Olympus presents Stylus XZ-2 high-end compact camera at photokina

According to a press release, the result is expressive background defocusing and sophisticated bokeh, plus the flexibility to use short, blur-free exposure times in low light.

From 1-cm macros to expansive landscapes, the large-aperture lens combines with the 1/1.7” high-sensitivity back-lit CMOS sensor and the same TruePic VI processor used in Olympus’ O-MD system camera. The XZ-2 captures effortlessly up to ISO 12800.

The Stylus XZ-2 contains of a 920,000-dot, 3-inch hypercrystal LCD. The user can apply 11 Art Filters to Full HD movies and stills and post the results via a wireless FlashAir SD card using the smartphone interface. To adapt the XZ-2 to specific needs, Olympus offers a wide range of creative and practical accessories, including a matching external flash, electronic viewfinder, body jacket and – from mid-November 2012 – the PT-054 underwater housing that’s waterproof down as deep as 45 metres. There’s also a sleek, matching black LC-63A lens cap that opens and closes automatically whenever activating the camera.

The XZ-2 will be available from late October 2012.