality and resolution, movie quality, flash mode, flash exposure compensation, metering mode, auto focus mode, ISO speed, face priority, and ND filter.

Most of these are self explanatory. The ND filter is an integrated 3-stop neutral density filter, which can be engaged when shooting in very bright light - with the top shutter speed being only 1/2000 of a second, it is sometimes necessary to use this filter when you would like to pick a wide aperture for a shallow depth-of-field effect, otherwise the photo would be overexposed even at the lowest ISO sensitivity setting. The Olympus XZ-10 has a neat little pop-up flash that is automatically raised when you select on of the 11 different flash modes.

In use, we found the large, high-resolution LCD screen on the rear to be eminently usable, with great detail and excellent colour retention even when viewed from the most extreme angles. The new LCD cannot be tilted up or down, as on the XZ-2 model.

Some of the shooting functions are mapped onto the four-way pad, including focus mode and AF point selection, drive mode and self-timer, and flash mode. To change the active AF point, press the Left arrow button, and pick one, nine or all of the 35 auto focus points using the arrow keys - simple and effective.

Ricoh CX4 Ricoh CX4
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

The available focus mode settings are “normal” AF, when the focus range is limited to 60cm-infinity, allowing the camera to acquire focus surprisingly quickly; Macro AF, which lets you focus down to 10cm at the wide end and 30cm at full telephoto; Supermacro AF, which disables the zoom and the built-in flash but allows you to focus as close as 1cm from the front lens; Tracking AF which tracks the selected subject as it moves across the frame; and MF.

The inclusion of manual focus is a nod towards experienced photographers, who will appreciate this feature. In Manual Focus mode the centre of the image automatically enlarges for accurate focusing. This is intuitively performed with the front control dial and also displays a distance scale, which proves very useful for zone focusing. Shutter lag in MF mode is negligible. For those who prefer auto focus, there is an AF assist light that enables the camera to focus even in low light. This lamp can be disabled if necessary.

As far as drive modes are concerned, there are no less than 3 different continuous shooting modes on offer: the “regular” sequential shooting is at 5 frames per second at full resolution for up to 200 frames, and there's a High-Speed option available at a reduced resolution setting.

Besides capturing stills, the Olympus XZ-10 can also record HD videos, and has a dedicated movie record button in the top right corner of the rear panel for one-touch video recording. Unfortunately the camera offers precious little in the way of video controls. You can apply exposure compensation before starting to record a video clip, but that's about it. On a more positive note, you can use the optical zoom while filming, and can also have the camera apply any of the Art Filters to movies on the fly. The XZ-10 tries its best to keep the subject in focus while recording a video clip, but doesn't always succeed. Movies are stored in MOV(MPEG-4AVC/H.264) format and clip length is limited to 29 minutes.

When it comes to playing back your images, the Olympus XZ-10 offers three main playback views: picture only, photo with image number and date, and a thumbnail with detailed information and a very useful RGB histogram. There is also an optional blinking highlights warning.

The Olympus XZ-10 is powered by a proprietary lithium-ion battery, which can be charged in-camera via USB. You need to connect the USB cable either to a computer running Windows 7/8, Vista or XP; or to the supplied USB-AC adapter, which must, in turn, be plugged into a mains socket using a mains cable. So unless you want to charge the battery via a Windows computer, you will need two cables, an adapter, and the camera itself. Olympus does offer a conventional external charger as well, but only as an optional accessory.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb.

The Olympus XZ-10 produced images of good quality during the review period. JPEGs taken at the base sensitivity of ISO 100 exhibit great colour and nice tonality, and strike a good balance between noise reduction and detail retention.

High-ISO performance is broadly in line with what you could reasonably expect from a sensor of this size. In JPEGs, the effects of noise reduction become apparent at ISO 800 and above, whilst the raw files contain quite a lot of noise (though they do retain detail better than the out-of-camera JPEGs). ISO 1600 and 3200 are borderline usable for small prints, whereas the highest settings of ISO 6400 and 12800 are really only there to make the spec sheet look better.

Thankfully with an f/1.8-2.7 lens and sensor-shift image stabilisation on board, you will hardly ever need to shoot at these high sensitivity settings anyway. The fast lens not only allows you to use low ISOs in dim lighting, it also provides for good subject-background separation, something most digital compacts can't really achieve. Unfortunately the 5x zoom lens does suffer from some rather obvious purple-fringing in areas of high contrast.

Noise

The base sensitivity setting is ISO 100, with the maximum being ISO 6400. You can dial in any value in between these two extremes in third-stop increments. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each “full” ISO setting for JPEG and RAW files.

JPEG RAW

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg
   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg
   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg
   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg
   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

iso1600.jpg iso1600raw.jpg
   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso3200.jpg iso3200raw.jpg
   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

iso6400.jpg iso6400raw.jpg

Focal Range

The 5x i.Zuiko lens offers a fairly versatile focal range, as demonstrated by these examples.

26mm

130mm

focal_range1.jpg focal_range2.jpg

Sharpening

The out-of-camera JPEGs are fairly sharp at the default sharpening setting, but still benefit from a little extra sharpening in a photo editor. Alternatively, you can change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your needs better. Here are two 100% crops - the right-hand image has had some extra sharpening applied.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

sharpen1.jpg sharpen1a.jpg
   
sharpen2.jpg sharpen2a.jpg

File Quality

At full resolution, the Olympus XZ-10 allows you to choose from two JPG quality settings, Normal and Fine. Additionally, the camera supports raw capture, and simultaneous recording of JPEG and raw files is also possible.

12M Fine (5.20Mb) (100% Crop)

12M Normal (2.76Mb) (100% Crop)

quality_fine.jpg quality_normal.jpg
   

12M RAW (18.4Mb) (100% Crop)

 
quality_raw.jpg  

Chromatic Aberrations

The Olympus XZ-10 suffered quite badly from chromatic aberrations during the review, with obvious purple fringing present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.

Chromatic Aberrations 1 (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations 2 (100% Crop)

chromatic1.jpg chromatic2.jpg

Macro

The Olympus XZ-10 has both a Macro and a Supermacro mode, albeit the zoom can only be used in the former. The shot below demonstrates how close you can get to the subject, in this case, a Compact Flash card.

Macro

Macro (100% Crop)

macro1.jpg macro1a.jpg

Flash

The Olympus XZ-10 has a pop-up flash that is automatically raised when you select one of the 12 flash modes. Note that because of the placement of the pop-up flash, extra care must be taken to prevent a finger from blocking the flash, particularly when holding the camera in portrait orientation. These shots of a white-coloured ceiling were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Suppressed Flash - Wide Angle (26mm)

Forced Flash - Wide Angle (26mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Suppressed Flash - Telephoto (130mm)

Forced Flash - Telephoto (130mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Red-eye Flash settings caused any red-eye.

Forced Flash

Forced Flash (100% Crop)
flash_on.jpg flash_on1.jpg
   

Red-eye Reduction Auto

Red-eye Reduction Auto (100% Crop)

flash_redeye.jpg flash_redeye1.jpg

Night

The Olympus XZ-10 allows you to dial in exposure times as long as 30 seconds, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. The example below was taken at a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 100.

Night

Night (100% Crop)

night1.jpg night1a.jpg

Anti Shake

The Olympus XZ-10 has a sensor-shift image stabilisation mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at shutter speeds that are critically slow for the focal length used. To test this, we took 2 hand-held shots of the same subject at both ends of the zoom range with the same settings. The first shot was taken with image stabilisation turned off, the second with it turned on.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length

Anti Shake Off (100% Crop)

Anti Shake On (100% Crop)

1/10th / 26mm antishake1.jpg antishake1a.jpg
     
1/10th / 130mm antishake2.jpg antishake2a.jpg

Multiple Exposure

The Olympus XZ-10 can combine two seperate frames taken sequentially into one to create a multi-exposure picture.

Multiple Exposure

multiple_exposure1.jpg

Backlight HDR

The Backlight HDR scene mode takes several images at various exposure levels and blends them into one with optimal exposure and dynamic range.

Backlight HDR On

Backlight HDR Off

hdr_off.jpg hdr_on.jpg

Art Filters

The Olympus XZ-10 offers 11 Art Filters including Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pinhole, Diorama and Dramatic Tone. These can be applied to both stills and movie clips.

Pop Art

Soft Focus

art_filter_01.jpg art_filter_02.jpg
   

Pale&Light Color

Light Tone

art_filter_03.jpg art_filter_04.jpg
   

Grainy Film

Pin Hole
art_filter_05.jpg art_filter_06.jpg
   

Diorama

Cross Process
art_filter_07.jpg art_filter_08.jpg
   

Gentle Sepia

Dramatic Tone
art_filter_09.jpg art_filter_10.jpg
   

Key Line

 
art_filter_11.jpg  

Picture Modes

Olympus' Picture Modes are preset combinations of contrast, sharpness, gradation and saturation. There are five Picture Modes to choose from, including Vivid, Neutral, Muted, Portrait and Monotone. All of these can be tailored to your tastes.

Vivid

Neutral

picture_mode_01.jpg picture_mode_02.jpg
   

Muted

Portrait

picture_mode_03.jpg picture_mode_04.jpg
   

Monotone

 
picture_mode_05.jpg  

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Olympus XZ-10 camera, which were all taken using the 12.2 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Olympus XZ-10 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Olympus RAW (ORF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 20 second movie is 49.4Mb in size.

Product Images

Olympus XZ-10

Front of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Front of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Front of the Olympus XZ-10 / Flash Raised

 
Olympus XZ-10

Side of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Side of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Side of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Side of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Rear of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Rear of the Olympus XZ-10 / Image Displayed

 

Olympus XZ-10

Rear of the Olympus XZ-10 / Turned On

 
Olympus XZ-10

Rear of the Olympus XZ-10 / Function Menu

 
Olympus XZ-10

Rear of the Olympus XZ-10 / Main Menu

 
Olympus XZ-10

Rear of the Olympus XZ-10 / OK Menu

 
Olympus XZ-10

Top of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Bottom of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Side of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Side of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Front of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Front of the Olympus XZ-10

 
Olympus XZ-10

Memory Card Slot

 
Olympus XZ-10

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Olympus XZ-10 packs most of the features of the flagship XZ-2 model into a camera that's almost half the size and weight, at a more affordable price point. Despite using a small 1/2.3” CMOS sensor, it delivers decent image quality largely thanks to the fast lens, although it's not as good as the XZ-2 or other high-end compacts. It is a lot smaller than most of its rivals, though, so if pocketability is important, the Olympus XZ-10 is well worth considering.

Olympus have essentially taken the XZ-2 and stripped out the larger sensor, tilting LCD screen, and removable grip to make it physically much smaller. The XZ-10 still retains the same touchscreen functionality, clever lens control ring, fast lens, full range of manual controls and FlashAir technology, and even offers a slightly wider and longer zoom range. In most regards the XZ-10 in an excellent alternative to the high-performing but bigger and more expensive XZ-2.

Somewhat inevitably the XZ-10 doesn't perform as well as its excellent sibling in the image quality department, with the small 1/2.3” CMOS sensor resulting in more noise at higher ISO speeds. We also noticed quite a lot of purple fringing in high-contrast scenes. Otherwise the fast and sharp i.Zuiko lens, back illuminated CMOS sensor and the same TruPic VI image processor used in th PEN range combine to turn out JPEGs with very pleasing colours, excellent sharpness and good overall tonality. Video, on the other hand, is still a mixed bag. It's good to be able to use the optical zoom while filming and apply Art Filters to the footage in-camera, but in a product of this calibre you would expect user selectable frame rates and full manual control over video exposure.

The XZ-10 ticks most of the boxes that any experienced photographer is looking for - “sensible” 12 megapixel count, a very fast lens, raw file support, a reliable 35 multi-point AF system and a well implemented manual exposure mode complete with an optional live histogram. Add in the high-resolution LCD screen, touchscreen controls, the innovative lens control ring, and an image processor that's fast enough to avoid any major freeze-ups even when shooting RAW+JPEG simultaneously, and you have a very capable yet portable camera that you can take pretty much anywhere.

So despite a few reservations about the image quality in low or high contrast light, the Olympus XZ-10 is a competitive addition to the ever-growing numbers of "premium" compact cameras aimed at the more discerning photographer. You could certainly do a lot worse than carry an Olympus XZ-10 in your pocket...

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 4
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 4
Value for money 4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Olympus XZ-10.

Canon PowerShot G15

The Canon PowerShot G15 is a serious camera aimed at the advanced amateur or pro looking for a carry-everywhere compact. Building on the success of previous G-series models, for 2012 the G15 principally adds a 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, faster 5x zoom lens, bigger and higher-resolution LCD screen, 10fps burst shooting and full 1080p HD video. £549 / €649 / $499.99 is an awful lot of money for a compact with a small image sensor - read our in-depth Canon PowerShot G15 review to find out if it's worth it.

Canon PowerShot S110

The Canon PowerShot S110 is a new compact camera that offers an extensive list of advanced features - ISO range of 80-12800, RAW support, full manual controls, built-in wi-fi, touchscreen interface and 1080p video - all in a slim and stylish body that you can easily fit in a trouser pocket. Read our in-depth Canon PowerShot S110 review now to find out if this is the best premium compact.

Fujifilm X20

The Fujifilm X20 is a brand new premium compact camera with a large 2/3-type 12 megapixel sensor and a fast 4x optical zoom lens. Boasting impeccable build-quality, intuitive handling and a long-list of photographer-friendly features, is the Fujifilm X20 the ultimate pocket camera for the avid photographer? Read our Fujifilm X20 review, complete with full-size sample JPEG and raw images, videos and more to find out...

Leica X2

The Leica X2 is a pocket camera for professionals, offering a 16 megapixel APS-C sensor, fast f/2.8, 36mm lens, improved autofocusing and the usual superlative Leica handling and build quality. Is that enough to justify the Leica X2's £1575 / $1995 price tag? Read our in-depth Leica X2 review to find out...

Nikon Coolpix P330

The Nikon Coolpix P330 is a new compact camera aimed at prosumers. The Nikon P330 features a 12.2 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, full manual controls, 1080p HD video recording, a 5x wide-angle zoom lens with a fast maximum aperture of f/1.8, a high-resolution LCD screen, built-in GPS and 10fps burst shooting. Read our in-depth Nikon Coolpix P330 review to find out if this is the perfect pocket camera for the keen enthusiast ...

Olympus XZ-2

The new Olympus XZ-2 is a serious compact that's aimed at the enthusiast and professional user looking for a small yet capable camera. A 12 megapixel 1/1.7 inch CMOS sensor, fast f/1.8 maximum aperture, high-res 3-inch tilting touch-screen LCD, and a full range of manual shooting modes should be enough to grab your attention. Read our expert Olympus XZ-2 review, complete with full-size JPEG, RAW and movie samples.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 is the latest premium compact camera hoping to find a place in a professional photographer's pocket. With the fastest lens of any compact to date, the LX7 also offers an improved 10 megapixel sensor, full 1080p HD movies and an even better control system than the previous LX5 model. Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 review with sample JPEG, RAW and video files now.

Pentax MX-1

The Pentax MX-1 joins the growing list of premium compact cameras aimed at advanced users. Offering a large 1/1.7" 12 megapixel sensor, fast f/1.8 4x zoom lens, tilting 3-inch LCD screen and an appealingly retro design, does the Pentax MX1 offer enough to compete in this increasingly competitive market? Read our detailed Pentax MX-1 review to find out...

Samsung EX2F

The Samsung EX2F is a new pocket camera for serious photographers, sporting a super-bright f/1.4, 3.3x zoom lens, sensible 12 megapixel sensor and a swivelling 3 inch AMOLED screen. 1080p video, RAW shooting, ISO 80-12800, 10fps burst shooting, image stabilisation and full manual controls complete the EX2F's star attractions. Read our Samsung EX2F review to find out if this is the advanced compact camera for you...

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 is an exciting new premium compact camera. A large "1.0-type" 20.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, 3.6x 28-100mm lens with a fast maximum aperture of F1.8, full 1080p high-definition video with stereo sound, high-resolution 3-inch screen, manual shooting modes, 10fps continuous shooting, ISO range of 100-12800, Raw support and fast auto-focusing are all present and correct. Read our in-depth Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 review to find out if it's the best pocket camera ever...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Olympus XZ-10 from around the web.

ephotozine.com »

The Olympus XZ-10 is a serious compact camera, it is smaller than the XZ-2, features a 5x optical zoom lens and a 12 megapixel back-illuminated sensor. It is available for £329.99.
Read the full review »

cnet.com.au »

With great features like a fast f/1.8 lens and slow-motion video, the XZ-10 will win the hearts of photographers who want a pocketable camera. There are some image quality issues though, and battery life is short.
Read the full review »

neocamera.com »

The Olympus Stylus XZ-10 is an advanced compact camera that features full manual-controls and provides dual control-dials for efficiency. Launched roughly 4 months after the XZ-2, the XZ-10 can be seen as a more compact version of the former. Like the XZ-2, the Sylus XZ-10 has a very bright-lens, only very slightly so at F/1.8-2.7, only this time it is paired with a typical-sized 1/2.3" 12 megapixels CMOS sensor instead of a 10 MP CCD.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Type

  • Body material

    Metal

Image Sensor

  • Type

    1/2.3'' CMOS

  • Effective pixels

    12 Megapixels

  • Filter array

    Primary colour filter (RGB)

  • Full resolution

    12.76 Megapixels

Lens

  • Focal length (equiv. 35mm)

    26 - 130mm

  • Maximum aperture

    1.8 - 2.7

  • Focal length

    4.7 - 23.5mm

  • Optical zoom

    5x

Engine

  • Type

    TruePic VI

Live View

  • Displayed information

    • Aperture
    • Shutter speed
    • Auto bracket
    • AE lock
    • Focus mode
    • IS activating mode
    • Shooting mode
    • Battery check
    • Custom
    • Internal temperature warning
    • Face detection
    • Histogram
    • Number of storable pictures
    • Record mode
    • ISO
    • Sequential shooting mode
    • Self timer
    • White Balance
    • AF confirmation mark
    • Exposure compensation value
    • Spot metering area
    • Flash mode
    • Flash status
    • Flash intensity
    • Super FP
    • Focal length
    • Tone control
    • Eye-Fi condition
    • Super Resolution Zoom
  • AF type

    Contrast detection system

  • 100% field of view

    100%

  • Magnification mode

    Yes

Image Stabiliser

  • Type

    Sensor shift

  • Modes

    Two-dimensional

Focusing System

  • Method

    Contrast Detection AF system

  • Focus areas

    35 points / Automatic and manual selection

  • AF lock

    Yes , Locked by first position of shutter release button in single AF mode

  • Modes

    • Single AF
    • Super Macro Mode
  • AF illuminator

    Yes

  • Standard mode

    0.1m - ∞ (wide) / 0.3m - ∞ (tele)

  • Super Macro Mode

    1cm

Exposure System

  • Modes

    • Programme automatic
    • Shutter priority
    • Aperture priority
    • Manual
    • i-Auto
    • Photo Story
    • Scene Modes
    • Art Filter
    • Movie
  • Exposure compensation

    +/- 3EV ( 1/3 steps )

  • Exposure bracketing

    3 frames ( +/- 1/3, 2/3, 1 EV steps )

  • Enhancement function

    Mechanical Image Stabiliser

  • Face Detection Technology

  • Shadow Adjustment Technology

Scene Modes

  • Number of scene modes

    14

  • Modes

    • Portrait
    • e-Portrait
    • Landscape
    • Sports
    • Hand-held Starlight
    • Night Scene
    • Night Scene with portrait
    • Sunset
    • Documents
    • Panorama
    • Fireworks
    • Multi-Exposure
    • Beach and Snow
    • Backlight HDR

Multi-Exposure

  • Max. number of frames

    2 frames (shooting)

  • Frame assistance

    Live View

Light Metering

  • Method

    TTL open aperture light metering

  • Detection range

    -3 - 17 EV Digital ESP, centre-weighted average metering, spot metering

  • Modes

    • ESP light metering
    • Spot metering
    • Centre weighted metering

Art Filter

  • Modes

    • Cross Process
    • Diorama
    • Dramatic Tone
    • Gentle Sepia
    • Grainy Film
    • Key Line
    • Light Tone
    • Pale & Light Colour
    • Pin Hole
    • Pop Art
    • Soft Focus
  • Variation / Effect

    Available

Sensitivity

  • Auto

    ISO 100 - 6400 (customisable, default ISO 100 - 1600)

  • Manual

    ISO 100 - 6400 (adjustable in 1/3 EV step)

Shutter

  • Self timer

    12s / 2s

Shutter Speeds

  • Shutter speed range

    1/2000 - 30s

White Balance

  • AUTO WB system

    Yes

  • One-touch white balance

    2 custom settings can be registered

  • White balance adjustment

    +/- 7 in each A-B / G-M axis (in Auto WB, preset WB mode & one-touch WB)

  • Custom WB

    1 setting can be registered at Kelvin temperature (2000K - 14000K)

  • Preset values

    • Tungsten
    • Flourescent 1
    • Sunlight
    • Flash
    • Overcast
    • Shade

Sequence Shooting

  • Speed

    5fps

  • Recordable frames

    200

Image Processing

  • Colour space

    sRGB / AdobeRGB

  • Sharpness + Contrast

    5 levels

  • Saturation

    5 levels

  • Black & White filter

    Neutral, Yellow, Orange, Red, Green

  • Picture mode

    Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait, Monotone, Art Filters

  • Gradation

    4levels (auto, high key, normal, low key)

Internal Flash

  • Type

    pop-up

  • Modes

    • AUTO
    • Manual
    • Red-eye reduction
    • Fill-in
    • Slow synchronisation with red-eye reduction
    • Slow synchronisation
    • Manual (Full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64)

Wireless Flash Control

  • Control method

    Triggered by built-in flash light

Monitor

  • Monitor type

    LCD - Touch Panel

  • Monitor size

    7.6cm / 3.0'' (3:2)

  • Resolution

    920000 dots

  • Colour balance

    +/- 3 levels

  • Brightness adjustment

    +/- 2 levels

Recording Formats

  • RAW

    12bit

  • RAW & JPEG

    Yes parallel recording

  • JPEG

    Yes

  • Aspect ratio

    4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9 / 1:1

Image Size

  • RAW

    4032 x 3024 compressed / 13.9MB / frame

  • Large

    4032 x 3024 Fine (compression: 1/4) / 5.9MB / frame

  • 4032 x 3024 Normal (compression: 1/8) / 2.7MB / frame

  • Middle

    2560 x 1920 Normal (compression: 1/8) / 1.1MB / frame

Still Image Recording

  • EXIF

    2.2

  • PIM

    III

  • DPOF

    Yes

  • DCF

    Yes

Movie Recording System

  • Recording format

    MOV(MPEG-4AVC/H.264)

  • Image Stabilisation Mode

    Yes Digital Image Stabilisation

  • HD Movie quality

    1080P / 30fps Recording time: 29min.

  • 720P 30p, 9Mbps (MOV) 29min.

  • High-Speed Recording

    432 x 324 / 240fps Recording time: 20sec.

  • 720P / 120fps Recording time: 20sec.

  • Frame rate

    30fps

  • Art Filter

    • Cross Process
    • Diorama
    • Dramatic Tone
    • Gentle Sepia
    • Grainy Film
    • Key Line
    • Light Tone
    • Pale & Light Colour
    • Pop Art
    • Pin Hole
    • Soft Focus

Sound Recording System

  • Internal microphone

    Stereo

  • Recording format

    Stereo PCM/16bit, 44.1kHz, Wave Format Base

  • Image footage

    4s

View Images

  • Modes

    • Index
    • Calendar
    • Zoom
    • Slide show
    • Movie
    • Single
  • Auto rotation

    Yes

  • Histogram in playback mode

    Yes

  • Shooting information

    Off / On

  • Image protect mode

    Yes

Erase / Protect / Copy Function

  • Erase modes

    Single, All, Selected

  • Image protect mode

    Single

Image Editing

  • RAW data edit

    Yes

  • Red-eye reduction

    Yes

  • Sepia

    Yes

  • Resize

    Yes

  • Correction of saturation

    Yes

  • Shadow Adjustment

    Yes

  • Trimming

    Yes

  • e-Portrait

    Yes

  • Aspect ratio

    -

Menu

  • Menu languages in camera

    39 languages (Japanese, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese (BR + PT), German, Italian, Russian, Czech, Dutch, Danish, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian, Greek, Slovak, Turkish, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Korean, Simple Chinese, Traditional Chinese,Thai, Arabic, Bulgarian, Romanian, Persian, Indonesian, Hebrew, Malay, Vietnamese)

Customisation Options

  • My Mode

    1 setting storable

  • Fn Button

    Yes

Interface

  • Media

    SD Memory Card (SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I compatible) Class 6 is recommended for Movie shooting

  • HDMI™

    Yes Micro connector (Type D) *

  • USB 2.0 High Speed

    Yes

  • Combined V & USB output

    Yes NTSC or PAL selectable

  • Wireless connectivity

    • Eye-Fi Card compatible
    • FlashAir
  • * "HDMI", the HDMI logo and "High-Definition Multimedia Interface" are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.

Other Features

  • Panorama function

    Image marker (Software)

  • Photo Story

    Yes

  • Control Ring

    Yes

Power Supply

  • Battery

    LI-50B Lithium-Ion Battery

  • Sleep mode

    Available (1min, 3min, 5min)

  • Live View shooting

    Approx. 240images (100% with Live View)

Environment

  • Temperature

    0 - 40°C operating temperature / -20 - 60°C storage temperature

  • Humidity

    30 - 90% operation humidity / 10 - 90% storage humidity

Size

  • Dimensions (W x H x D)

    102.4 x 61.1 x 34.3mm (without protrusions)

  • Weight

    221g (including battery and memory card)

Exterior

  • Grip

    Exchangable

Digital Zoom

  • Super Resolution Zoom

    2x

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