Olympus SP-550 UZ

Front
The front of the Olympus SP-550UZ has an enormous lens on the right side and a sizable hand grip on the left. The main body on the front is coated in a rubbery surface that is lightly textured and nicely contoured for fingers. At the top of the grip is the shutter release button surrounded by a fat zoom control ring. Poking off the left side of the front is the neck strap eyelet with an identical one emerging from the right side as well. The right half of the front is occupied by the lens that protrudes a few inches when it is off and extends an additional few inches once powered on and zoomed in. To the bottom left of the lens is a tiny plate boasting the lens specs: "18x Optical Zoom." An Olympus logo almost hangs over the lens, and the pop-up flash emerges just above it. To the top left of the lens, but below the flash, is a circular auto focus assist lamp. To the top right of the lens are three holes that make up the microphone. Overall, the front of the SP-550 looks much more sophisticated than its predecessor.

Back
The strap eyelets can be seen on both sides of the back, framing all else nicely. There is a lot happening on the back of the SP-550UZ. Buttons, contours, and doors collide on the back along with the 2.5-inch LCD screen on the left side. The screen is framed in glossy black with a white Olympus logo at the bottom. To the left of the LCD screen is the back of the rubber cover that hides the USB and power adaptor ports; there is a tiny slot for a finger grip visible from the back. Above the LCD screen is an electronic viewfinder surrounded by a thick plastic eyecup. To the left of the viewfinder is a tiny diopter adjustment with grooves in it for better gripping. To the right of the viewfinder is the display button that looks lonely on its own contoured edge.

From the back, the thick mode dial is visible at the top with its nicely textured edge. In the top right corner of the back is a wave-like contour that is nicely rounded and makes a smooth, comfortable thumb grip. The rubber surface on the back also aids in gripping. Below the rubber grip is a set of buttons flanked by an LED indicator on the left and a slot to open the memory card compartment on the right. The controls in the middle consist of a central multi-selector with icons on each cardinal direction: exposure compensation at top, flash at right, self-timer at bottom, and macro at left. In the center of the multi-selector is an OK/Func button that makes selections to the menu and calls up its own frequently used settings menu. Above the multi-selector are two trapezoidal buttons: the Menu button is on the left and the playback button is on the right. Below the multi-selector are two more trapezoidal buttons: Info/Display is on the left and Delete is on the right. All of the buttons and multi-selector controls fit together nicely.

Left Side
From this side, users can see the different textures and panels incorporated into the camera’s design. The back of the camera body is a polished dark silver color made of plastic. The port cover interrupts this space with its rubber surface. Above the port cover, the viewfinder can be seen protruding from the back and the circular diopter adjustment can be better viewed. In front of the port cover and the dark camera body is a shiny, bright chrome band that looks almost flat from the left side but has a neck strap eyelet on it. In front of the chrome band is a contour covered in rubber and meant for the left fingers to grip. The microphone is on this surface and is barely visible from this angle. The dark silver surface on the back continues on the flash component that crowns the top and down the left side of the lens barrel. It is on this portion that the flash button resides (to open the flash) and a "7.1 Megapixel" label exists. The lens barrel sits at the front and consists of brushed chrome and rubber segments. The number of surfaces on this side makes the Olympus SP-550UZ sound very odd, but it looks quite good.

Right Side
The right side is much plainer than the left. The back half of the casing is made of dark silver plastic, while the front is coated in textured rubber. In the middle where the two surfaces merge, a shiny chrome band seals the seam. There is a neck strap eyelet on this seam, but it isn’t visible from this angle. Near the bottom of the right side is a plastic door that covers the memory card slot; this can be opened from the back.

Top
When the camera is rested upon its back and viewed from the top, it takes on an L-shape. At the top of the "L" is where the lens barrel is, with the specs on its outer rim visible: "Olympus ED Lens, AF Zoom, 4.7-84.2mm, 1:2.8-4.5." Below the lens barrel, the flash component is visible with its release button on the left. Also to the left is the chrome seam that continues on the far right edge of the camera too. Behind the flash component, the viewfinder protrudes. Between the two features is some labeling: "Image Stabilization, 18x Optical Zoom." To the right of this labeling, on the main portion of the camera body, is a silver-colored island on the top. At the top of the island is the model name, "SP-550UZ," with the large mode dial below it and the shutter release/zoom ring to the right. Below the shutter release/zoom ring is the power button and to its right is the image stabilization button.

Bottom
The base of the camera is nice and wide, especially on the left side where the battery compartment resides. The compartment is large because it must hold 4 AA batteries, and it has a plastic lock that keeps the batteries from falling out. The bottom of the compartment has grooves so users can grip it better to slide it outward when unlocked. To the right of the battery compartment is a quarter-inch tripod socket. To its right is a flat spot at the base of the lens, perhaps meant to balance the camera nicely on a tripod. The lens barrel protrudes from here with its brushed chrome and rubber segments. On the right side of the bottom are nine holes that serve as the built-in speaker.