So I bought the Olympus XZ-1 because all the websites have been raving about it. I had to see f

So I bought the Olympus XZ-1 because all the websites have been raving about it.  I had to see for myself.  Besides its good looks and fast lens, there’s really nothing outstanding.  Yeah it can record HD video but almost every camera can nowadays and video is not my priority.  I’ll be honest, I wanted it for its looks and the f1.8 lens but it really makes no difference from the f2.0 lens on my Panasonic Lumix LX3.  The Zuiko lens on the Olympus is nowhere as sharp as the Leica lens on LX3.  Noise reduction on the Oly is also horrible, and there’s no setting to lower it so most shots come out looking like watercolor.  I also don’t care for the user interface because the menu is all over the place.  The body is mostly plastic which I didn’t mind as much because its much lighter than the metal body of LX3 but it made the Oly look cheap.  The lens felt flimsy too, not solid like LX3.  Ultimately it’s all about image quality. I couldn’t care less about features.  Never again will I trust “professional” reviews, I would rather read reviews from enthusiasts like myself who have had extensive use of the cameras and don’t just stick them on a tripod in the studio.  The Nikon S8100 and Nikon P300 got high ratings but I tried them out and they suck.  I will stick with my LX3 thank you.  Returned the Oly back to Amazon.  Boy do they hate me.

If anyone’s planning to get an advanced point&shoot, go for Panasonic LX3/LX5 if you want amazing image quality and a camera that is aesthetically pleasing.  Go for Canon S90/95 if you want comparable image quality and portability(it’s smaller than the LX’s), but you’ll have to live with it’s ugly and plain body.  There is also the Samsung TL500/EX1, I have not had any experience with Samsung cameras so I cannot recommend it and it’s also bigger than the others mentioned but it’s another option.