Olympus SP-570 UZ
Digital Camera Review
Dec 28, 2008
- By Steve Morgenstern
2.2
If you feel your inner paparazzo yearning to come out and play, consider the Olympus SP-570UZ with its whopping 20x zoom lens – the equivalent of a 28mm-520mm zoom in 35mm photography. We had lots of fun shooting with this camera, which combines plenty of telephoto power with a healthy wide-angle range. Image quality isn't stellar, but it's not bad either, and manual controls and customization options abound. For a detailed rundown on the pros and cons of this 10-megapixel, $450 ultra-zoom, check out the full review.
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If you feel your inner paparazzo yearning to come out and play, consider the Olympus SP-570UZ with its whopping 20x zoom lens – the equivalent of a 28mm-520mm zoom in 35mm photography. We had lots of fun shooting with this camera, firing off photos of architectural details, birds and beasts acting natural and people acting silly, all of them far from the spot we were standing. And while the telephoto lens is the headline feature, the 28mm wide angle means you don't sacrifice the ability to shoot panoramas or groups of friends in cramped indoor spaces. Image quality isn't stellar, but it's not bad either, and manual controls and customization options abound. Our detailed rundown on the pros and cons of this 10-megapixel, $450 ultra-zoom follows.
For zoomin' humans, the power of a 20x lens, as shown here, is a powerful lure.
Section
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The Good
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The Bad
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Tour
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Solid construction; easy to grip securely |
Dual-purpose buttons poorly labeled
|
Testing/Performance
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Standout scores for image noise and resolution
|
Middling to poor results in other tests |
Components
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LCD works well outdoors; effective pop-up flash |
Zoom is powerful but control is imprecise |
Design/Layout
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Great grip and handling; modest size for a big-zoom camera |
Programmable button missing some logical choices |
Modes
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Full array of automatic and scene mode choices; fun interval shooting option |
Slow full-res burst mode |
Control Options
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Manual exposure available; manual white balance tuning
|
Sloppy manual focus controls |
Image Parameters
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Extensive photo manipulation in playback mode; RAW shooting
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Slow file storage in RAW mode |
Connectivity/Extras
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Useful included software; readily available AA batteries |
Antiquated xD-Picture Card memory
|
Value
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A lot of bang for the buck
|
Ultra-zooms available at lower prices |
