Compare Prices : Olympus SP-550 UltraZoom - Expert Reviews

Review summary: The Olympus SP-550UZ packs an 18x optical zoom, RAW capture and a helpful guide mode into a solidly built EVF camera, but some of the "features" come with asterisks and footnotes.

Review summary: Olympus has today announced the Olympus SP-550 UZ Ultra Zoom, a camera offering a best-in-class 18x optical zoom lens (28-504mm equivalent in 35mm photography), which gives users the ability to shoot telephoto, wide-angle and macro (as close as 1cm) ...

Review summary: The Olympus SP-550 UZ is an ultra telephoto digital camera that will get those in the market for a long zoom on a reasonably compact camera interested with it's whopping 18x optical zoom lens. This 7.1 megapixel camera comes with image stabilization ...

Verdict: This 7.1 megapixel camera comes with image stabilization (CCD shift) for it's 28-504mm equivilent lens as well as the ability to shoot in burst mode at up to 15 frames per second (with the ability to take five shots before you even fully depress the ...

Review summary: Olympus updated its ultra-zoom line with a new flagship, the Olympus SP-550UZ. This digital camera comes with the most zoom available on any compact digital camera to date, providing a massive 18x of optical zooming power. The camera also comes with ...

Pros: - Great handling - Best-looking Olympus - Lengthy 18x optical zoom lens - Nice flash - RAW + JPEG files - In-camera RAW editing - Image stabilization - Great movie mode

Cons: - Gimmicky pre-capture mode - Slow 1.2 fps burst mode - AA batteries don't last long - Confusing menus - Some scene modes reduce resolution - $499 price

Review summary: Replete as it is with impressive features, the Olympus SP-550's most compelling specification is its 18x zoom. Ranging from a wide angle 28mm equivalent to a very long 504mm telephoto, the SP-550's zoom does indeed impress. Its f/2.8 aperture at wide ...

Pros: Attractive design is also quite functional with a textured grip that holds onto you ; Great color and better dynamic range than the LCD shows in the field ; The longest digicam zoom available with a usable digital zoom that takes it even further into ...

Cons: Very high ISO only available at reduced image sizes ; High ISO itself is noisy ; High levels of chromatic aberration, but expected for a lens with this range ; Sluggish autofocus ; Slow startup and shutdown ; Scattered top menu makes it hard to ...