Customer Reviews

Olympus SP-500 UZ Ultra Zoom 6MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've had the Olympus SP-500 for about five days. I started out taking simple portrait shots and was pleased with the quality.

Today was the real test of why I bought the Olympus SP-500 - the ability to zoom in close and catch action shots at my daughter's soccer games. The result? I'm very impressed. No 'action blur' to be seen, the pictures look great, and with the 10x optical zoom there was no need to keep running around the sidelines trying to get up close to the players.

I was concerned about comments I've read about other cameras with a high level of zoom needing image stabilization (or otherwise the zoom would be worthless). Not the case here. No image stabilization on this camera and the pictures look great. Just remember to put the scene setting on 'Sport' rather than leaving the setting on 'Auto' when taking action shots.

I've played with video mode and liked the result. The controls are easy to reach and the menu system was easy to understand. Having a dedicated 'trash' button is a nice touch. And with manual controls and the ability to add additional lenses, I think I have a camera that can grow with my abilities.

I'll post again if I run into any negatives. For now, I couldn't be happier.

Hi All!
Sin Min here with another run down for you on a new camera. Now, I don't own this one but I have given it some hands on testing and I was impressed enough, that I thought I'd pass it on. As some of you know (or may not know) I work as a Pro pix taker by day, and sell cameras for BestBuy by night (hey gets me out of the house!) So I basically spend 90% of any given day with a camera in my hand. The SP-500 UZ is one of several new models being offered to the public by Olympus this year. We have recieved three of these so far and this camera is best of the lot.The size of the camera is deceptive, when I first saw pictures of it i thought it would be around the size of the immortal C-8080! But it is about 45% smaller with twice the Zoom!
Hmmm-impressive to be sure. However with only a 6MP CCD I lost a tad of enthusiasum (I love to shoot at 7MP or higher).Olympus hasn't changed much as far as menu layout, operation, and basic functions, however looks can be deceving. When the camera arrived at the store I was in the process of setting up the camera for display, when a customer came up and asked me about differences in speed between point and shoot cameras, prosumer cameras, and the SLRs. I proceeded to tell him the usual...how SLR cameras will always be faster than point and shoot, smaller point and shoot cameras are built just for snap shots so If your looking for speed you need more camera, blah, blah. Except for some of the Sony point and shoot cameras which have a fair speed rate.Anyway, so here I am telling this guy, how point and shoot cameras are so slow, I said "Here take this camera for example." holding up the SP-500. " I'll set the camera to "Burst" mode and you'll see how much slower it is." So I set it up hit the shutter and all of a sudden...POP!POP!POP!POP!POP!POP! This dinky little point and shoot camera pops off about 15 shots nearly as fast as the D-50 I just showed the guy! I'm standing there looking like someone just smacked me in the face with a 2X4, and he's looking at me like I should be selling CDs or something!! Long story short the guy bought the SP-500!
Now I own a C-8080 as well as an E-300 SLR and as near as I can tell from taking pictures within the store the overall picture quality is on par with Olympus higher end cameras, The Pictures are clear and bright, and the sharpness levels are all great. I can't say how the camera would fare in ambient or low light (not much low anything in BestBuy) but I assume the SP-500 would perform in a similar fashion to my cameras.The SP-500 is the latest in a new trend of digital cameras, that I like to call "Power Point N Shoot" Higher resolutions 7 and 8MP, more features but still the same crappy 3x optical Zoom.(Except in the case of this camera) One of the new Olympus models is a tiny camera with 8MP and a hot shoe!! The freaking flash would be twice the size of the camera! I Gave the SP-500 only 4 stars because of the cheesy resolution they gave the camera. At the size it is , if they had made it 7 or and 8MP it would have been something to really be excited about. But as I said whatever else this little camera is fast...Very Fast!!
Thanks for reading and Happy Shooting!

First, let me say that I am always suspect when I see poor reviews of a product, right next to shining reviews. Who is right? And you can't ask any follow up questions like in a forum. In this case I think the positive reviews are right.

The Olympus SP 500 UZ is a very nice camera for the beginner to intermediate photographer at an excellent price point. You can spend more and get more. You can spend less and get less. However, this camera has a host of great features that are designed to give you more control and creativity over your photos.

Olympus is a solid brand name and they have made many GREAT cameras in their history. While my experience with the SP 500 has been brief, I like it a lot and hope that it continues to delight.

Some of the decision factors that pointed me to the SP 500:

AA Batteries: On my two other digicams I use rechargeables. Cheap, easy to find. Can use alkaline if you run out. Other cameras have a proprietary or "special use" battery which costs $$ to replace and if you run out of battery power you are forced to recharge. Me, I just pop in some fresh AAs.

Lens: Olympus has always been known for making a nice lens. This camera has good optics in my opinion and is reasonably "fast" at f2.8. The wide angle is wide enough for me, and goes to 10x zoom. Very handy.

Large LCD Display: 2.5 inches is really nice on my 40 plus year old eyes.

Threaded Barrel: Allows for easy addition of filter (prevent scratches to lens) and additional lenses.

27 yes 27 shooting modes! I can't wait to try them all.

6.0 Mega Pixels. That's one more than 5!! I can't say I've ever enlarged to more than 8 x 10. Perhaps with this camera I will.

Well that's what sold me. I'm sure others will disagree. No camera can take perfect shots every time. That's where the user comes in to the equation. If you are getting a lot of bad shots with this camera, maybe it's not the camera (sorry).

I for one am also a buyer who reads a lot of reviews before making the purchase. Specially when you read reviews of people that have had problems with their purchase.

In this case however, I'd like to say I'm very pleased with this camera, it's simply loaded with features. There's a couple of people which state that the pictures look blurry but I guess the camera isn't set correctly.

I'm not an expert on the subject but I've own two other previous Olympus cameras (C4000Z and 750)of which I still have the C4000 and the SP-500 is incredibly fast.

At first impression, the camera might seem toyish due to its lightweight and plastic casing, but once you've shot about thirty pics and start to get the hang of the camera, you'll see how simple to use it is, and how fast it records, erases, turns on and off.

The zoom is impressive, there are also people saying it should have image stabilization but if you think about it, at 50x zoom you would have to be a sniper not to move the camera too much and probably the image stabilization would have made the camera a little bit more expensive. The only downside to the zoom is you need good lighting conditions in order to take a good picture but other than that it's pretty great.

The integrated flash is also impressive, if your subject is within range, you should get crisp pictures.

I love the new Master Software, it simply organizes everything better and in the camera, you are also available to see which photos you shot when, due to its built in calendar and organazing system.

To sumarize... this camera is no toy, it comes with an array of features you'll probably need to do some reading to be able to use to their full potential but if you dedicate your time to it, you'll be very pleased with the results you can get from this camera. If you only want a point and shoot camera, then there might be other options out there, however, this is one great camera and for the price I doubt you'll find anything better out there.

I do recomend you purchase a case for the camera, I've got a Tamrac Digital 5693 and it protects the camera nicely plus it's got your basic storage pockets. Also, you should consider 12 rechargable batteries, not because of the camera (you can actually get 80 shots off before having to change batteries), but because it's necessary to have always a spare group of them, just in case.

Now, if you own a Palm, Ipod or another sord of storage device which supports USB normal drive mode.... then you should also consider the Belkin USB Anywhere device, so you can conect a simple USB Flash Memory, or a Palm or other USB Hard Drive to your digital camera and not have to take your laptop or wait till you can reach a PC to download your photos. This little gadget is very usefull, can be battery operated and can save you from loosing valuable moments for which you wish you had more memory in yor camera available.

This camera was a gift, though I really wanted the D70 (still waiting for the price to drop), I am really surprised at how great this camera is. I still love my 35mm. I used the Nikon D70 for about a year, and it was so easy to manually control. I wanted the ease of use and ability to have full control, just like a true 35mm, in my own digital camera. The SP500UZ has given me this, and so much more. I love the ability to manipulate colors- I dont like to use flash when it will wash out my subject, and adjusting lighting conditions in the camera gives me that option to get a great picture, without the washed out look.
I have heard a lot of complaints about blurry pictures, and that isn't always the cameras fault. Being aware of every control and there function on your camera will help you get that perfect picture, everytime. The SP500 it seems is built for more advanced users. Anyone could simply buy a point and shoot camera, and the quality would be about the same as if you put the SP500 on 'Auto'. If you really want to advance your pictures, and your abilities, consider this camera. Ive found it to be a great toy to play around with and get some beautiful pictures out of.

I gave it only four stars becuase the Menu functions are sometimes difficult to understand, and could have been designed better. Also, the tones and beeps are very annoying- I like to know via sound when a picture has been composed, but that option isnt available without turning on all beeps within the camera.

To begin with, I am an amatuer photographer. I've played with different types of cameras for years and went digital a few years back.

I've had an Olympus C3000 for about four years. It has a 3x zoom with 3.3 mp. The photos were mixed. So long as I didn't overuse the zoom, photos came out pretty good. But it still couldn't beat a 35mm. The SP-500 UZ takes such better quality photos, that are clearer than most of my 35mm photos.

The zoom is incredible. 10x will allow you to pick up objects from very far away that you'd never be able to see with a 3x lense. The 6 megapixel tightens the grain to near perfect quality. I just took this new camera on vacation through Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore and Park City, UT. The photos I shot are a dream compared to pictures I've taken in the past.

A couple of great features this camera has are a quick delete button, which allows you to delete photos while viewing without going through a long menu. Another feature that helps with busy backgrounds is a targeting viewer that works with you to lock on the specific area to focus. It doesn't just center in the middle of the viewer, it points to potential areas of focus.

The last thing I will say is I took probably over 450 photos on a 512mp Olympus media disk. I deleted several of the shots I didn't like after comparing several similar photos and still had room after a week's worth of shooting the countryside. Uploading doesn't take long at all.

I checked a lot of websites and was seriously thinking of buying a Minolta this time. But, after reviewing all the reviews, I found people had the fewest issues with this camera. Having already used an Olympus made the decision easier. Four years with the C3000 and no real issues except the Camedia software, which is now much better; no issues getting the software to load correctly. The final thing I'll say about this camera is that I "feel" like a better photographer using this new camera. See some of my photos from the trip in the gallery.

I bought this camera for my parents for Christmas and spent plenty of time looking up reviews on different prosumer type cameras. Image quality wise this camera is excellent. For an Olympus, they've done some really nice things such buttons that are for one purpose and bright menus w/ explanations especially in scene modes. This camera has a lot going for it especially with its 10X optical zoom being on par with others w/ 12X. (S2IS,Z5,) No image stabilizer may turn off some but I found it a non issue when using the viewfinder. Shutter speeds are excellent and prevent blur when in the right scene mode. My only concern w/ the camera is the lack of a diopter for the EVF. People with glasses may be turned off by that omission which I feel is a mistake.

Positives:
Great image quality (Accurate 6MP)
Good color representation
Quick shutter speeds
Nice large 2.5" Bright LCD
Excellent Build (fits hand nicely)

Negatives:
No Diopter for EVF
No image stabilizer (but not everyone needs it)
Plastic Feel (Not enough metal)
Macro mode only available through menu (not click wheel)

In closing... I know my parents will enjoy this camera especially for their cruise in Hawaii. The picture qualities will be excellent and if someone is looking for a camera w/ the ability for variety of shots and a great price, The Olympus SP-500 UZ is an excellent choice.

Recommended Accessories:

At least 512 MB XD Card
All Weather Case
NIMH Rechargeable Batteries

I researched my choices extensively before buying this camera and narrowed it to a Konika, a Pentax Lumix and this one. I am very happy with my choice. I wanted a quality camera without the hassle and expense of bulky, higher-end camera like the Rebel. Although I like the idea that it can change lenses, I don't think I'll ever bother with that feature. I wasn't interested in shooting professional grade images -- I just wanted nice family photos with a camera that had short lag time between click and capture, large lcd screen, ability to use viewfinder or lcd screen, and sepia/b&w options, and this fit my needs perfectly. The software that comes with it allows you to make edits such as cropping, sharpening, and red eye removal, and I really like that. I think the 6 megapixels and 10x optical zoom are great. I also have enjoyed the many pre-set shooting modes for landscape, landscape+portrait, sport, indoor, candle light, etc. They make it super easy to use. This one (compared to the Konika) fits in the carrying case that my old film automatic fit in. It's a little large for a purse but will fit in there when necessary too. Sometimes the auto focus goes funky and can't decide where to focus and the whole image ends up blurry, but I think that is common with digitals and is likely something I'm doing wrong, as I'm still trying to get the hang of shooting digital. There is some noise in the details, especially shadow areas if you enlarge drastically but for all intents and purposes, the final output (I get 4x6 size prints) is very crisp and the color fantastic.

I bought this camera because I wanted to take good quality point and shoot pictures, and still have the manual type capabilities that I was so fond of with my old Pentax K1000 (manual 35mm SLR). For me it fails on both fronts. It isn't a good point and shoot, and the manual capabilities are cumbersome.

First, let's talk about its point and shoot functioning. When I go outside on a good day and take pictures of people in AUTO mode about 75% of the pictures are out of focus. This is due to a lack of image stabilization and in my opinion a poor auto focus system. I suppose I can do better if I put the camera in SCENE mode and then select the best of "21 situation-related modes", but will the moment still be there when I am done?

Additionally, the default file compression on all of the automatic modes (either AUTO or the 21 SCENE modes) is the lower compression HQ. Anytime you turn the camera off and on or switch to or between automatic modes the camera returns to saving the pictures in HQ. HQ compresses the files to about 1.3 megs resulting in a lower quality picture. So if you actually want to get high quality pictures in any of the automatic modes from your 6 MP camera, each time you switch to one of the automatic modes you need to go into the menu system and set it to SHQ. I have called Olympus, and there is no way to avoid it. Had I known this alone I probably would not have bought the camera.

I've got two small kids. By the time I am done getting the Camera set properly the moment will probably be gone. I agree that it is capable of taking high quality pictures, and would probably be good if you were going to an event and had plenty of time to get the settings right, but it isn't a good camera for simply taking a quick picture (capturing a precious moment).

It is a very strong camera when it comes to manual capabilities, but the problem is that they aren't real easy to use. Unless you are repeatedly taking the same types of shots, expect to spend a lot of time fiddling with the menus. My old manual Pentax K1000 is far far more user friendly in this regard.

Additionally, it has one of the worst manuals (perhaps 2) I have ever seen. The basic manual does little more than explain the very basics while telling the user to figure the camera out for themselves. While the advanced manual is 190 pages long (enjoy printing that), it lacks critical pieces of information, is poorly organized, and doesn't go into detail about how the camera really operates. I'll toss out a quick example: on page 50 it tells you how to switch between the different MyMODE scene settings in the menu, and on page 113 it tells you how to set them up. On neither page does it tell you that you must first set them up before you can switch between them.

Finally, there are some good qualities to this camera. It has a good feel to it and good build quality. It is capable of taking very good quality pictures. It has excellent battery life if you simply buy some lithium ion AA batteries (use the batteries that came with it as spares). Finally, it is probably a very good camera for fixed function work. If you are going to take one type of picture regularly, you can tweak the settings exactly how you want them so that it will consistently take good pictures.

PS Probably a good idea to use the 'pixel mapping' function once after buying the camera. The manual doesn't explain what it is doing, but it is likely that it cleans up any dead pixels that the camera may have by having it duplicate a nearby pixel.

I have had my SP-500 UZ for about 2 weeks. I am in awe of the amount of features, picture quality, and ease of use for the money. I have tried the macro and super macro mode with unbelievable results. The auto mode with flash up took pictures where I could see the pores of my subjects face with realistic skin tones. Flash settings are adjustable. I've only tried a few of the 21 scene modes but had fine results. Some I have tried are snow, auction, available light portrait, Indoor, sport, and landscape. Inside and outside pics have been high quality. Complete manual mode is available as I learn more about the settings. The only thing I have any concerns about would be the fact that when I get close to max 10X zoom, some pics were blurry unless I propped my arm against something. I suppose a mini tripod would solve that issue. But I know of no other camera with the immense amount of features and quality of pics even close to this price. This camera can be a simple to use point and shoot or a full featured manually controlled device. Super fast with great battery longevity. I did purchase the Ni-Mh rechargeables though. Hope you'll be as happy as I am with this great camera for a great price!