<p>Improving upon its popular predecessor with several key upgrades, the Olympus XZ-2 boasts a brand new 12-megapixel 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor but thankfully keeps the fast, bright f/1.8-2.5 iZUIKO zoom lens which made the XZ-1 stand out against other enthusiast compact cameras. The XZ-2's 4x zoom lens maintains a wide maximum aperture across its 28-112mm equivalent range, and paired with the new sensor -- which replaces a 10-megapixel CCD -- we found the camera delivered sharp, detailed images even in low-light situations.</p><p>Other enhancements to the Olympus flagship compact include a three-inch, articulating LCD touchscreen that -- though not a great performer in direct sunlight -- provides a great deal of shooting flexibility and makes on-the-fly settings changes easy using the camera's Super Control Panel. And while the XZ-2 doesn't come with an electronic viewfinder, we were happy that you can still add on an Olympus accessory EVF, or if you prefer an accessory flash and stereo microphone. Perhaps the niftiest new feature on the XZ-2 is the ridged Control Ring that encircles the lens and serves two key purposes: It can be used to change the aperture or, by toggling a switch, manually focus the camera. We think it's a brilliant stroke of functionality and ergonomics.</p><p>The Olympus XZ-2 follows on from the popular XZ-1, and that leaves it with some mighty big shoes to fill. How does it fare? Read our Olympus XZ-2 review, and find out!</p><p>Overall, we found the Olympus XZ-2 to be fun to use and lightning fast, with negligible shutter lag and almost-instant, accurate autofocus. It's packed with a ton of advanced photographic features and functionality, ranging from full PASM shooting control to RAW file capture to an excellent Macro mode. We thought its movie features were limited, but the compact does capture Full 1080p HD video at 30p.</p><p><a href="http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2013/07/15/olympus-xz2-review-how-does-it-stack-up-against-its-popular-predecessor-xz1">Keep reading...</a></p>