Customer Reviews

Olympus SP-550UZ 7.1MP Digital Camera with Dual Image Stabilized 18x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I got the camera about a week ago and highly recommend it. If you buy this camera, I recommend getting an H type card which is much faster than the M type for taking pictures. Some movie functions do not work to full capability with the M type but do with the faster H type. I also recommend getting NIMH 2700 mah batteries and charger. Their higher capacity is worth the money and will save over the long run.

As far as the camera goes, I wish the camera was higher than 7.1 mp, but compared to my old 3.3 mp camera, the pictures are so much clearer and finer. The camera has many functions build in, and you will need to read the manual to get full use of the camera. Out of the box AUTO mode works well, but after reading the manual, I think most higher end users will want to set their own modes.

Some nice included functions are the manual ability, the ability to choose among 15 different shooting types (such as through a window), and the ability to store raw images among others. Storing raw images is slow due to the large file size and can take several seconds on an M type card.

Movie mode is able to take 30 fps at 640X480, but 15 fps is still good quality. With the M type card you can only take 15 seconds of movies at full mode, but H type you can fill your memory card. The default setting for movies is without sound so you will need to turn this on. However, with sound turned on, I was not able to zoom, even with the H card.

Image Stablization was nicely setup and can be set with just the push of a button rather than going through the Menu. Also, the eyepiece viewfinder is setup so that if the display on the back is on, the viewfinder is off and vice-versa. In fact when you use the eyepiece viewfinder, the picture that is normally displayed on the back is now in the eyepiece. I suppose this is good for taking pictures when it is too bright to see the back screen.

Finally, I like to take weather shots and this camera includes a time lapse mode, which I can put together with my old software (not Olympus) into a movie.

[...]

I have had this camera for a month now, and have shot about 2500 frames. I teach digital photography at the local college, and have several cameras, so I have a good basis for comparison.

I shoot mostly nature subjects, and this camera acts like it was designed just for me. For nature subjects you need telephoto and macro, and this camera shines at both ends. Set to super macro it will focus at 1cm. Thats less than 1/2 inch. It has allowed me to shoot a honeybee that filled the frame.

The 18x telephoto is clear and sharp, and perfect not only for birds at a distance, but lizards 8 feet away. I bought the CLA-10 adapter and 1.7 teleconverter, so I can get 27x telephoto, and it is still clear. The image stabilization is good enough that I can hand hold at 27x if necessary.

The current lack of RAW support in Adobe products is being worked on, and the plug-in is expected shortly.

If you shoot nature you will love this camera. It is also ideal for candid street photography, and is being used by some pretty famous photojournalists.

After leading the way in digital point-and-shoots in the early part of the decade, Olympus had fallen on hard times. Not that their cameras weren't any good, it's just that they weren't anything special. With the SP-550uz (and a few other cameras), Olympus has really stepped it up.

First, this is one heck of a nice looking camera (the photos don't do it justice), and feels equally good in your hands (nice heft with the 4 AA batteries). The dials looks sharp and appears to be solid.

In operation, the camera works very well. The tremendous 18x optical zoom is smooth and not too noisy. The rear and internal LCDs are good, although I prefer the Sony internal LCD. The selector dial is easy to read, and the extremely helpful photo/descriptions that appear when you set the dial make it easy to figure out how to use the camera. Their "guide" mode is a wonderful addition for the beginner.

The "dual" image stabalization is a nice touch (but not a cure-all). The mechanical stabalizer is great for letting you hold the camera steady, but it doesn't really help as much for moving objects. The high ISO mode is more properly called an anti-blur mode, as it simply boost the ISO. This helps stop moving objects, but at a sacrifice in quality. High ISOs simply aren't very good on compact cameras, period.

Anyone who's read my reviews knows that I'm not a big fan of the xD cards. They're OK, but not a easy to find, or priced as competitively, as the SD cards.

Some recommended accessories are rechargable batteries and their lens adapter, if you think you might ever want to pick up filters or add-on lenses. These are tubes are sometimes difficult to find when the cameras are first out, but are really difficult to find once they've been discountinued, so get one early.

Overall, a camera at the top of the heap (along with the newly announced Sony DSC-H9).

Images from this camera are very high quality. The 18X optical zoom is very usable with only minimal distortion noticeable at the extremes. The optical image stabilization system (based on stabilizing the CCD image sensor instead of lens elements) is quite good and performed well under several different circumstances (moving car, boat, shaky hands).

My main gripe with this camera is the lack of high speed USB 2.0 support. The fine print says that the USB interface is "full speed" which means a maximum transfer rate of 12 Mbit/s instead of the 480 Mbit/s possible with high speed USB. So, downloading photos from the camera through the USB interface is painfully slow compared to most current generation digital cameras such as a Canon SD900.

The software provided with the camera is somewhat difficult to use and is slow and unresponsive.

It would also be desirable if the camera could accept a lithium ion rechargeable battery in addition or instead of the 4 AA batteries it uses. But, battery life with both alkaline and rechargeable NiMH AA batteries was adequate.

My husband is a professional photographer but I still don't know all the ins and outs of the various focal lengths and ISO adjustments. I have gotten good enough at photography that I needed more than the bottom end point and shoot cameras. I really needed at least a 10X optical zoom. I also do genealogy so needed a camera that has a macro lens so that I can copy photographs, documents, and microfilm off the reader. When we found the SP-550UZ it seemed a great choice so that I don't have to carry around two or more lenses. It has a Macro and Super Macro lens as well as being able to go 18X Optical zoom (I never use the Digital zoom on any camera!). I purchased this camera right before we left on vacation so I had time to play with it. I had no problem 'freezing' action on the sports scene mode. I got some really great photos through the windshield while we were moving at 70 MPH by panning with car movement. It worked well on the Blue Ridge Parkway picking up the subtle greens and purples of the mountains and trees. My husband was even jealous of the photos I took of my cousin's Koi fish in a pond in VA. I had it in Landscape+Portrait mode and they came out great.

This camera has 23 modes so play with them when you get your camera so that you know which one to choose to get the depth of field you desire. The SP-550UZ is a great camera for someone that wants the help of the programmed modes while still giving you the ability to change settings as you learn more about photography. It's handy document setting for working in the library on my genealogy sold me but the 18X optical zoom makes this a great all round camera in my book! I'm now recommending this camera for genealogists to get the best possible starting image when duplicating photos. (Much better than scanning!)

I bought thus camera on the basis of its really useful zoom. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice camera. Everything feels solid and reliable, but the autofocus has a mind of its own.

Unless the thing you focus on has 100% sharpness, the camera will focus on whatever is in the background (often hundreds of yards away) or at the feet of the object of interest, throwing out any chance of focusing in the object of interest.

I can work round this issue, but is something you shouldn't have to do for the price (and so is something you should consider).

I have owned this SP-550UZ for about two weeks and have taken about 600 pictures so far. Very pleased with the overall feel and zoom operation of this unbelievable 18x optical. Macro too is excellent. Transfer data time to the xD card is about one second after you take the picture if you use the highest JPEG setting. Only problem I am having is with the auto focus. Seems the pictures with the high end zoom just are not as clear as I would like, even with the anti-shake turned on. My old Olmpus was the 2100UZ which had great color accuracy and focusing, of course now it lags in technology compared to todays cameras. With the SP-550UZ the color acuracy is also extreamly good and the ease of controlls on this new camera are excellent. Battery life is very good. I would give this camera a five star rating if it was not for the focus issue and being unable to process the RAW images until Adobe has the update RAW converter for this camera which will come in time. This SP-550UZ is definitely a camera you should consider.if you cannot afford DSLR.

I purchased this camera for my wife, to replace an Olympus 2100uz. This camera is slick looking and erganomics are great. The wide angle and telephoto are better than any other camera I know of. The slide show with music is impresive and battery life is great. We have had the camera for abour six weeks and haven't changed the batteries yet. The menua system is easy to use and very easy to understand. The only reason I gave it a 4 star is some times it takes a little time serching for auto focus.

To All,

I just purchased the SP-550UZ after searching for the best camera bang for the buck - Olympus fills the bill..... 3/3/07 was my first day of use and I decided to check ALL the features - with the batteries supplied - still in use and a 2GB card - I took off for the outdoors and began shooting pictures at a local park - 300 pictures - including several 15 FPS and 30 FPS shoots and three videos - 15, 30 and 45 seconds in length.

I am not a pro and will be using this camera for Sports, vacations and every day family events.

No Cons yets - I love the "SCN" feature - just select how you want to take the picture and the camera setups the camera - all you have to do is take the picture.

YAY! Oly finally did it: The C-2100UZ was my favorite camera ever, and we attempted to replace it with a Minolta Dimage Z1 (which was okay) and the Canon PowerShot S2IS (which was better) - but neither one hit the mark. The SP-550UZ looks good, feels good, photo quality is great.

I don't have anything to add to what other reviewers have said, but needed to get in my 5 stars! And to let C-2100UZ users know, this IS the replacement you have been looking for!