Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

Jan 25, 2007 - By Emily Raymond
Olympus updated its ultra-zoom line with a new flagship, the Olympus SP-550UZ. This digital camera comes with the most zoom available on any compact digital camera to date, providing a massive 18x of optical zooming power. The camera also comes with image stabilization, which is a necessity when dealing with a 28-504mm (equivalent) focal range. However, the 7.1-megapixel SP-550 can still fit in the palm of a hand. It has total manual control, a variety of scene modes, and one of the best-looking housings created by Olympus. It will sell for $499 in March.
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Model Design / Appearance
This is an area that improved leaps and bounds over the previous model. The new Olympus SP-550UZ has a much more sophisticated look than its predecessor. The SP-500 had a rickety flash, a dark plastic body, a boxy look, and components that weren’t as high-quality. All of that added up to an overall cheap look. The new SP-550 rounds some of the edges, upgrades the flash to a more effective and sturdier version, and adds different colors and textures to put some flare into the design. It worked. This ultra-zoom digital camera is one of the best Olympus models we’ve seen in terms of its design. It’s functional and it looks good too.

Size / Portability
The SLR-shaped Olympus SP-550UZ has the largest optical zoom lens on a compact camera to date. The 18x lens doesn’t make the camera an elephant though. It isn’t slim enough to fit in a pocket, but it can still be held in the palm of a hand. The various protrusions of the components make it a necessity to have a designated camera bag – just to make sure nothing gets bumped too badly in transport. When not in a bag, the camera has two neck strap eyelets that emerge from the chrome band that runs down the sides. Thus, the camera can be toted around on the neck. It is a bit hefty at 12.9 oz (without the four AA batteries), but it won’t cause breakage or anything. The Olympus SP-550UZ measures about 4.6 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches, which makes it look like a baby DSLR.

Handling Ability
Another area of major improvement is handling; the SP-500 was a boxy camera and the SP-550 rounds off the edges and adds several gripping surfaces. The right hand clutches the spacious grip with textured rubber and a wavy contour on the front meant to keep fingers from slipping. On the back where the thumb grips the camera, there is a rubber pad and another wavy contour that helps stabilize the camera. With this setup, users could theoretically shoot one-handed. Of course, it is recommended that two hands stay on the camera. And Olympus didn’t forget the left hand when it came to handling. A segment around the lens barrel and the front portion of the left side has textured rubber. Overall, the handling on the Olympus SP-550UZ is a breeze.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
The ultra-zoom digital camera has plenty of buttons on it that is reminiscent of SLRs. There is a fat mode dial on top next to the equally fat shutter release/zoom ring controls. Behind the shutter release button is a half-moon-shaped image stabilization button. The power button is also on top of the camera.

On the back side of the camera is a set of buttons that looks aesthetically pleasing. The multi-selector sits in the center and is surrounded by trapezoidal buttons that bend in shape around the multi-selector. The multi-selector itself is perhaps the only control on the camera that isn’t up to par. It is set within the camera body a bit too far so that users really have to jam their thumbs into it to get it to register a move. The only other complaint is that there is a playback button, as well as a playback position on the mode dial. These access the same thing – the playback mode – but it’s a little confusing to have both of them on the camera body.

In general, though, the buttons and controls are properly sized, labeled, and placed within easy reach of the thumb.

Menu
The menu system on this digital camera is similar to other Olympus models. It is split so that the more frequently used settings are accessed with the OK/Func button in the middle of the multi-selector. It is this menu that features a live view, which makes it a better choice than the standard menu and is much easier to access.

White Balance
Auto, Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, Custom
ISO
Auto, High ISO Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 5000
Drive
Single, Continuous, High-Speed 1, High-Speed 2, High-Speed 2 Pre, AF Drive, Bracketing
Metering
ESP, Spot, Center-weighted

This menu is composed mainly of icons, while the main menu is made up mostly of text. The text is in all capital letters, though, and doesn’t come with the live view. The main menu is accessible from the Menu button to the top left of the multi-selector.

An initial screen appears with all kinds of options on it: Camera Menu in the center, Image Quality at the top, Setup on the right, Silent Mode to the bottom right, Scene on the bottom, and Reset on the left. When the central Camera Menu is selected, the following mode appears with 5 tabs on the left.

White Balance
Auto, Preset (Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3), One-Touch (set)
ISO
Auto, High ISO Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 5000
Drive
Single, Continuous, High-Speed 1, High-Speed 2, AF Drive, Bracketing (+/- 0.3 x 3 or x 5, +/- 0.7, +/- 1)
Metering
ESP, Spot, Center-Weighted
Fine Zoom
On, Off
Digital Zoom
On, Off
AF Mode
iESP, Spot, Area
Focus Mode
AF, MF
Full-Time AF
On, Off
AF Predict
On, Off
AF Illuminator
On, Off
Image Stabilizer
On, Off
Flash Compensation
+/- 2 in 1/3 increments
Flash Syncro
Sync 1, Sync 2
External Flash
In, Slave (1-10)
Voice Memo
On, Off
Panorama
(shows grid lines left to right)
White Balance +/-
+/- 7 blue to red
Sharpness
+/- 5 in full steps
Contrast
+/- 5 in full steps
Saturation
+/- 5 in full steps
Noise Reduction
On, Off
Time Lapse
On (Pictures 2-99, Interval 1-99 minutes)
Conversion Lens
On, Off

The menu is extremely long, and the tabs aren’t labeled with icons. Similar choices seem to linger near each other though. The following is the setup menu that is also divided into 5 tabs which aren’t marked with icons but with numerals.

Format
Yes, No
Backup
Yes, No
Language
Japanese, English
Power On Setup
Screen (Off, 1, 2), Sound (Off, 1, 2)
Screen Setup
(couldn’t access on pre-production model)
Beep
Off, 1 (Low, High), 2 (Low, High)
Playback Volume
Off, Low, High
Shutter Sound
Off, 1(Low, High), 2 (Low, High)
Volume
6 levels
Rec. View
On, Off
File Name
Reset, Auto
Pixel Mapping
Start
LCD Brightness
+/- 2 in full steps
Date & Time
(set year, month, day, time, YMD)
Dual Time
On, Off
Alarm Clock
Off, One Time (set time, Snooze On and Off, 3 alarm sounds can be set to High or Low), Daily (same options as One Time)
Video Out
NTSC, PAL
Frame Assist
Off, Rule of Thirds, Diagonal Cross Lines
Histogram
On, Off, Direct
My Mode Setup
Current, Reset, Custom (all with My Modes 1-4 options)
m/ft
m, ft
Custom Button
Image Stabilizer, AE Lock, AF Lock, Image Quality, Fine Zoom, Digital Zoom, AF Mode, Focus Mode, Full-time AF, AF Predict, Flash Sync, External Flash, Voice Memo, Noise Reduction

Overall, the menu system is best avoided. It isn’t easy to get to anything because of the initial screen in the menu, and then navigation is confounded with the stiff multi-selector.

Ease of Use
The Olympus SP-550UZ is great to handle, but it can be a pain to use. The menus aren’t very intuitive or neatly organized, which is a drawback. The buttons are nicely labeled and most are quite large, which is a plus. With all these mixed feelings, the SP-550 isn’t all that easy to use unless you’re familiar with Olympus digital cameras and their strange nuances.

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