Olympus Stylus XZ-2 at a glance:

• 12.76-million-pixel, 1/1.7in CMOS sensor
• 3in, 920,000-dot tilting LCD screen
• ISO 100-12,800
• Street price around £479

Olympus Stylus XZ-2 review – Introduction

At the time of the Olympus XZ-1’s release, photographers praised the high-end compact camera as an excellent alternative to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 and Canon PowerShot G12, which were both seen as top-of-the-range compact cameras for enthusiast photographers. Now, 21 months on, the competition is even more fierce..

Announced in September at the photokina trade show, the new Olympus Stylus XZ-2 will have to strike the right chord to exceed the popularity of its predecessor. With this in mind, the XZ-2 has undergone a redesign and received a range of new features that should, once again, see Olympus challenge the likes of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 and the Canon PowerShot G15 for the compact crown.