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Very powerful small camera

Started Sep 30, 2016 | User reviews
vaughanB
vaughanB Veteran Member • Posts: 3,567
Very powerful small camera

I very rarely write reviews, but in the case of the Oly 1S I will make an exception, considering that this camera has a 10.8x optical constant F2.8 lens and an excellent EVF, then it is a very compact camera, added to that is blazingly fast AF (will focus in almost any conditions and on almost any subject) combined with very fast general operation, fast burst, fast precise zoom, this all adds up to a camera that will allow you to grab pretty well any shot you like.

I hadn't realised what a huge advantage it is to have the F2.8 aperture even at the far end of the zoom, this allows you (or rather the camera) to keep shutter speeds up and ISO down where standard superzooms struggle, although this has a smaller than 1" sensor, the advantages of the lens aperture should not be dismissed and of course this allows the camera to remain quite small

Low light performance is pretty decent, again, you can make use of the wide F2.8 aperture in these situations, I have been quite happy with indoor shots in dim light

Its a good camera for action and sports shots because of the very fast burst, and accurate focus, and it really isn't very big or heavy!!, around your neck with the lens retracted under a jacket its always ready for use but not in your way or uncomfortable, unlike most bridge cameras.

For some reason it seems the 1S didn't sell well and they are hard to find, thats the only problem, a camera with a bigger 1" sensor and a similar zoom (although probably won't be constant F2.8) will be much bigger and expensive, and the Oly results are pretty darn good, this is the best small camera (all things considered) that I have owned to date.......give it a try

Olympus Stylus 1s
12 megapixels • 3 screen • 28 – 300 mm (10.7×)
Announced: Apr 13, 2015
vaughanB's score
5.0
Average community score
4.3
bad for good for
Kids / pets
great
Action / sports
excellent
Landscapes / scenery
great
Portraits
great
Low light (without flash)
okay
Flash photography (social)
unrated
Studio / still life
great
= community average
snowline Regular Member • Posts: 327
Re: Very powerful small camera
2

I agree with everything you wrote. In spite of its strengths, it's no longer even listed on the Olympus Canada website nor in most on-line stores. It's a shame since it really is a great little camera.

If it sold better we could have expected the model to continuously improve. As it is, the other options either give up too much (EVF, aperture, etc.) or are just a different beast, like the much larger and pricier Panasonic FZ1000/2500 and Sony RX 10 series.

Oh well, we can still enjoy our cameras for now and see what else comes down the pipe in the future.

Bob.

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