Product Listing

Olympus XZ-10 - A Smaller and Better XZ-2?

By Hafeez Sim - 25 Apr 2013
Launch SRP: S$548

Conclusion

Conclusion

The XZ-10 is a competent camera that offers manual controls in a compact, well-built metal body. The ability to shoot at f/1.8 will definitely appeal to the photography enthusiast while the control ring in its design proves that this compact is aimed at those who like some degree of manual control. Sure we mentioned about the less than ideal menu system, but fortunately its quick shooting menu offers control options in a jiffy. On the other hand, the slight shutter lag combined with the freezing of the display whenever a shot is taken will definitely annoy those used to the response and speed of DSLR cameras, but if you can accommodate that, there's not much else to dislike about the XZ-10.

To give you a practical example to help you make a better decision, if you intend to take several snapshots of your pet or child in succession, then this issue will definitely be a major stumbling block when trying to snap constantly moving subjects. While some of us can predict if such instances will form a large part of shooting collection, many others can't really predict this and this is exactly why cameras exist to capture the movement. We can easily let this issue slide if it was a standard compact camera, but the XZ-2 is an advanced compact camera. This is why the issue is magnified and we would advise would-be buyers to actually give the camera a try to see if it's a lag that they can personally tolerate.

Now let's consider the value quotient. Most potential buyers will be comparing the XZ-10 (S$548) with its larger sibling, the XZ-2 (S$698). With a price disparity of a sizable S$150, the larger and more expensive XZ-2 will you will get you a tilting rear display, a hot shoe mount and a slightly larger sensor for that sum of money.

If most of your images are going to be uploaded online and you don't intend to make large prints of your images, then we doubt the difference in sensor size will affect the quality of your images. In fact, the exclusion of a tilting screen and the hot shoe mount results in a much smaller camera body. And that’s the best part about the XZ-10; it’s a small and portable camera that offers enough customizability and manual controls to satisfy the photography enthusiast without burning a hole through your pocket. Last but not least, is the affordable price enough to offset the shutter and screen lag? That's up to individuals to try and decide.  But if it doesn't bother you, the Olympus XZ-2 might be your ideal pocket advanced compact camera.

The Olympus XZ-10 offers a compelling advanced compact camera that's really  handy in size and is affordable to boot. Shutter lag and the perceived screen freeze after each shot might be its main detractors, but we encourage you to give it a try as personal tolerances vary.

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8.0
  • Performance 7.5
  • Design 8.5
  • Features 8
  • User-Friendliness 7.5
  • Value 8.5
The Good
Compact and solid build quality
Has manual controls
Customizable Fn button
Automatic lens cover
The Bad
Display momentarily freezes after each shot
Slight shutter lag
No hot shoe port
Battery can only be charged in-camera
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