First off, as a photographer, I can flat out say judging a camera by 'pixel peeping' a waste of time, unless you're planning to put your photos on a billboard or the side of a bus. Most images are printed out as 5x7 or 8x10. Also, I've had A3+ sized photobooks printed out using 1600 ISO images, and the noise doesn't translate to the print.
Onto the review: my old Point and Shoot was having problems focusing in lower light. So, I went out shopping for a point and shoot.
Yes, the Stylus 1 is more expensive than I planned. However, it does a helluva lot more than your average point and shoot. I've taken the Stylus out at night shooting, and haven't seen the blurring, but I think that's because I don't have the in camera noise filter on, or set to the lowest setting possible depending on the lighting, and for such a small sensor, I was surprised at the results. Clear sharp images, even after noise reduction during photo processing.
I like that when on Manual the aperture setting dial is no where near the shutter speed anymore, that you change the shutter speed via a ring round the lens.
Customizable buttons/dials allows you to set your camera up to suit your needs. You can even set which directions the dial turn to suit.
I did notice a problem, that is software correctable. In bright back, or directional lighting situations, the chromatic aberrations are highly visible, and the provided Olympus Viewer 3 can't seem to correct it. (Adobe Photoshop did, using Oly 10-60mm lens profile. I'm using Adobe Camera Raw 8.3 and there is no profile for the Stylus 1). Olympus Viewer 3 also struggled with making panoramas from shots taken in Panorama mode, whereas Adobe Photoshop stitched them together flawlessly. Hopefully, all these issues could be fixed with a software update.
In the past, I haven't been a big fan of digital zoom, but I have to say that the Stylus does a pretty good job of it, as long as you are shooting low ISO, and make sure you're shooting in JPG/RAW mode, as it only affects a JPG. Yes, there are some noise artifacts, but no where near as much as there used to be, and easily corrected in photo processing software.
Lightweight, small, and great set up options. It's great for street photography, as you can not only shut off the beeps, you can also silence the shutter.
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