Olympus XZ-1

62

Winner

Olympus XZ-1

"It doesn't bristle with dials or buttons and only the most basic shooting settings have direct access."
dpreview.com | talking about the XZ-1's button-layout
"The XZ-1 combines simple direct controls with an excellent lens to create probably the best photographers' compact currently available."
dpreview.com | talking about the XZ-1's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Olympus XZ-1

Aperture
Wide aperture
f/1.8
Screen size
Large screen
3.0"
Screen type
OLED Screen
Bright and vivid
Macro focus
Great macro
1 cm
External flash
External flash
Better lighting
Longest exposure
Long exposures
60 seconds
Leica X1

42

Runner-up

Leica X1

"Straightforward control layout with analogue-style shutter speed and aperture dials"
dpreview.com | talking about the X1's button-layout
"Good quality build, but still relatively small and lightweight"
dpreview.com | talking about the X1's build-quality

Reasons to buy the Leica X1

Sensor size
Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Sensor type
CMOS Sensor
Better in low light
External flash
External flash
Better lighting

differences

Advantages of the Leica X1

Sensor size Much larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs 1/1.7" 8.3x6.2mm
Help
More than 7x larger sensor
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
True resolution Higher true resolution 11 MP vs 10 MP
Help
Capture more than 10% more detail in your photos
Size Slightly smaller 124x60x32 mm vs 110x64x42 mm
Help
More than 20% smaller
Thickness Thinner 1.3" vs 1.7"
Help
More than 20% thinner
Leica X1 Learn more about
the Leica X1

Advantages of the Olympus XZ-1

Macro focus Much better macro capability 1 cm vs 30 cm
Help
Focus on subjects 30x closer to the lens
Aperture Much wider aperture f/1.8 vs f/2.8
Help
At its widest zoom, the XZ-1's lens captures much more light (1.3 f-stops)
Wide angle Much better wide angle 28 mm vs 36 mm
Help
More than 20% better wide angle
Screen type Has an OLED screen OLED vs LCD
Help
OLED screens are often brighter and more vibrant than typical LCD screens
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
More than 10% larger screen
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 30fps vs None
Help
Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 614k dots vs 230k dots
Help
More than 2.5x higher resolution screen
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 7 fps vs 3 fps
Help
Around 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
The XZ-1's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $499.00 vs $2,241.76
Help
The best price we've seen is $1,743 cheaper (4.5x less)
Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
2x longer exposures
Weight Slightly lighter 275 g vs 306 g
Help
More than 10% lighter
Olympus XZ-1 Learn more about
the Olympus XZ-1
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Leica X1 Leica X1
42 vs 62
Explain scores
Olympus XZ-1 Olympus XZ-1
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Olympus XZ-1. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a boutique with a pro digicam.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Aperture Wide aperture Help
X1:f/2.8
XZ-1:f/1.8
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
X1:30s
XZ-1:60s
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Movie format One shoots movies Help
X1:None
XZ-1:720p @ 30fps
Zoom Poor zoom Help
X1:1x
XZ-1:4x

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$356 - $430

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$599

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$350

Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Image stabilization Has better image stabilization
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$390 - $496

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Image stabilization Has better image stabilization
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon PowerShot G1X

Boutique

$799 - $800

Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$643 - $1,125 body only

$739 - $964 with 14-42mm lens

Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens

Overall image quality Has much better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash

Leica X1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Leica X2

Leica X2

Boutique

$2,620 - $2,621

Wide angle Much better wide angle
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Size Larger
Thickness Thicker
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,199

Macro focus Much better macro capability
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Size Larger
Thickness Thicker
Leica D-LUX 5

Leica D-LUX 5

Pro digicam

$799

Wide angle Much better wide angle
Macro focus Much better macro capability
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Sensor type Has a CCD-family sensor
Fujifilm X-Pro1

Fujifilm X-Pro1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,991 - $2,298 body only

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Movie format Shoots movies
Size Larger
Built-in flash No built-in flash

Olympus XZ-1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$340 - $389

Supports 24p Supports 24p
Overall image quality Better image quality
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Aperture Narrower aperture
Nikon Coolpix P310

Nikon Coolpix P310

Pro digicam

$300 - $315

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Supports RAW No RAW support
Samsung TL500

Samsung TL500

Pro digicam

Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Continuous shooting Shoots slower

appearance

Leica X1 Olympus XZ-1
Leica X1 Olympus XZ-1
Leica X1 Olympus XZ-1

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