SP-550UZ
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Hands-on with Olympus's SP-550UZ, Stylus 780, 770SW, 760, and FE-230, FE-240, and FE-250
Home stretch, camera nerds; last up is our photo gallery of hands-ons with all of Olympus's non-DSLR shooters (for the DSLRs, check out the E-510 and E-410 and hands-ons). We caught the SP-550UZ prosumer hybrid -- a very solid piece of machinery -- as well as their new Stylus 780, 770SW, 760, and the lower end but still very respectable FE-230, FE-240, and FE-250. Check 'em out, and wash yourselves of all the digital camera news for a short while as the world recovers from all the new photographic equipment its been asked to process.%Gallery-2043%
Olympus SP-550UZ with 18x zoom reviewed
If you had high hopes for Olympus' new feature-packed 7.1 megapixel SP-550UZ digicam, PopPhoto's review is sure going to dent -- but not burst -- your bubble. Olympus made sure to hype the SP-550UZ as having the first wide 18x optical zoom on a compact digital camera, shooting from a wide 28mm to an impressive 504mm supertelephoto focal length. Other pluses include RAW capture, and bright 2.5-inch LCD with EVF, good color accuracy, a solid, comfortable body, and user-friendly guide mode. The downsides mostly revolve around a bundle of features that sound great, but only work by sacrificing image quality and resolution. First we have the shockingly fast 15 fps Burst Rate capturing at a relatively low 1.2 megapixels, then slowed way down to 3 frames in a bit two seconds if you want full resolution. Olympus also stresses ISOs up to 5000, however shots taken at ISO 5000 and 3200 suffer a resolution of only 3.2 megapixels. ISO speeds overall were iffy, where certain settings, with or without blur filtering, would yield high-noise shots with unacceptable resolution. To break it down, at about $500, the SP-550UZ is a pretty decent choice if you're looking to go compact digital -- it's just too bad Olympus put a few too many compromises in the fine print.[Via Photography Blog]
Olympus SP-550 UZ: a compact monster with 18x optical zoom
Prepare to kick your pathetic, 3x optical zoomer to the curb kids. Olympus just announced what they are calling the world's first, wide 18x optical zoom on a compact digital camera. The SP-550 UZ features a smokin' 28-504mm (35mm camera equivalent) focal length with "Dual-Image stabilization" (high 6,400 ISO value combined with CCD-based mechanical image stabilizer) to protect against blurring. The 7.1 megapixel CCD is joined on the feature list by a 2.5-inch 230,000 pixel LCD, 15fps high-burst rate in 1.2 megapixel resolution, BrightCapture low light shooting technology, a super macro mode for taking shots as close as 1-cm, and xD-Picture Cards support with 4x AA batteries providing the juice. Available February 2007 for an estimated street price of $500.%Gallery-1342%[Thanks, David]
