Olympus' SP-800UZ 30x superzoom starts taking pre-orders
By Vlad Savov 
posted February 19th 2010 9:40AM
posted February 19th 2010 9:40AM
[Thanks, Ron]
posted February 19th 2010 9:40AM
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Optical or Digital zoom?
Serious question, Im a little torn between something like this and waiting for the Canon T2i (and saving up). What kind of niche do these cameras fill? Is it like a point and shoot on steroids?
@Tidal Pretty much a P&S with a big ass zoom and lots of image settings. Far from dSLR range.
@Nitesh Thanks for that explanation. Looks like I'm gonna hold out for my T2i!
@Nitesh
Yeah, that's actually my biggest beef with these cameras.. The sensor in them is the same size as any other p&s camera, making the larger lens almost pointless. And while having a big zoom range is convenient, all these superzooms go way overboard with it, to the point where you will not get a good picture at the maximum zoom without a sturdy tripod, a completely wind-free day, and some luck.
@Tidal Never, I mean Never, compare a DSLR with a compact camera, there are people who will shoot you otherwise...:)
Jokes apart, if you are serious about your photography, go for a DSLR by all means. If you are just another casual photographer, then this kind of camera makes sense.
By the way, even pro DSLR users have a P&S as a backup though, so such camera can fill that niche comfortably.
@Tidal If you have made your mind about T2i, then fine. Otherwise I just advise you to take a look at the Nikon ranges as well.
By the way, I am a Nikonian though...:)
@sourav
Thanks for the insights. As of right now my mind is made up on the T2i because it's also looking very promising in the video department. It has an external mic input which I haven't seen on a Nikon in that price point. I'm secretly hoping Nikon will come out with something to compete soon, I have a colleague who does professional photography on the side and he uses a Nikon. I wanted to be able to rely on his insights as I learn. I was seriously thinking about the D5000 before I heard about the T2i. I'm hoping it will make a decent enough video recorder, that's what I'm using to convince my wife :) I guess time will tell!
Is this pocketable? It's kind of hard to tell how far the lens protrudes in the picture, but the back looks pretty slim.
Does it support high-speed SDHC cards?
Um, no it's not pocketable.
Also, it has both mechanical and digital IS. This is direct from Oly's site "Olympus’ mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization keeps images sharp by adjusting the internal image sensor to compensate for camera movement, even in low-light conditions when shutter speeds are slower. Additionally, Digital Image Stabilization freezes the action with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds that prevent blurry images often caused by a moving subject."
Olympus makes some really good cameras. My old C2100Z has better images (even with it's measly 2MP) than anything currently under a grand. Sadly, after 6 years it started fritzing out on my so I had to buy a newer 10MP camera. So if Oly was successful in combining high-MP with awesome image quality, I may have to buy this.
@strommsarnac
Looks good on paper, but it doesn't work that well in practical usage. Most cameras nowadays have some sort of image stabilization system. The problem with p&s cameras is that the image quality degrades terribly at even medium iso ranges. You'll start noticing noise at 200 iso on most cameras, 400 on better ones, and almost all p&s will produce very grainy images at 800+ iso unless you have perfect lighting. This is a function of the 1/2.33" sensor that all of these cameras come with. Also, don't expect to be able to take shots at night at high iso+high shutter speed. The lens and sensor are just too small.
http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon_PowerShot_SX10_IS/noise.shtml
There is an iso comparison to demonstrate the point.
I wonder how this camera will compare to the SX20is
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-SX20IS-Stabilized-Articulating/dp/B002LITT3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1266596830&sr=1-1
@dark
image quality wise, probably worse than the SX20is. 800UZ is on a 14 MP sensor where as the SX20 is on a 12 MP, that alone will usually mean worse image quality, considering the sensor's physical size is the same and u can only jam so many sensors into a chip before image quality suffers. the sweet spot seems to be around 8 MP for a point and shoot camera, sadly these days almost every new camera is beyond that, and suffers for it.
in fact, the SX20's image quality is noticeably worse than its predecessor, the SX10, which had a 10 MP sensor.
but the 800UZ's 30x zoom at least has piqued my interest, i think that's the biggest zoom I've ever seen in this category of cameras.
can you zoom while recording video? if not, that would be a dealbreaker for me..
@badjokes All new superzoom cameras can all zoom while recording videos now, so I would expect no different from this one.
Pre-orders before reviews come out? Unwise. The SP series has historically had a number of issues. Probably smart to wait for more P100 reviews as well.
"Man, wish mobile operators treated us like this."
QFT.
Too bad the fully extended 30x zoom lens sticks out like an armadillo's tail. Time for new zoom lens design, guys.
No Fuji love? What about the 30x HS10 with the new BSI-CMOS sensor and full 1080p recording?