Olympus SP-560 Ultra Zoom - Expert Reviews

Review summary: The Olympus SP-560 UZ is the latest in Olympus's UZ line of ultra zoom cameras, boasting a class-leading 18x optical zoom.

Pros: Impressive lens, especially for its weight and price ; True wide-angle flexibility ; Solid construction ; Good balance in hand ; Uses easy-to-find AA batteries

Cons: Feature bloat ; Poorly designed lens barrel leaves the front lens element vulnerable ; Purple fringing and highlight clipping ; Noise reduction heavy, even at middle ISOs ; Plastic tripod mount ; Slow shot-to-shot times ; xD card memory only

Verdict: The SP-560 features 1/2.35" CCD 8 megapixel sensor. This represents a slight increase in size and pixel count versus the previous SP-550, and Olympus deserves some credit for not simply increasing the pixel density. It is complemented by the third ...

Award: Recommended!

Review summary: Olympus was one of the first manufacturers to realize that building digicams around small sensors allows much longer zooms to be offered without the bulk of the camera becoming unmanageable. With its "Ultra zoom" range, starting back in 2000 with the ...

Pros: Phenomenal zoom range that includes real wide-angle to long telephoto capability, Huge range of features, Reliable exposure, Good ergonomics, RAW mode (though very slow), Bright, immediate 'consumer friendly' output, Good detail and color at lowest ...

Cons: More features than you will know what to do with (many of them gimmicky), Unwieldy menu system, Corner softness at shorter focal lengths, High contrast tone curve tends to clip shadows or highlights, RAW mode so terribly slow, Limited AA battery life, ...

Verdict: We described the Fuji S8000fd as trying to be all things to all people, but that was before we really got to grips with the Olympus SP-560UZ.

Award: Recommended!

Review summary: Choosing a new super-zoom camera just got even harder.

Verdict: The Olympus SP-560UZ is an extremely accomplished camera, and more than makes up for its slightly disappointing predecessor. Outstanding design and handling, good performance and a huge degree of versatility make it a superb tool for the keen hobbyist ...

Review summary: After just a few minutes of shooting, the key difference between the FZ18 and the SP-560 UZ is pretty obvious; it's much slower?.

Pros: 8MP 18x zoom digicam with sensor shift stabilization

Cons: Much slower response than the competition

Review summary: Olympus's new entry into the 'superzoom' bridge, or high-end compact category, offers advanced functionality and a complete photography system in one managable body. How does it compare to the Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd?

Pros: Pro-build quality, bright LCD, image stabilisation

Cons: Fringing at tele end of zoom. No SD card compatibility

Verdict: When it comes to purchasing a bridge camera, there are several things that normally seal the deal. Lugging around a DSLR and a range of lenses is not always convenient or preferable, so DSLR functionality accompanied by a wide zoom range and combined ...