Olympus SP-550 UZ

Viewfinder (6.75)
The Olympus SP-550UZ makes several improvements over its predecessor with its electronic viewfinder. Both cameras have small glass windows centered in plastic protrusions. The eyecup isn’t comfortable since there is no rubber cushion or anything. The new model has better resolution though, making it easier to check the focus and see what’s going on.

For users who wear glasses, there is a diopter control on the SP-550, something that was forgotten on the SP-500. The diopter control sits on the left side of the viewfinder and consists of a circular dial that is a little larger than a pencil’s eraser. The plastic dial has grooves on its edge that make it possible to turn – although not very easily. This isn’t a frequently accessed control though, so comfort isn’t the priority here. Users should only have to set it once and then ignore it. There are 16 different positions on the diopter control, so there is a good selection for a variety of eyeglass prescriptions.

The view on the viewfinder can be modified by pushing the button labeled “?/Disp.” This adds shooting information, a live histogram, and yellow dashed grid lines. The histogram and grid lines can’t be displayed at the same time, which is just as well because the screen is too busy anyway.

The viewfinder is small and probably won’t be the first viewing choice for many users, but it’s perhaps the only good choice when in broad daylight. The LCD screen is hardly visible at all in bright light, and it’s too difficult to adjust the screen’s brightness when it can hardly be seen in the first place. The viewfinder is always bright and shaded, though, making it perfect for such situations.

LCD Screen (7.5)
The view can be switched from the electronic viewfinder to the 2.5-inch LCD screen with a push of the designated button, which is located above the top right corner of the LCD. The LCD has 230,000 pixels – twice the amount that the older SP-500 had on its equally sized screen. The excellent resolution is coupled with the wide viewing angle. Images can be seen from side to side, so the family can gather around to view the most recent shots. However, images on the screen can’t be seen when the camera is held above or below eye-level.

Images also can’t be seen when trying to view the screen under bright light. The screen washes out and catches glare easily. When shooting in bright conditions like this, the only feasible option is to use the electronic viewfinder that is nicely shaded and is therefore unaffected by the sunlight.

The Olympus SP-550’s display can have different information superimposed onto it by pushing the “?/Disp.” button. The view rotates between the following: blank screen, shooting info with yellow dashed grid lines, shooting info with live histogram, and shooting info only.

The screen’s contrast and brightness seem adequate, but for those who think otherwise, there is a +/- 2 control in the setup menu. It’s hard to get to. It is the umpteenth option down the list, and the fastest way to get to it is by scrolling to the third tab and then over to the third option down the list. But who is going to remember that? The tabs in the setup menu are only labeled by numbers, so it is hard to distinguish which settings are hidden where. Nonetheless, the screen brightness can be changed up and down the scale in full steps with a live view that makes it easier to judge the settings’ effectiveness.

Overall, the LCD is a great viewing mechanism when indoors or in low light. When the sun is shining, though, it is necessary to resort to the undersized electronic viewfinder.

Flash (7.75)
The Olympus SP-550UZ has a pop-up flash that is similar to other ultra-zoom models in terms of its power. It reaches 14.8 feet when the lens is zoomed out and 9.2 feet when it is zoomed in (at ISO 200). This is similar to the flashes on the Canon S3 and the Panasonic FZ7. This is inferior to the unit on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 though; its flash reaches nearly 30 feet.

The Olympus SP-550UZ’s flash is much improved over its predecessor’s. The SP-500’s flash had nearly the same reach and similar modes and options, but the component itself wasn’t very sturdy. It didn’t pop up very high and felt like it would snap and fall off rather than snap back into the camera body.

The SP-550’s flash is much sturdier and pops higher when the button on the flash’s left is pushed. This button must be pushed to use the flash – even if the camera is in auto mode and the flash is needed, the user still has to manually pop up the flash. This may not occur to point-and-shooters. The flash even needs to be pulled up in scene modes like Night + Portrait, where the mode is designed to work with the flash powered on.

The SP-550 has several flash modes that can be changed via the right side of the multi-selector: Auto, Auto with Red-Eye Reduction, On, On with Red-Eye Reduction, On with Slow Sync, and Off. Using the flash increases the shutter lag significantly, and using a red-eye reduction mode takes several extra seconds. A little delay is expected, but the Olympus is exceptionally pedestrian.

In the recording menu, there are a few flash options. A flash compensation option allows power adjustment on a +/- 2 scale with 1/3 steps. A flash sync option can add spice to an otherwise dull picture with sync 1 and sync 2 choices to fire the flash at the beginning or end of the shutter’s opening. There is also a slave flash option with 1-10 choices.

Pushing the flash back into the camera requires more force than usual, but the camera makes a pleasant clicking noise that assures it is locked into place.

Overall, the flash is very impressive. The component itself is strong and powerful and is similar to its competitors. It doesn’t blow out highlights normally, and there is a manual compensation adjustment to soften or sharpen the effect of the flash. The coverage is even, so there are no hot spots in images. My only two areas of concern are that the flash needs to be manually opened and it adds a second or two to the shutter lag.

Zoom Lens (9.0)
The defining feature of the Olympus SP-550UZ is its 18x optical zoom lens. The SP-550’s lens is much longer than its predecessor’s. The SP-500 has a 10x optical zoom lens and no optical image stabilization. In the ultra-zoom category of digital cameras, the SP-550 reigns supreme. It has the world’s longest lens on a compact digital camera. Indeed, other manufacturers sell cameras with 12x optical zoom lenses. The Canon PowerShot S3 IS, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5, and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 all have 12x optical zoom lenses and image stabilization systems. The runner-up spot goes to the brand new Sony H9, which has 15x optical zoom. The H9 was announced in February 2007 and has yet to appear in store shelves.

The SP-550’s lens measures 4.7-84.2mm, which is equivalent to 28-504mm on a 35mm camera. This is impressively wide and long. The 550 is the first Olympus compact camera to include image stabilization. This is a necessity on this model, as the long zoom tends to exaggerate any hand shake. The stabilization is activated by pushing the half-moon-shaped button to the right of the shutter release/zoom ring; it is labeled with a shaking hand icon. There are two image stabilization modes that run continuously or only when the exposure is locked. The feature can be turned off too, but it’s a good idea to keep them on.

The image stabilization also works in the movie mode, but only when the audio is turned off. You have to choose: stable and silent or bumpy and audible. The optical zoom is the same way, and it only works when the audio is turned off. This trade-off is extremely disappointing for a camera that touts its long lens as its hottest feature.

Many manufacturers get their lenses from outside sources such as Carl Zeiss or Leica. Others, such as Canon and Olympus, have their own technology. The lens is labeled Olympus ED. It is made of 14 lenses in 11 groups with 4 aspherical elements and 2 ED lenses.

The Olympus SP-550’s 18x zoom lens is large, but it provides a nice handle for the left hand with its textured rubber coating. There are shiny chrome rings for decoration, and the combination of chrome and rubber makes the rubber almost look like a zoom ring. A zoom ring would be preferable to the zooming system on the SP-550. It consists of a ring that surrounds the shutter release button and hardly moves from side to side. It isn’t the most comfortable control to use, but it is effective. It stops at about 30 different focal lengths throughout the 18x range.

Zooming from one end to the other takes about five seconds. The zoom was smooth when moving in, but when zooming out, the lens would backfire a little. There is some barrel distortion noticeable at the wide end of the lens, but this is typical for a camera like this. Users can add conversion lenses if they want more zoom or better macro shots. For example, the Olympus WCON-07 wide angle lens cuts focal length by a factor of .7, and the TCON-17 can be added for a total of 30x optical zoom.

The Olympus SP-550’s lens has an aperture of f/2.8 in wide and f/4.5 in telephoto, which is decent but slower than one of its primary competitors - the Canon S5 IS - at longer focal lengths. At the telephoto end, though, the auto focus system has difficultly focusing, which makes it almost impossible to snap quick candid shots from afar.

In the packaging is a lens cap that has a nice cushion and fits snugly. It falls off when the camera is turned on though, so users will want to connect the cap to the neck strap to avoid losing it.

Overall, the Olympus SP-550’s 18x optical zoom lens is decent. It isn’t amazing. I was disappointed by the slow auto focus at the telephoto end and the fact that it is disabled in the movie mode when the audio is turned on. Still, the image stabilization works well, and it’s the most zoom available on the market.

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