XZ-1 Lensmate Auto Lens Cap Review

[weilkevin]

I recently purchased the Lensmate Auto Lens Cap. The included olympus lens cap is the most disappointing aspect of the XZ-1 in my opinion. The lens is so celebrated by Olympus that you would think they would protect it a little better. I also wasn't a fan of having a lens cap hanging down off of the camera. It's just inconvenient and can potentially get in the way of your photos.

The auto lens cap snuggly screws into the lens and you can basically just screw it on and forget it. No need to hold it out of the way when taking photos or putting it back on after turning the camera off.

One downside is the size. I never considered the XZ-1 a pocketable cameara, so this wasn't a huge issue for me but for others it might get in the way. The lensmate cap adds about 1/2 inch onto the end of the retracted lens. Although the size could be an issue, the weight definitely won't be a problem. The cap is plastic which means it doesn't add weight to the camera. This also means the camera won't have to do much work to push the cap out of the way which could strain the motor used to move the lens. Lensmate also claims that when they tried using an aluminum lens cap, the threads scratched the paint off of the XZ-1.

The pictures show more detail and I believe do a better job of showing exactly how the lens cap works compared to the lensmate website. Sorry the picture quality is so poor, I couldn't use the XZ-1 to take pictures of the XZ-1

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me! This is my first review so comments and criticisms are greatly appreciated!


w/ Lensmate


w/o Lensmate


w/ Lensmate


w/o Lensmate


w/ Lensmate


w/o Lensmate

[Liz]

Thanks for the detailed evaluation. Sounds like it would be a good investment.

BTW - unfortunately your photos have a red x - no photo.

Enjoy your camera! And post some pics. :thumbsup:

Liz

[weilkevin]

That's so weird. When I first loaded the pictures, they worked fine. Now they're showing up as corrupt but when I right click to open them in a new tab they work for me....Well here is the gallery that I posted them at.

Lensmate Auto Lens Cap for XZ-1

[Liz]

That's so weird. When I first loaded the pictures, they worked fine. Now they're showing up as corrupt but when I right click to open them in a new tab they work for me....Well here is the gallery that I posted them at.

Lensmate Auto Lens Cap for XZ-1

It looks good! Not so big....maybe a bit. But I use the VF-2 - and it takes up more extra space than the cap here.

It sounds like you're liking your new camera! When we start buying accessories, it begins to get serious!

BTW, I would post the problem you had with the images along with the link to your thread here in the Site Feedback forum down further on the page - that's usually where the guys who can help will look! If it's a PR problem, which it sounds like it is, they need to know - and can probably fix it or at least fine the cause.

Liz

[weilkevin]

Ok I think its fixed...Can anyone please verify that the pictures in the OP are working?

Thanks for the replies btw Liz. I'm definitely loving this camera. I've never really been into photography much but I started working with farm animals recently and the amount of cute things I see on a day to day basis is just ridiculous. It was hard to not take pictures haha but my cell phone wasn't quite doing them justice.

[Liz]

Ok I think its fixed...Can anyone please verify that the pictures in the OP are working?

Thanks for the replies btw Liz. I'm definitely loving this camera. I've never really been into photography much but I started working with farm animals recently and the amount of cute things I see on a day to day basis is just ridiculous. It was hard to not take pictures haha but my cell phone wasn't quite doing them justice.

Yes, the photos are posted above. Nice!

Working with farm animals has to be very interesting - and fun (probably as well as hard work!). :thumbsup:

Don't forget to post some of the photos that you'll be taking - when you have the time to post.

Liz

[SmartWombat]

Olympus sell a similar accessory now, just found it on their website while looking for the underwater housing.