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Olympus has once again redefined the enthusiast compact camera market segment by bringing together a slew of features that are found across its camera range in the new Stylus 1. Specially designed to target semi-pro shooters who want optical brilliance, it comes along with DSLR operation, convenience and portability, being a one-size-fits-all package. Apart from that, the Olympus Stylus 1 will also come with an i.ZUIKO lens which incorporates the outstanding optical quality of the Olympus ZUIKO interchangeable lenses. Right at its heart lies a large 1/1.7-inch BSI CMOS sensor and TruePic VI image processor, where it will be accompanied by extra features such as a built-in electronic viewfinder (EVF) that can also be found on the award-winning Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Wi-Fi connectivity so that you are able to capture and sharing anywhere.

Sporting a newly developed, ultra-slim 10.7x (28–300mm) high-power i.ZUIKO lens, it will deliver constant f2.8 brightness across the zoom range, making it versatile enough to capture wide to telephoto shots while delivering pro-quality stills with beautiful, defocused backgrounds and crisp images, never mind that you are shooting even in low light conditions. The large diameter lens will also come with a powerful, built-in VCM image stabilization mechanism which virtually eliminates camera shake and blur. Not only that, its lens is also able to capture stunning macro shots even from as close as 2” away.

Whenever you are not making use of the lens, it will retract fully into the camera body, placing it behind a removable automatic lens cap, allowing the Stylus 1 to fit into a coat pocket without batting an eyelid. The Stylus 1 will also feature a Fast Touch AF system from the Olympus PEN series for near-instant, precision focusing thanks to the tiltable LCD touchscreen monitor.

Not only that, there is also Full HD video recording capability, while you will also have Art Filters thrown into the mix with bracketing option, five Art Effects and Photo Story, too. The Olympus Stylus 1 will arrive later this December for $699.99 a pop, although there is only one color to choose from – black.

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[ The Olympus Stylus 1 delivers DSLR performance in a compact form factor copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Looking to boost your compact capabilities, but don’t want to deal with the hassle of swapping lenses? You might take interest with the Stylus XZ-2 — Olympus’ most powerful point-and-shoot model. Admittedly, we’re having a bit of difficultly working through the appeal of this latest fixed-lens snapper, given the $600 price tag and a body that’s comparable in size to the PEN E-PL5 and even larger than the E-PM2. In the model’s defense, it does include an impressive f/1.8-2.5, 28-112mm 4x optical zoom lens, though its 12-megapixel 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor is smaller than what’s included with its interchangeable-lens cousins, and the camera’s sensitivity tops out at ISO 12,800. It does, however, offer 1080p shooting and a higher-res swivel 3-inch 920k-dot LCD with Touch AF Shutter control. Still, we would have liked to see these features included with the company’s latest Micro Four Thirds cameras, rather than on a model with a smaller sensor and no interchangeable lens.

If you’re set on the XZ-2, you’ll be plenty pleased with the design — it’s quite similar to the E-PL5, and therefore quite capable. There’s an option to swap in red, beige and purple grips (the camera body itself is only available in black), and you can add a body jacket and an underwater housing. There’s also a built-in flash, which pops up from the top left corner, and you’ll find PEN-like controls, to boot. We spent a few minutes with the XZ-2, though the battery was dead during our demo, unfortunately, so we weren’t able to shoot. Still, the design felt practical, and the camera seemed solid overall. The hybrid control ring is a “world’s first,” according to Olympus, and offers the same functionality in both a click mode, which provides feedback, and a smoother silent mode, which won’t produce any noise or vibration when shooting videos. The Stylus XZ-2 will ship a bit after the new PEN models, in November, but you can take a peek now in our gallery just below.

Continue reading Olympus Stylus XZ-2 is a digital compact stuck in a mirrorless camera’s body, we go hands-on

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Olympus Stylus XZ-2 is a digital compact stuck in a mirrorless camera’s body, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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