Olympus XZ-2 iHS Review | 108 Data compared

Olympus XZ-2 Review Summary The Olympus XZ-2 ($599.99 / £740.97) is a premium compact digital camera featuring a 12-megapixel 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor paired with a bright 28-112mm (35mm equivalent) f/1.8-2.5 optical zoom lens. It is highly praised for its exceptionally sharp image output, fast 1.6-second startup performance, and an excellent physical control layout designed for advanced photographers. Key physical features include a 3-inch, 920k-dot tilting touchscreen LCD, a hot shoe with support for an optional electronic viewfinder (EVF), Raw shooting capabilities, and a highly functional dual-mode lens control ring that handles manual focusing down to a tight 1 centimeter. Additionally, it shoots sharp 1080p30 QuickTime video, though the camera can be slow to autofocus during recording and captures audible lens zoom noise on the soundtrack. Despite its solid build and sharp lens optics, the camera is severely held back by its high retail price, making it a tough sell in a highly competitive market. Its 1/1.7-inch sensor struggles with digital noise, producing grainy textures starting at ISO 400 that quickly degrade image details beyond ISO 3200. It also lacks modern...

The Olympus Stylus XZ-2 is a compact and solidly built digital camera praised for its excellent lens quality and responsive handling, making it a strong choice for both beginners and ambitious photographers. Its standout feature is a fast f/1.8–2.5 Zuiko lens with a 4x zoom that maintains sharpness and exhibits minimal distortion at both the wide and telephoto ends. Users will appreciate the highly versatile, programmable front control lever that allows for smooth manual focusing, aperture adjustments, or shutter speed tweaks. Additional pros include rapid startup-to-shot speeds, a tilting 7.6cm LCD screen, a switchable speed grip, and extensive accessory compatibility, such as support for external electronic viewfinders and wireless flash control. However, the camera does have several noticeable drawbacks. Its menu layout is complex and cascading, which can make navigating settings a tedious chore for users. While the tilting screen is highly functional, it fails to swing sideways for complete articulation. Performance at higher sensitivities is another con; image noise becomes noticeable at ISO 1600, with a distinct loss of detail and definition by the time it reaches ISO 6400....

The DPReview roundup highlights the Olympus XZ-2 as a versatile enthusiast compact, featuring a fast f/1.8-2.5 lens and a highly customizable interface with a unique hybrid lens ring. Key advantages include strong, sharp image quality, manual control options, and excellent expandability, including support for external viewfinders. Conversely, the XZ-2's bulky design prevents true pocketability compared to competitors like the Sony RX100. Further drawbacks include an over-processed default JPEG engine, higher price point, and the absence of a built-in viewfinder.

The Olympus Stylus XZ-2 iHS is a high-end enthusiast compact camera featuring a 12-megapixel 1/1.7-inch backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor and an f/1.8-2.5 iZuiko-Digital zoom lens. A major strength of this model is its redesigned body, which introduces a 3-inch tilting touchscreen and a highly functional Hybrid control ring around the lens for quick manual adjustments. Performance-wise, the camera marks a significant jump over its predecessor, the XZ-1, increasing its DxOMark sensor score from 34 to 49. This upgrade delivers an improved low-light (Sports) ISO score, nearly 1.0 Ev better dynamic range, and 1.6 bits of extra color depth. Furthermore, it edges out key competitors like the Canon PowerShot G15 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 in low-light capability. Despite these clear advantages, the XZ-2 has notable drawbacks. At $600, it carries a premium price tag, and expanding its functionality with an optional electronic viewfinder makes the overall setup quite expensive. When compared to its closest rivals, the sensor fails to outperform the $50-cheaper Nikon Coolpix P7700, which offers better color depth, a wider dynamic range at base ISO, and a longer 28-200mm...

The Olympus Stylus XZ-2 is an enthusiast-focused compact camera that upgrades its predecessor's 10 Megapixel CCD sensor to a 12 Megapixel 1/1.7-inch CMOS chip, paired with a TruePic V processor. It retains a bright 28-112mm equivalent f/1.8-2.5 4x zoom lens and features an upgraded, highly responsive 3-inch 920k-dot tilting LCD touch-screen. The camera boasts physical design upgrades like an angular body with a highly functional detachable handgrip, a physical mode dial with two custom slots, and a highly versatile dual-mode lens control ring. Performance is solid, offering impressively quick and accurate 35-area contrast-detect autofocus, effective built-in sensor-shift image stabilisation, and a full-resolution continuous shooting speed of 5fps for JPEG bursts up to 200 frames. Pros & Cons Breakdown Pros: The XZ-2 delivers excellent handling and customization via its programmable Fn buttons and versatile lens ring, which shifts seamlessly between clicked exposure clicks and smooth manual focusing. It features a useful built-in 3-stop ND filter, strong wireless flash control capabilities, reliable continuous autofocus during 1080p video recording, and an accessory port compatible with high-quality electronic viewfinders. Cons: The touch-screen is underutilized...

The CNET review of the Olympus Stylus XZ-2 iHS rates the advanced compact camera an 8.0/10, highlighting its bright f/1.8-2.5 lens, excellent photo quality, and robust design as key pros. While praised for its versatile controls and premium feel, the camera is criticized for its high initial price, which CNET deemed about $100 too high at launch. Key disadvantages include significant image noise at high ISO settings, the lack of built-in Wi-Fi, and a restrictive charging system that requires a proprietary cable. Additionally, the review notes that the autofocus and zoom motors produce audible noise during video recording in quiet environments. CNET

The Amateur Photographer review of the Olympus Stylus XZ-2 highlights the premium compact camera as a highly capable tool, featuring a fast and bright f/1.8-2.5 Zuiko lens that provides impressive sharpness, excellent color rendition, and effective depth-of-field control. The camera is further praised for its high-end features, including a tilting LCD screen and a customizable hybrid control ring around the lens. However, the review notes significant drawbacks, particularly regarding severe curvilinear lens distortion and apparent chromatic aberration, which are most pronounced when shooting wide open. Due to a lack of in-camera correction for these optical issues, the review suggests that shooting in RAW for post-processing is necessary to achieve optimal results.

The Olympus XZ-2 is a premium compact digital camera featuring a 12MP BSI CMOS sensor (1/1.7"), a tilting 3" touch-sensitive LCD, and a fast 6-24mm (28-112mm equivalent) f/1.8-2.5 lens. A standout design feature is the versatile control ring around the lens that can toggle between continuous movement for zoom and focus or click stops for adjusting aperture and shutter speed. The camera delivers clean image results up to ISO 800, offers high-speed shooting up to 20 frames/second at a reduced 5MP resolution, and records high-quality 1080p Full HD video at 30fps with continuous autofocus and optical zoom support. Additionally, it features excellent physical customizability, a highly responsive touchscreen, and compatibility with specialized Olympus accessories like underwater housings, external flash units, and electronic viewfinders through its hot-shoe and accessory port. However, the camera exhibits a few notable drawbacks, starting with its high retail price point of $599 (at launch) and a somewhat confusing, non-intuitive menu layout that buries settings deep within sub-menus. In terms of performance, the RAW+JPEG shooting buffer is shallow, filling up after just four shots. While video quality...