High altitude skiing with Olympus XZ-1 [IMGs]

It's more convenient to ski with a lighter camera than the E-400 and E-3 that I've been practising before. I can skip the chest harness and the backpack, since the new XZ-1 type of pocket camera is so diminutive in comparison. But the pictures it brings home is not disappointing, and in addition it is HD video capable also, however not as convenient as a helmet camera that becomes more and more popular.

Equipped with a spare battery, I can easily manage a day out in the cold. Considering video I brought with me two type class6 SDHC cards (SanDisk Extreme with 20MB/s = 133x).

I used SCN modes for Portrait and Panorama, sometimes C(ustom) for RAW+JPEG, but most times P or iAUTO modes.

When working mostly with gloves on, I could wish the mode button was less easy to move, the rear control wheel a bit larger, and the front lens a bit more recessed to avoid fingerprints. Otherwise, it's easily a shirt pocket camera, it does seldom need a flash, it loves low light, it focuses very fast and has both an excellent lens and display.

--

Ludwig Wittgenstein; British philosopher born in Austria; a major influence on logic and logical positivism (1889-1951):

“What can be said at all can be said clearly; and whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent”

High altitude skiing - Klein Matterhorn:





(sign not intended for skiers)

Gobba di Rollin - panorama:

Hello,

Lucky you! Beautiful shots !

Geir Ove
--
My album at: http://www.objective.no/gostemp

Some very good shots from "that camera". Love the pano.

Thane
--
Oh White Rose
skin of alabaster
picturesque
in winters thrall,

I beseech you
smile on all that look,
and honour your essence.

The new black pist 59 in Cervinia at the foot of Monte Cervino is a brutal slope,
very steep, icy and long.

When I was skiing it this week, an overenthusiastic man was falling and couldn't stop for ~400 meters. Luckily, he didn't get hurt or loose his skis this time. I doubt he'll be back in the #59, but I hope he is wearing at least a helmet and also a back protector if he returns. I skied more careful after viewing his fall, and I doubt I'll ski the #59 myself again in future.

The Olympus XZ-1 is an unobtrusive camera. It's pocketable, and seldom needs the internal or an external flash, it focuses easily and fast. The [ƒ/1.8...ƒ/2.5] speed of the i.ZUIKO DIGITAL lens is what makes all this happen.













--

Ludwig Wittgenstein; British philosopher born in Austria; a major influence on logic and logical positivism (1889-1951):

“What can be said at all can be said clearly; and whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent”

Although a helmet camera would have been more convenient, I took some video sequences with the XZ-1.

Originally a MJPEG, but I have transcoded it into H264 using Nero Recode:

Olympus_XZ-1_P2040686.mp4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O63iC1euJcY

Good shooting: The XZ1, looks like a keeper !

Thanks Vjim

I looked at all the images...they are excellent. This camera does look like a good one, one that I'm sure will generate lots of sales.

Wow! Wonderful shots and video clip. It seems that the camera's metering system is doing a very good job, especailly in the snow scenery. Is there a snow scene mode and you used that?

I have another question about the video. What settings (or mode) did you use and how did you do focusing? I'm just wondering how the camera can keep everything in focus during the entire shooting period. (I've never done camera video shooting before, so this might be kind of silly question

Awesome! I'm not sure what impresses me more - the photos, the scenery, the video, or the skiing! Thanks for posting!

All of your shots are super! They are much sharper than others that I've seen. This camera is back in the running for me.
Sue
--
http://www.pbase.com/osusana
-Nikon 18-105mm VR lens (in-between DSLRs right now)
-Kodak C 182

Skiing creates good apetite. Fortunately good food is available both in Schweiz and Italien. The last nights fondue was very good, but I missed the exposure settings seriously on that photo (blaming on the after ski drinks), so I had to lift the exposure several EV to recover some details. Good to see that it works also, so the 1/1.63" sensor is pretty good in my opinion.

















--

Ludwig Wittgenstein; British philosopher born in Austria; a major influence on logic and logical positivism (1889-1951):

“What can be said at all can be said clearly; and whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent”

Great video and pix - thanks.

Regards. Barr1e

--

You probably heard that Zermatt is car-free and all transports are via electric cars, horse sleighs and carriages. It took some time to be aware of the silent approaching battery-driven cars in the crossroads. The luxury hotels offers horse carriages. I even spotted an electric snowmobile.

















--

Ludwig Wittgenstein; British philosopher born in Austria; a major influence on logic and logical positivism (1889-1951):

“What can be said at all can be said clearly; and whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent”

I can honestly say that I have never heard of Zermatt before! But now i have googled it and have learned all that Wikipedia can teach me
--
Flaming June from Georgia

"She glances at the photo, and the pilot light of memory flickers in her eyes." Frank Deford

Geir Ove said:

Hello,

Lucky you! Beautiful shots !

Geir Ove
--
My album at: http://www.objective.no/gostemp

Click to expand...

Hello,

It's easy done with a camera that's so easy to bring with. And it can handle the Nordic cold temperatures as well, just bring an extra battery and keep that warm.

P.S: I couldn't view your album at your ´gostemp´ directory, no privilegies I think.
--

Ludwig Wittgenstein; British philosopher born in Austria; a major influence on logic and logical positivism (1889-1951):

“What can be said at all can be said clearly; and whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent”

I just practised, unfortunately after returning from the ski trip, how to create better panoramas using the Olympus XZ-1.

There are three menu alternatives for creating the panoramas :

• Auto (three horizontal images: just align and the camera automatically triggers the remaining two)
• Manual (three horizontal images: the user controls the trigger)
• stitching using PC : (up to 10 horizontal or vertical orientation)

All three modes presents a ghost image to align against and all three are using 4:3 aspect ratio. I missed to learn the last alternative, which I find most useful in order to cover a larger view, rather than just a horizonal stripe.

As with all panoramic photography, it's important to have a fix nodal point, otherwise stitching problems due to parallax errors will occur, as exemplified on some of my panoramas here.

I can use MS Windows Live Photo Gallery, Hugin Photo Panorama, or the supplied Olympus iB software to stitch the final picture.

OlyChamp said:

Some very good shots from "that camera". Love the pano.

Thane
--
Oh White Rose
skin of alabaster
picturesque
in winters thrall,

I beseech you
smile on all that look,
and honour your essence.

Click to expand...

--

Ludwig Wittgenstein; British philosopher born in Austria; a major influence on logic and logical positivism (1889-1951):

“What can be said at all can be said clearly; and whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent”

These two panoramas are created in Auto Mode consisting of three exposures each and merged within the camera itself. Back home I further merged these two panoramas together, making a superpanorama out of actually six exposures.

Shouldn't do this without a tripod and a nodal point fixture, but I like experimenting.

Mounaineering interested people could here see several +4000m peaks, like Dufourspitze, Castor, Pollux, Lyskam, Breithorn, Matterhorn

Panorama #1





Panorama #2





Panorama #1 + Panorama #2





--

Ludwig Wittgenstein; British philosopher born in Austria; a major influence on logic and logical positivism (1889-1951):

“What can be said at all can be said clearly; and whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent”