Manual Control Options
Manually, the Olympus SP-320 offers numerous control options that cover the gamut of settings found normally on compact digital cameras within this price range. The user of the SP-320 will can access focus, metering, shutter speed, white balance, aperture, and exposure compensation. Although the number of controls is great, accessing these options is anything but. The controls listed above are scattered throughout various menu structures as well as externally through the four-way controller. With the menus so spread out, it may take an inordinate amount of time to properly engage settings.

Focus
Auto Focus
Auto Focus is the default focal option when shooting with the SP-320. The parameters for this mode can be altered by entering into the mode menu and selecting from the focus submenus listed within the Camera menu. The focal options for the Olympus SP-320 allow settings of iESP (multi), Auto, Spot AF and Selective AF Target to be engaged through the AF Mode menu.

Not to be confused with the AF Mode menu, the Focus Mode menu allows the user to switch between AF or MF settings. When shooting on the PMA show floor, the auto focus for the SP-320 took several prolonged seconds to properly register a subject’s focal depth, especially in lower light conditions.

Manual Focus
The SP-320 does come with a manual focus control, engaged by entering the menu/ok display menu, then the mode menu, and finally the camera menu where the Focus mode menu is listed. Within this menu are two options for either shooting in AF or MF modes. This final menu is simple and basic, but everything preceding it is not.

The manual focus levels are engaged once the menu structure is exited through the up and down arrows on the four-way controller. When either control is pressed, a focus scale appears on the left side of the LCD while an enlarged center focus frame is displayed. While it’s great that a manual focus is included at all, the enlarged frame format and the overall menu structure make actually using this option very unappealing.

Metering
The Olympus SP-320 comes with three metering controls which cover most lighting situations encountered by general shooters. The metering options are listed as the first submenu within the mode menu’s “Camera” submenu. The metering options are Digital iESP Auto Multi-Pattern TTL, spot metering and center-weighted metering. With these options the SP-320 should be able to gauge multiple lighting sources, backlit subjects and other complicated lighting compositions encountered when shooting daily photos.

Exposure
The Olympus SP-320 offers control over exposure in auto and semi-automated modes through E.V. compensation. The exposure compensation setting may be accessed when shooting in all but the manual mode, at which time the exposure compensation display on the LCD becomes red and fluctuates automatically to reflect user adjustments made in lighting, aperture and shutter speed.

Exposure compensation on the SP-320 is controlled by pressing the left and right arrows on the four-way controller to adjust the exposure level within the +/-2 EV scale, moving in 1/3-stop increments.

White Balance
To access white balance controls, the camera’s menu structure must be entered and the mode menu selected. Once the mode menu is open the user can select between the white balance and white balance compensation submenus found within the Picture menu. The white balance options for the Olympus SP-320 include multi-pattern auto, overcast, sunlight, evening sun, tungsten and three fluorescent modes. In addition to the auto and preset options, the camera also comes with a manual white balance control.

All of these options are listed vertically on the left side of the LCD when the white balance menu is entered. The right two-thirds of the LCD displays a live view image of the composition so that as the user scans through the list of white balance options, an immediate visual representation of alterations is provided. A white balance compensation scale of +/-7 is also provided with this camera and also has a live view feature. The white balance scale is navigated with the up and down arrows on the four-way controller.

ISO
ISO is manually controllable when shooting with the Olympus SP-320, although accessing this feature is not simple. The ISO settings are entered by pressing the menu/ok button, followed by the right arrow on the four-way for the Mode menu, which is then followed by entering the ISO submenu. All of this takes a while to get used. The SP-320 has settings within the ISO submenu for: Auto, 60, 100, 200, 400 and 800 ISO. While noise was certainly apparent at 800 ISO, further testing in the full review will need to be done to ascertain how successful this camera is at producing quality images in lower light without excessive noise levels. The ISO submenu is accessible in all modes.

Shutter Speed
Shutter speed can be controlled by either having the Olympus SP-320 in shutter priority or manual mode. Shutter speed is adjusted using the up and down arrows on the four-way controller when shooting in shutter priority mode; also, the exposure compensation scale is accessible while the aperture range is unalterable. The shutter speed range on the SP-320 is 1/2000th of a second to 15 seconds with speeds of 0.5 seconds and longer processed with a noise reduction feature.

Aperture
There is manual control over aperture on the Olympus SP-320, either through the manual mode or the aperture priority mode options found on the mode dial. The manual aperture range provides a scale of f/2.8 to f/8.0 when shooting in full wide angle, while an aperture range of f/4.9 to f/8.0 can be selected when the camera is switched into telephoto range. Aperture is controlled via the up and down arrows on the four-way control when in aperture priority mode. When in manual mode, the user can toggle between shutter speed and aperture via the left and right arrows. The camera allows control over exposure compensation when in aperture priority mode as well, but the shutter speed will not be accessible.

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