Olympus Stylus XZ-10 Camera Review

I wanted to do this review as more of a blogger to blogger rather than pretending to know more about all the technical features than I do or boring you with insane details. I know many of you bloggers are looking to get a new camera whether it be a SLR or a digital equivalent, prices from cameras can vary into the hundreds and some thousands, so when I was sent the Olympus Stylus XZ-10 to try I wanted to show you how well it really works for a blogger and without costing the earth too.

The Olympus Stylus Xz-10 is currently on Amazon for about £150 and for that you get a really high quality camera. I tried out some of the higher end cameras at the Olympus masterclass event last year and I was so impressed with the quality of them, so I was really happy to be able to try out the Xz-10. First off it is so compact and so easy to carry everywhere. When toying with the idea of an SLR what put me off was the size, I do get embarrassed enough sometimes pulling out my camera to take pictures of my food never mind if I look like a frickin paparazzi, so with this one it’s discreet and also looks great too with the silver/white colour and lightweight as well so won’t weigh down your bag.

I have been using it for a few months now so you may have noticed the picture quality changing along with my new blog design. I had a Samsung camera before and this one really makes that one look like a cheap disposable, the picture quality is absolutely excellent, so sharp and you can alter the brightness, colour saturation, so many different features. Here are some pictures I have been taking using the camera, it’s great for food close-ups and beauty as well. I also managed to snap Made In Chelsea star Mark Francis in one of my recent picture adventures down Portobello Market which actually made it into Heat magazine and got a massive feature on their Spotted! page so I was really happy with that as the picture looked fantastic! Who needs a thousand pound paparazzi camera!? All the below pictures can be found in posts across the blog.

For outfit photos, my pictures have become much more clearer and the light looks much better.

I have been using the camera on AUTO setting most of the time and it’s been perfect. I have also been playing around with many of the other features. The camera has various ART settings which include Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Dramatic Tone and Key Line to name a few. I wanted to show you some of these so I got out a trusty banana just for you to share the different settings. The Key Line is awesome, it really makes it look like an illustration.

SCN function lets you take some great portrait photos and is more for action shots like sporting events, night time shots, sunset and one of my favourites, for documents. So many times I have tried with other cameras to get a good close-up shot of writing and this is perfect for that. I also use it when taking some beauty shots as it makes the close-up images really clear.

There are also loads of settings to adjust the aperture, create story board pictures, save settings so you can shoot really quickly using the ones you like and not forgetting of course video. I haven’t played about with the video too much yet but I took a video for my post on the iPod Dock review, the quality yet again was excellent and as I was reviewing the sound of the dock it picked it up so well which made it easy to show it off.

If you are thinking of getting a new camera I hope this review has helped without being covered in jargon, if you like the technical specs head over to the Olympus site to read up on lots more features and aspects of the Xz-10. I really would recommend this camera, it’s a great size, looks good, has awesome picture quality and if you aren’t too clued up on using SLR type cameras this is perfect for you. It also won’t break the bank which is always a good plus. I can’t wait to use it in New York in a couple of weeks as I know it will take some great photos.

If you have any questions, just let me know and I will try my best to answer them!