![]() Unlike the Samsung TL500 (EX1), the front dial is always used to adjust the principal parameter - shutter speed in shutter priority, aperture value in aperture priority. We found the rear control dial to be a little bit fiddly and slightly hard to move by the exact amount desired (as is so often the case with this style of control). The functions of these two rings depends on the shooting mode and cannot be customized. The XZ-1 offers two control dials - one around the lens and another on the rear of the camera. It's a unique ability in this class of camera and makes the addition of an FL-36R flashgun worth considering. ![]() The small, modestly powered built-in flash pulls off a neat trick - the ability to remotely control and fire compatible flashguns. It's a screen that offers superb brightness and contrast with better viewing angles and better battery life than LCD displays are capable of. Close examination of the panel shows it appears to be using the Samsung-owned PenTile pixel arrangement too. The specification is identical to that of the unit used in Samsung's TL500/EX1 enthusiast camera. The XZ-1 features a 610k dot OLED display. Its maximum aperture stays better than F2.2 until around 100mm equivalent, making it brighter than the previously class-leading Samsung EX1/TL500 (which is F2.4 at its 72mm limit). It offers a currently unbeaten combination of range (28-112mm equivalent) and brightness (F1.8-2.5). Even in a category of cameras with bright lenses, it stands out. The headline feature of the XZ-1 is undoubtedly its 'i.Zuiko' lens. The port is however not the same as that on the E-PL2 (which uses an AP-2 port), so it's not possible to use the newly-announced PENPal Bluetooth add-on. The XZ-1 features the AP-1 accessory port that previously appeared on the PEN EP-2 and E-PL1, meaning it can be used to connect the excellent VF-2 external viewfinder, SEMA-1 external microphone or MAL-1 LED macro lights announced alongside the XZ-1. The control dial around the lens encourages a two-handed shooting style that gives a stable platform for shooting, while also leaving the right thumb free to use the rear control dial. In your handÄespite the lack of any protruding grip on the front of the camera, the XZ-1 still sits pretty comfortably in the hand. The result is that it is exposing an area very similar to the 1/1.7" sensor used by many of its peers. Rather than expanding to use different regions of the sensor, the Olympus crops into the 4:3 image size. Unlike the LX5, the XZ-1 doesn't offer the multi-aspect ratio mode that retains the same diagonal angle-of-view for most of its image shapes. The sensor is a 1/1.63" CCD, a specification familiar from the Panasonic LX5. The other disappointment is the lack of any sort of AEL/AFL button, meaning there's no way to take exposure and focus readings from different points of the frame. We're disappointed not to have direct access to the ISO setting in Aperture Priority and Shutter Speed Priority modes but the live control screen does at least remember the last-used setting, so will revert to ISO if you're regularly changing it. ![]() Several key functions (AF area, flash control and drive mode) are available on the four-way controller while others are also fairly easily accessed - pressing the INFO button brings up a variation of the 'live control screen' function menu seen on the PEN series. ![]() This, combined with the smaller control dial around the four-way controller, makes changing settings very simple. The design is understated with little in the way of flourish or adornment but there's still a reasonable level of external control thanks, in no small part, to the control dial around the lens. The XZ-1 is an undeniably attractive camera in both its stealth matte black or glossy white finishes, it cuts a pretty classy figure.
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