Olympus SP 550 UZ

[Darren Rowse]

Olympus today announced a new digital camera - the Olympus SP 550 UZ.

This is a 7.1 megapixel camera but it's biggest and most attractive feature is the 18x Optical Zoom lens. It has an equivalent lens range of 28-504mm!

It comes with image stabilization (as you'd hope with something this size!).

[scw1217]

I have had this camera for 2 weeks now and can offer a bit of a review. First, the zoom is AWESOME! There are 2 macro settings. One allows you to get as close as 1 cm. This is also really nice.

It has many, many manual settings. One rather unusual feature is the ability to re-program the Image Stabilization button to do a plethora of things. I have chosen to make it an Auto Exposure lock. (You can turn IS on from the menu and leave it on, thus you don't need the button.)

The LCD screen is a nice big size. I have two minor complaints about it, however. The first involves the highly touted Bright Image capture. This feature, which you cannot turn off, will boost the ISO in the LCD image. Thus in the dark, the picture appears brighter than it is in reality. It is a very helpful feature for low light images, and the camera takes nice low light pictures. (It has a 15 second shutter speed and a Bulb setting.) However, in bright sunlight B.I. capture turns your LCD image slightly pink. This does not affect your final image, but does make exposure difficult. My 2nd complaint is that whenever you click the "menu" button, the camera automatically switches from the LCD being seen in the eyepiece, to being back on the main LCD screen. This is more annoying than anything.

Another complaint is that the lens attachment accessory (which is extra and does not come with the camera) does not allow for wide angle photographs. This is due to the 18x zoom being so long. Thus at wide angle with the accessory attached, you get the "tube" effect. Forget using it with filters, unless you are zooming way in. (You can always hand hold them.)

My last complaint is that the battery symbol either signals that it is full or dead. It does not give you a "battery low" symbol. But to be fair, it will not die on you and leave your lens out, but signals "dead" with enough strength to shut the camera off and save images.

Overall, the camera is super. It is very lightweight, takes excellent images, has many manual options, including great in-camera adjustable white balance (with the ability to add more red or blue specifically) and nice in-camera sharpening. I recommend this camera.

Here's some images recently taken with it. I have provided info on each photo.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v31/scw1217/Olympus/

[Saralonde]

Thanks for the review and pictures, Suzanne. The pelican shot is wonderful!

[scw1217]

Originally Posted by Saralonde

Thanks for the review and pictures, Suzanne. The pelican shot is wonderful!

Thanks, Sara, I'm glad you liked it. I know there is not much out on this camera right now and so am providing info for any others interested.

[Beks101]

I also have this camera and love it! I'm just having some trouble understanding all the other settings but I am going to post to the masses on this shortly!

Thank you for giving me confidence that I bought a good one!

[scw1217]

Originally Posted by Beks101

I also have this camera and love it! I'm just having some trouble understanding all the other settings but I am going to post to the masses on this shortly!

Thank you for giving me confidence that I bought a good one!

You're welcome! It's a great camera and now that I've used it for several months, I love it even more. I simply cannot say enough about the zoom. It is simply wonderful. Picture clarity is great and colors are well captured.

If I could get Olympus to fix just one feature, it'd be the manual focus. I have yet to figure out how to use it properly. My other issues, the "pink" LCD and the LCD switch back to the "eye" screen have worked themselves out for the most part. It still happens but I rarely notice.

----------------------
Suzanne
Suzanne Williams Photography
http://web.tampabay.rr.com/swilli41/www
Florida, USA

[bsolah]

I bought this camera a few weeks ago and am absolutely loving it. I used to have a Canon PowerShot A310 so this is a bit of a step up.

The zoom and megapixels are awesome, but also, I just love the feel of the camera. I like compact cameras that look like SLRs and this was exactly what I was looking for in a camera.

[gjtoth]

Originally Posted by scw1217

Thanks, Sara, I'm glad you liked it. I know there is not much out on this camera right now and so am providing info for any others interested.

Suzanne, based on the strength of your review and your sample captures, I bought this camera upgrading from a Kodak Z612. I think "upgrading" may be the wrong word. More like QUANTUM LEAPING from....

I had the pure luck to sell my old camera & accessories to break even for a SP-550 refurb. Not too shabby.

I've had it about three weeks now and am having a great time learning it.

Many thanks to you...

Here's a sample of a shot I took in RAW converted to jpg. I'm still getting used to it but.........