2012-09-08T21:00:00
Rated 5 out of 5
A non pro camera with some pro touches 2
It is one year later now and our grandchildren are still not faster than the XZ-1. But that is not the main reason for this update. This update is to show the advantage of the F1.8 aperture. When traveling with grandchildren one tends not to take a lot of camera equipment, just the point and shoots for quick on the fly shots. This year's trip included Antelope Canyon, but not at the best photographic noon time ($130 vs. $382 noon shooting for 3 adults and 3 children). My point and shoot did fine at the beginning of the canyon, but a quarter of the way into the canyon it became too dark to shoot handheld with a F3.5 lens or camera. Although I brought a tripod with me, after watching the other photographers fight with their tripods and full size cameras in these tight spaces with numerous people milling around, I decided against the tripod. My wife graciously offered me her XZ-1 to shoot the rest of the canyon. I have included some of those shots, shots that would not exist except for the XZ-1's F1.8 lens. Antelope Canyon was shot handheld through the whole canyon with a high percentage showing little or no movement. Some of these photos will be in our grandchildren's scrap books for them to remember. I have included an "in camera" panoramic that shows the relative size of the canyon about a quarter of the way in. It needs to be remembered that it's the camera that gets used that will get the picture. And the XZ-1's F1.8 aperture will help allow you to get those pictures.
Small p.
2012-09-02T21:00:00
Rated 5 out of 5
Great camera
Camera purchased for son who does not do a lot of photography. His images o Las Vegas ar night and durning the day are awesome. I am going to use it on our trip and I am a more serious photographer.
JAMES G.
2012-08-09T21:00:00
Rated 5 out of 5
Tops in all aspects
I use camera mainly for wildlife, portraits, and astrophotography
BARRY C.
2012-06-03T21:00:00
Rated 5 out of 5
A non pro camera with some pro touches
About a year ago, my wife's older Olympus point-n-shoot needed "upgrading". Being the pro photographer in the family, the selecting fell to me. Since my wife is a travel agent and tends to see a lot of ocean time, my first thoughts were the Olympus TG-810 at the time (Note: At present, the only other camera that we would consider is the Olympus TG-1, the "ruggedized Olympus XZ-1" without the hot shoe). In the past, the number one complaint by my wife was the poor match of slow focus speed and lengthy shutter lag to our fast moving grandchildren (my complaint too). We purchased the XZ-1 three days before traveling with our two granddaughters down the eastern coastline. This camera's use is so easy my wife never used her older "backup" camera. And I only needed to use my camera for longer telephoto shots. This camera may not be a DSLR, but my wife and I find it well beyond the "normal" point-n-shoot with very quick focus speed and almost no shutter lag. This camera was a perfect match for our two fast moving granddaughters along with all the other scenic and travel shots. We even found the scene modes, art modes, and movie mode, which we normally never use, were very easy to use without affecting our other photography. Since our travels, my wife has found the camera to be useful in capturing pictures of our fast moving dogs and their antics instead of a scene with blurred or missing dogs. And, due to my grandson's schedule problems and running out of time, the Olympus XZ-1 with off camera flash proved to be an excellent choice for his senior pictures. Although the sensor is listed as being not quite good as other cameras in its class, the faster lens, good lens quality, and internal processing firmware keeps the XZ-1 on par with all cameras in its class. Although I found the three inch screen acceptable for my use in bright sunlight, we purchased the VF-2 for my wife's use in bright sunlight. It is my wife's and my personal opinion that the purchase of a XZ-1 will be money well spent.
WILLIAM R.
