![]() ![]() Over the week that we've been using the XZ-10 for it felt a familiar experience: in use it's a lot like the XZ-2 with fewer on-body controls. Some excessive wobbling on screen wasn't ideal and made us reshoot a number of frames. And we really felt it in use, and not just in dimmer conditions. While the sensor is able to shift to counteract handshake, there's no way to benefit from this during preview composition of a shot. However, if there's one big omission form the lens's specification then it has to be the lack of image stabilisation. Jostling the aperture value via the up and down keys of the d-pad on the rear does feel a little alien as it's very easy to accidentally adjust exposure compensation instead, but that's the Olympus way - and it's something that eventually sticks. ![]() With a wide-open f/1.8 aperture at the widest setting, dipping to a still impressive f/2.7 at the longest focal length, there are immediate benefits to this: more light can enter the lens to keep shutter speed down for hand-held shots in low light, while creative control of background bokeh (otherwise known as background blur) is enhanced compared to many lesser compacts. We're keen to see a broader-than-XZ-2 26mm equivalent wide-angle, but that can still feel a touch limiting for those extra wide-angle shots - a 24mm equivalent would have been a nicety, albeit one that would probably have introduced additional corner softness.Įlsewhere the lens does a grand job of squeezing such a bright aperture range into a slender body. It propels the 26-130mm equivalent optic through its paces at a steady speed. The camera's lens is controlled as per many other compacts via a zoom toggle around the shutter button on top. Other buttons are reflective of a fairly standard compact camera design - again a balance of function to style there aren't dozens of function buttons strewn around the body, instead it's just the one Fn on the rear next to the rotational d-pad control. It's positioned well to get an easy grasp of it too - not too thin, not too thick for the fingers. This lens ring doesn't offer the dual-function of the XZ-2 - which included a smooth rotation for manual focus as well as the "click-in" option which features here - but it's still apt for quick adjustment of aperture settings and the like. The camera has a variety of control dials, including a mode dial on top of the camera and - our favourite - a physical control ring around the lens which can rotate in both directions. While this Stylus is not a Pen - that's almost confusing by dictionary definitions, right? - it sure does look top quality to us. Both model ranges combine a retro aesthetic with modern-day tech. ![]() In the last few years Olympus has succeeded in establishing itself as a bit of a style icon in the camera world thanks to the launch of the digital Pen and OM-D series of cameras. And although the XZ-10 is understated in its design, it's the combination of metal body, slender form factor and smooth edges that keep it from looking too industrial and brash. The XZ-10 changes that: brandished with the designer font "Stylus" logo to the rear as well as on top of the pop-up flash, stylish - rather than Stylus - is a word we'd opt for. Olympus hasn't really pushed its Stylus brand much before. Is this metal-bodied Stylus the right direction for Olympus' range and, indeed, can this brand new model hold its own in the ever-growing advanced compact camera market? A Stylus… Not a Pen The XZ-10 looks to be the bridge between standard and larger-sensor compact cameras. sensor-shift stabilisation doesn't benefit preview.some issues with lens column not retracting.often good quality from small sensor size. ![]()
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