14 DAY TRIAL // Compact cameras usually have to trade off performance and image quality for portability, and this holds true for the new Olympus Stylus 1, but that doesn't mean that the company wasn't able to sneak in some special perks.
For one thing, the new photo and video capture device has a hybrid control ring, similar to the one found on the Olympus STYLUS XZ-2 iHS.
Said control ring is built around the lens and can switch between digital and analog operation. In digital mode, you can zoom and manually focus, while analog mode allows you to adjust settings such as aperture and shutter speed.
Another asset is the fully retractable lens, although this isn't as unusual as the first. After all, when you need to be able to pocket a camera, having anything sticking out of it will work against the attempt.
Olympus Stylus 1 boasts a newly developed, ultra-slim 10.7x (28–300mm) high-power i.ZUIKO lens, whose main advantage is the constant f2.8 brightness across the zoom range.
It can snap wide to telephoto shots, pro-quality stills with defocused backgrounds, and even images with telephoto shooting in low light.
The lens also has a wider diameter than is customary for compact cameras, complete with built-in VCM image stabilization mechanism, for no camera shake and blur. Macro shots from 2 inches away can be captured as well.
As for when the lens isn't in use, it retracts completely into the camera body and hides behind a removable automatic lens cap.
Other specifications include a 12MP 1/1.7-inch BSI CMOS Sensor, a 3-inch 1.04M-dot Tilt-Touch LCD, Wi-Fi support, 1080p video recording, and Built-in Flash, Wireless and Hot Shoe.
Olympus will ship the Stylus 1 camera starting in December 2013, for the price of $699.99 / €699.99. Pre-orders can already be placed though, and you can probably make one without worry that the price will go down once availability ramps up.
