Olympus SP-565 UZ Digital Camera Review

Olympus SP-565 UZ

First Impressions Review

Sep 26, 2008 - By Mark Brezinski
The  Olympus SP-565 UZ boasts an extraordinary zoom range, a full 20x magnification equivalent to a huge 26 - 520mm zoom in 35mm photography, all in a compact 13-ounce body. The camera offers a full range of automatic and manual options, making it appropriate for beginners and advanced users alike. Based on our brief introduction at the Photokina trade show in Germany, this is a $400 camera we'd like to know better.
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Auto Mode
The Olympus SP-565 UZ does have a full automatic mode, which you can activate by turning the control wheel to "AUTO." In this mode the  camera is literally point and shoot – no user input is required, or accepted.

Movie Mode
The movie mode can capture in AVI format at resolutions of either 640 x 480 or 320 x 240, at frame rates of 30 or 15 frames per second.

Drive / Burst Mode
The SP-565 UZ has a few available burst modes. The first is capable of 13.5 frames per second, for a maximum 30 frames, at a reduced 3-megapixel resolution. The second can capture at 7 frames per second, for up to 30 frames, at 5-megapixel resolution. Full-resolution, 10-megapixel capture will net you 1.2 frames per second

Additionally, the camera features exposure bracketing and interval shooting modes. Exposure bracketing will shoot five frames one after the other, each at a slightly different value. Interval shooting will take anywhere from 2-99 pictures at intervals of 1-99 minutes, based on your selections.

Guide Mode
Guide Mode isn't so much a shooting mode as it is a list of tutorials. Enabling Guide Mode will let you access a list of common shooting situations such as "Shooting into a bright light," or basic effects, like "Blurring out background." Choosing one will display you a series of pop-up messages, which take you through the appropriate solution step by step. This feature drastically expands the range of consumer the SP-565 can cater to, since it can teach just about anyone how to use it properly.

Playback Mode
There are a few different views in playback mode: no information, normal, detailed, and histogram. The first three views are pretty standard fare. The histogram view is slightly different, reducing the picture to a thumbnail and placing it above the histogram. The background simply turns black.

The arrows represent the order these views will cycle when you
press the DISP button.

Custom Image Presets
There are quite a few scene modes on this camera, 25 in all, which are listed below in an excerpt from the camera's manual. You can access scene mode by turning the control dial to SCN. The only scene below that might not be immediately recognizable is the "Available Light" mode. The mode just boosts ISO sensitivity and cuts resolution.


Here's a list of the scene modes, along with the manual's
cute little illustrative icons.

Design / Layout Page 5 of 8 Control Options
Olympus SP-565 UZ Digital Camera First Impressions Review Navigation

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