 not perfect, but still an excellent camera |
| Review Date: March 9, 2007 |
| Reviewer: R. Stauber, Mt. Holly, NJ USA |
I got the camera about a week ago and highly recommend it. If you buy this camera, I recommend getting an H type card which is much faster than the M type for taking pictures. Some movie functions do not work to full capability with the M type but do with the faster H type. I also recommend getting NIMH 2700 mah batteries and charger. Their higher capacity is worth the money and will save over the long run.
As far as the camera goes, I wish the camera was higher than 7.1 mp, but compared to my old 3.3 mp camera, the pictures are so much clearer and finer. The camera has many functions build in, and you will need to read the manual to get full use of the camera. Out of the box AUTO mode works well, but after reading the manual, I think most higher end users will want to set their own modes.
Some nice included functions are the manual ability, the ability to choose among 15 different shooting types (such as through a window), and the ability to store raw images among others. Storing raw images is slow due to the large file size and can take several seconds on an M type card.
Movie mode is able to take 30 fps at 640X480, but 15 fps is still good quality. With the M type card you can only take 15 seconds of movies at full mode, but H type you can fill your memory card. The default setting for movies is without sound so you will need to turn this on. However, with sound turned on, I was not able to zoom, even with the H card.
Image Stablization was nicely setup and can be set with just the push of a button rather than going through the Menu. Also, the eyepiece viewfinder is setup so that if the display on the back is on, the viewfinder is off and vice-versa. In fact when you use the eyepiece viewfinder, the picture that is normally displayed on the back is now in the eyepiece. I suppose this is good for taking pictures when it is too bright to see the back screen.
Finally, I like to take weather shots and this camera includes a time lapse mode, which I can put together with my old software (not Olympus) into a movie.
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Perfect camera for the nature photographer
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| Review Date: May 3, 2007 |
| Reviewer: William A. Nolan, Willcox, AZ USA |
I have had this camera for a month now, and have shot about 2500 frames. I teach digital photography at the local college, and have several cameras, so I have a good basis for comparison.
I shoot mostly nature subjects, and this camera acts like it was designed just for me. For nature subjects you need telephoto and macro, and this camera shines at both ends. Set to super macro it will focus at 1cm. Thats less than 1/2 inch. It has allowed me to shoot a honeybee that filled the frame.
The 18x telephoto is clear and sharp, and perfect not only for birds at a distance, but lizards 8 feet away. I bought the CLA-10 adapter and 1.7 teleconverter, so I can get 27x telephoto, and it is still clear. The image stabilization is good enough that I can hand hold at 27x if necessary.
The current lack of RAW support in Adobe products is being worked on, and the plug-in is expected shortly.
If you shoot nature you will love this camera. It is also ideal for candid street photography, and is being used by some pretty famous photojournalists. |
Olympus hits a home run!
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| Review Date: February 28, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Hiram Grant, |
After leading the way in digital point-and-shoots in the early part of the decade, Olympus had fallen on hard times. Not that their cameras weren't any good, it's just that they weren't anything special. With the SP-550uz (and a few other cameras), Olympus has really stepped it up.
First, this is one heck of a nice looking camera (the photos don't do it justice), and feels equally good in your hands (nice heft with the 4 AA batteries). The dials looks sharp and appears to be solid.
In operation, the camera works very well. The tremendous 18x optical zoom is smooth and not too noisy. The rear and internal LCDs are good, although I prefer the Sony internal LCD. The selector dial is easy to read, and the extremely helpful photo/descriptions that appear when you set the dial make it easy to figure out how to use the camera. Their "guide" mode is a wonderful addition for the beginner.
The "dual" image stabalization is a nice touch (but not a cure-all). The mechanical stabalizer is great for letting you hold the camera steady, but it doesn't really help as much for moving objects. The high ISO mode is more properly called an anti-blur mode, as it simply boost the ISO. This helps stop moving objects, but at a sacrifice in quality. High ISOs simply aren't very good on compact cameras, period.
Anyone who's read my reviews knows that I'm not a big fan of the xD cards. They're OK, but not a easy to find, or priced as competitively, as the SD cards.
Some recommended accessories are rechargable batteries and their lens adapter, if you think you might ever want to pick up filters or add-on lenses. These are tubes are sometimes difficult to find when the cameras are first out, but are really difficult to find once they've been discountinued, so get one early.
Overall, a camera at the top of the heap (along with the newly announced Sony DSC-H9). |
Olympus SP-550UZ Great Choice for Programmed Modes
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| Review Date: May 31, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Jeri J. Steele, Bowling Green, KY USA |
My husband is a professional photographer but I still don't know all the ins and outs of the various focal lengths and ISO adjustments. I have gotten good enough at photography that I needed more than the bottom end point and shoot cameras. I really needed at least a 10X optical zoom. I also do genealogy so needed a camera that has a macro lens so that I can copy photographs, documents, and microfilm off the reader. When we found the SP-550UZ it seemed a great choice so that I don't have to carry around two or more lenses. It has a Macro and Super Macro lens as well as being able to go 18X Optical zoom (I never use the Digital zoom on any camera!). I purchased this camera right before we left on vacation so I had time to play with it. I had no problem 'freezing' action on the sports scene mode. I got some really great photos through the windshield while we were moving at 70 MPH by panning with car movement. It worked well on the Blue Ridge Parkway picking up the subtle greens and purples of the mountains and trees. My husband was even jealous of the photos I took of my cousin's Koi fish in a pond in VA. I had it in Landscape+Portrait mode and they came out great.
This camera has 23 modes so play with them when you get your camera so that you know which one to choose to get the depth of field you desire. The SP-550UZ is a great camera for someone that wants the help of the programmed modes while still giving you the ability to change settings as you learn more about photography. It's handy document setting for working in the library on my genealogy sold me but the 18X optical zoom makes this a great all round camera in my book! I'm now recommending this camera for genealogists to get the best possible starting image when duplicating photos. (Much better than scanning!) |
Olympus 18X of fun
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| Review Date: March 4, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Henry C. Diem, Maple Shade, NJ USA |
To All,
I just purchased the SP-550UZ after searching for the best camera bang for the buck - Olympus fills the bill..... 3/3/07 was my first day of use and I decided to check ALL the features - with the batteries supplied - still in use and a 2GB card - I took off for the outdoors and began shooting pictures at a local park - 300 pictures - including several 15 FPS and 30 FPS shoots and three videos - 15, 30 and 45 seconds in length.
I am not a pro and will be using this camera for Sports, vacations and every day family events.
No Cons yets - I love the "SCN" feature - just select how you want to take the picture and the camera setups the camera - all you have to do is take the picture. |
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