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Introduction
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01.Product Tour
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02.Color
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03.Noise
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04.Resolution
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05.Video
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06.Sample Photos
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07.Playback
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08.Hardware
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09.Controls
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10.Design & Handling
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11.Canon SX1 Comparison
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12.Nikon P90 Comparison
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13.Sony HX1 Comparison
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14.Conclusion
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15.Photo Gallery
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16.Comments
Olympus SP-590UZ
Previous: Page 2
ColorNext: Page 4
ResolutionNoise
It’s got a wide range of ISOs, but noise is more visible at higher ISOs.
Noise (7.52)
In the image noise test, the SP-590UZ came out worse for wear compared to the other cameras. It had consistently higher noise than the competition, even though noise reduction kicked in noticeably at ISO 400. Performance under bright light was slightly worse than under the low 60-lux illumination. More on how we test noise.
Compared to the other cameras, at all but the highest setting, the Olympus has more image noise. The table below shows just how much noise you can expect to see, under both tested levels of illumination. With the bright lighting of 3000 lux, the noise was particularly on the high side.
| Noise Comparisons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 80 | ISO 400 | ISO 800 | ISO 6400 | |
| 60 Lux |  |
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| 3000 Lux |  |
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ISO (9.00)
At full resolution, the ISO levels run 64-1600, with ISO 3200 and 6400 available at reduced res. One of the nice features of many ultrazoom cameras, is that they contain many of the same controls as SLRs, including noise reduction. The SP-590UZ allows users to control whether or not noise reduction processing is used (the processing lowers noise but hurts image detail).
The images below are 100% crops of photos taken at every available ISO.
| ISO Comparisons | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Olympus SP-590UZ | Canon PowerShot SX1 IS | Nikon Coolpix P90 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 |
| ISO Low | |||
|
ISO 80
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ISO 80
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ISO 64
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ISO 125
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| Olympus SP-590UZ | Canon PowerShot SX1 IS | Nikon Coolpix P90 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 |
| ISO 200 | |||
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| Olympus SP-590UZ | Canon PowerShot SX1 IS | Nikon Coolpix P90 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 |
| ISO 400 | |||
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| Olympus SP-590UZ | Canon PowerShot SX1 IS | Nikon Coolpix P90 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 |
| ISO 800 | |||
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| Olympus SP-590UZ | Canon PowerShot SX1 IS | Nikon Coolpix P90 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 |
| ISO 1600 | |||
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| Olympus SP-590UZ | Canon PowerShot SX1 IS | Nikon Coolpix P90 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 |
| ISO 3200 | |||
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| Olympus SP-590UZ | Canon PowerShot SX1 IS | Nikon Coolpix P90 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 |
| ISO 6400 | |||
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| Olympus SP-590UZ | Canon PowerShot SX1 IS | Nikon Coolpix P90 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 |
NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.
Shop for the Olympus SP-590UZ
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