Olympus SP-550 UZ

Connectivity
Software
Like other digital cameras from this manufacturer, this model comes with Olympus Master Software. It is required if users want to stitch their panoramas together, and it is included in the box on a CD-ROM.

Jacks, ports, plugs
A thick rubber panel on the left side covers the two jacks on the camera. The Olympus SP-550 has a DC-in jack and a combination USB/AV-out jack. The video-out function can be set to NTSC or PAL standards.

Direct Print Options
From the playback screen, users can create DPOF print orders from JPEG files (not RAW files). All pictures can be added to an order at once, or users can scroll through images and crop them before adding 0-10 prints to the order. The Olympus SP-550 is PictBridge compatible.

Battery
The camera comes with 4 AA batteries in the package, but these will soon need to be replaced. They don’t last long (it took me about a day and a half to burn through the included set). The batteries fit into a compartment below the hand grip that has a nice stiff feel and a sliding lock. It doesn’t feel like the batteries are going to fall out of the bottom at any given moment like some other digital cameras.

Memory
On the right side of the camera is a door that opens from the back to reveal the memory card slot. The door feels nice and sturdy. Like other Olympus digital cameras, the SP-550 accepts xD-Picture cards up to 2 GB. For those times when the memory card runs out, there is 20 MB of internal memory.

Other features
Guide Mode – This is located on the mode dial and acts as a tutorial for beginners. It walks users through common photography situations like "Brightening a subject" and describes solutions step-by-step, setting the proper options as it goes along.

Pre-Capture – This feature is hyped up more than it should be. Why have a pre-capture mode when you could eliminate shutter lag instead? The pre-capture mode is found in the Drive portion of the menu. It limits the image size considerably to only 1280 x 960 pixels – big enough for a computer screen but not enough resolution for even a 4 x 6-inch print. The mode shoots five tiny images before the shutter button is fully pressed similar to a "final 5" burst mode.

Underwater Housing – This camera can fit into an optional underwater housing, the Olympus PT-037. It can take the camera to depths of 130 ft.

Panorama Mode – This shooting mode is found within the Camera Menu rather than among other shooting modes. It can only be used if an Olympus-branded xD-Picture card is inserted in the card slot. Grid lines appear from left to right, but no overlay is present so users have to guess and line up pictures the best they can. Up to 10 pictures can be stitched together using the Olympus Master Software; pictures are not stitched together in the camera itself.

Alarm Clock – An alarm clock can be set in the setup menu. It can be set once or it can be set to go off daily. A snooze function can be turned on or off, and there are three alarm sounds and two volumes to choose from.