Olympus SP-560UZ Digital Camera Review - Olympus Point and Shoot and Non-DSLR

External Reviews
DigitalCameraReview.com Olympus SP-560 UZ Review Steve's Digicams Olympus SP-560 UZ PhotoReview Olympus SP-560 UZ CNET - Cameras Olympus SP-560 UZ Imaging Resource Olympus SP-560 UZ More

Model Design / Appearance (8.5)
Olympus went with a tried and true design. They certainly didn’t tweak anything in this area. The SP-560 looks exactly like the SP-550, with a few icon changes on buttons and a new name badge on the front.

This design works well for this ultra-zoom camera. It is compact yet still has a comfortable rubber hand and thumb grip. Olympus combines a variety of textures, such as suede-like rubber, tough plastic, and slippery chrome, to make a cool digital camera. It isn’t a very sexy camera; not many (or any) ultra-zooms are. But it looks serious and is comfortable to hold at the same time.

Size / Portability (5.25)
The SP-560 has the same look as its predecessor, and even the same measurements. It measures 4.6 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches, the same as the SP-550. It weighs the same too, at 12.9 ounces unloaded. The camera feels heavy for its size. It requires four AA batteries, which add a lot of heft. On its sides are tiny neck strap eyelets, but they hang slightly off-kilter, so hanging it around your neck may be a little uncomfortable. The Olympus SP-560 is an ultra-zoom digital camera, so it’s chunkier than most compact cameras but is still small enough to carry around without needing a Sherpa. It will fit just fine in a tote or book bag, but should probably be in a fitted camera bag to protect its fine 18x optical zoom lens.

Handling Ability (8.75)
Olympus kept handling in mind when designing this camera. The ultra-zoom SP-560 has a wide lens barrel that the left hand supports while the right hand grabs the curvaceous and rubber-coated right side. The front of the hand grip has a marked divot fingers can comfortably wrap around. Meanwhile, the right thumb supports the back with a protruding rubber pad. All the camera’s buttons are correctly positioned so they can be accessed by the thumb or index finger. The overall handling of the SP-560 is fabulous; you’ll never want to hold a boxy point-and-shoot again.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (6.75)
Although the SP-560 is shaped like an SLR, its controls are more reminiscent of compact digital cameras. There aren’t as many dedicated buttons, and some of the included buttons have cheap printed icons that look like they’ll rub off after a few photo shoots.

At the top of the hand grip is the shutter release button, slightly recessed in a bowl-like zoom control ring. The ring looks domed from the side but has a carved out spot at the top for the big shiny shutter release button. The zoom ring has a relatively large nub on its front so it can easily be pushed right and left to move the lens. This control isn’t bad, but still doesn’t seem to do the 18x optical zoom lens justice. The lens is just so big that I find myself wanting to rotate the rubber ring around the barrel!

The mode dial is also atop the camera and is nicely sized and labeled. It is quite tall and has a nicely grooved edge that makes it really easy to rotate.

On the back of the camera are those compact camera-like buttons. There is a circular multi-selector flanked by two buttons above and below it. All the buttons have printed white icons on the gray-colored background. The round multi-selector has a chrome ring around it that is mostly decorative but is part of the control and can be pushed.

Overall, the controls are easy to find and activate. They are all properly labeled and within easy reach. The multi-selector is a bit crammed with the surrounding buttons so users need to take care when pressing around down there.

Menu (6.0)
The SP-560 has the same type of menu included on other Olympus digital cameras. When the menu button is pushed, a dark screen appears with randomly placed text that can be selected to access different options and menus. The font is readable, but in all capital letters, and sometimes unfamiliar icons are used in place of text.

First we will have a look at the Function menu, which is found only in the Manual modes by pushing the button in the middle of the multi-selector.

White Balance	Auto, One-touch, Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3
ISO	Auto, High ISO Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400
Drive	Single, Continuous, Hi-Speed 1, Hi-Speed 2, Hi-Speed 2 Pre-capture, AF Continuous, Bracketing
Metering	ESP, Spot, Center-Weighted Average

This button is preferable to the main Recording menu because it provides large live previews. The Recording menu has its place, though; it includes many more features to choose from.

When the menu button is pushed, the screen appears with a dark background and white text. It looks like the randomly placed menus on other Olympus digital cameras. In the center is the Camera menu. Above it is the Image Quality option. To the right is a link to the Setup menu. To the lower right is a Silent mode and directly below accesses Scene mode. To the left of the center is a Reset link. The following is the Camera menu.

White Balance	Auto, Preset (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3), Custom
ISO	Auto, High ISO Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400
Drive	Single, Continuous, Hi-Speed 1, Hi-Speed 2, AF Continuous, Bracketing
Fine Zoom	Off, On
Digital Zoom	Off, On
Metering	ESP, Spot, Center-weighted Average
AF Mode	Face Detect, iESP, Spot, Area
Focus Mode	AF, MF
Full-time AF	Off, On
AF Predict	Off, On
AF Illuminator	Off, On
Image Stabilizer	Off, On
Flash Compensation	-1, -1.7, -1.3, -1, -0.7, -0.3, 0, +0.3, +0.7, +1, +1.3, +1.7, +2
Flash Sync	Sync 1, Sync 2
Slave Flash	In, Slave (1-10)
Audio	Off, On
Panorama	Shows grid lines to align shots
White Balance Compensation	+7 to blue, -7 to red
Sharpness	+/- 5 in whole steps
Contrast	+/- 5 in whole steps
Saturation	+/- 5 in whole steps
Noise Reduction	Off, On
Time Lapse	Off, On (Pictures 2-99, Interval 1-99 Minutes)
Conversion Lens	Off, On

There are five tabs on the left side of this lengthy Recording menu, but no icons, so unless you remember that Image Stabilizer is under submenu three, you’ll have to flip through the whole thing. The background of the menu is dark, so there aren’t many live previews. There is a preview for the white balance, but it’s hard to see, so this setting is much more user-friendly from the Function menu.

The Setup menu is available from the initial menu screen and includes the same options found on the Olympus SP-550.

Format	Yes, No
Backup	Yes, No
Language	English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Power On Setup	Screen (Off, 1, 2, select own startup image), Sound (Off, 1, 2)
Beep	Off, 1 (Low, High), 2 (Low, High)
Playback Volume	Off, Low, High
Shutter Sound	Off, 1 (Low, High), 2 (Low, High)
Volume	0-6
Recording View	Off, On (LCD Only, Current)
Menu Display	LCD Only, Current
File Name	Reset, Auto
Pixel Mapping	Start
LCD Brightness	+/- 2 in full steps
Date & Time	Set date and time
Dual Time	Off, On (set date and time)
Alarm Clock	Off, One Time (Time, Snooze off and on, Alarm Clock with sounds 1-3 and three levels of volume), Daily (Time, Snooze off and on, Alarm Clock with sounds 1-3 and three levels of volume)
Video Out	NTSC, PAL
Frame Assist	Off, Grid Lines, Cross Lines
Histogram	Off, On, Direct
My Mode Setup	Current, Reset, Custom all with My Mode 1-4 options
m/ft	M, Ft
Custom Button	Image Stabilizer, AE Lock, AF Lock, AF Lock + AE Lock, Image Quality, Fine Zoom, Digital Zoom, AF Mode, Focus Mode, Full-time AF, AF Predict, Flash Sync, Slave Flash, Audio, Noise Reduction

Components	Page 4 of 13		Modes
Olympus SP-560UZ Digital Camera Review Navigation
Intro	Testing/Performance	Components	Design / Layout
Modes	Control Options	Image Parameters	Connectivity / Extras
Overall Impressions	Conclusion	Sample Photos	Photo Gallery
Specs / Ratings

Olympus SP-560 UZ

Digital Camera Review