Olympus SP-550 Review - Part 3 (Image Quality)

Comments

[Hdr]

ISO 5000 would be pretty much like being able to shoot in the dark. ISO 3200 alone is pretty amazing, though I do get quite a bit of hot spots. At what point does the technology hit a ceiling though? If sensors could see in the dark like that, wouldn't you think that that technology would already be used in military applications?

[Patrick]

Nice review. One thing I would love to see is how different is a 28mm wide angle shot vs. what is normally the standard 38mm wide on most other digital cameras? For example, the other Oly Ultra-Zooms tend to start out at 38mm and besides the huge zoom on the SP-550, I was also very interested that it is also wider that the others.

Perhaps you can do a wide angle shot and compare it to a shot with the zoom set to 38mm equiv. and show them side by side to get an idea of the gain in the wide side and also to see if there are any differences (vignetting, extra curves to straight lines, etc.).

Thanks for the review!
Patrick

[Mike Goodger]

Impressive results, thank you for the review.
Does it have manual focussing, and if so, how is it operated, and what do you think of it?

[Selçuk Gürsoy]

I should mention that I was very impressed of your review about SP-550. There aren't any other sample photos taken by this camera all over the web.Really great job!Thank you!

By the way, I have been using Oly SP-500 for nearly a year.Many of the specifications are similar with 550, but of course 550 has much more.

I decide to change my SP-500 with SP-550, therefore I would like to know how much you have paid for it in Singapore (At the site www.dpreview.com it is mentioned to be about $500 in the US). As I am planning to visit Singapore in this Spring that information will be valuable for me.

It would be very kind of you to recommend some addresses where I could buy SP-550 and if possible where I could sell my SP-500.

Thank you very much and with best regards,

Selçuk from Turkey.

[Joerg]

Hello!
I´m wordering how long it takes to store RAW-Files (plus highest quality JPGs). Can you help?

[Gerry]

Very good review. No mention on the video quality? Will you be giving a review of that too?

[nel]

What size is the filter thread on the lens?

[Lawrence Ripsher]

Hi - thanks all for the feedback, I've replied to a couple of you individually.

Re video mode - you can read here what I have to say on this although it's not v significant - http://scaredofthedark.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/olympus_sp550_r_4.html#comment-60362994

I've not used manual focus extensively yet although it does have it as an option. Changing the focus is easy (just up / down buttons) which gives you a magnified image to focus with, as well as a distance meter - but honestly, I don't expect this to be particularly useful compared to a DSLR. Maybe for very specific situations or for turning focus off (e.g. on macros where moving the actual camera while in a fixed focal point is sometimes the easiest method for focusing).

[John McCormack]

How is corner softness at 28mm? Your shot of the harbor look good in this respect. Also, can you comment on distortion at the 28mm end. Thanks for your efforts.

[drMichael]

I was going to buy the Canon G7 for travel...didn't want to drag my E-1 (or their new replacement... whenever). Is this a better choice? The G7 is probably a bit smaller, but still not pocketable. Been debating with others vs. Leica DLUX-3.

[jahanpour]

hi. thnx alot for good knowledges that i learn from ur website. i want buy a new compact or d-slr camera good for my trips.
i don't like heavy cameras. and slr cameras rn't good for me. i want a good digital camera with enough zoom ability and good for night photography and good quality in movie clips.
at first i wanted choose my camera between panasonic fz50 - canon s3is -olympus 510 uz -fujifilm s6000
& now i think about two new camers panasonic fz8 and olympus 550 uz.
can u guide me which one is better for my purposes.
plz tell me about 2 or 3 best camera .
thnx again.

[jahanpour]

hi again lawrence . thnx so much for ur guaidance. seems u rn't agree with fz50 & s3is. therefore i think only to 550uz. i must wait more than 2 month for finding it in my country markets.
thnx again.

[Lawrence Ripsher]

Hi jahanpour. Both the cameras you mention are good and the S3IS in particular has a huge following. However, they're not quite right for my requirements for various reasons. Ultimately you'll need to decide whether they feet your needs - it's just that the Olympus SP-550 had just the right feature set for what I was looking for in a compact / ultrazoom. Cheers

[Jim]

Hi there, great review thanks. One question I don't think has been addressed is the autofocus and image stabilization abilities when shooting moving objects at long zoom? I'd be keen to use it for shooting wildlife pics and so far that would be one of the main factors in deciding between this camera and the many other mini-SLRs. I was wondering if you'd had a chance to have a go at taking such pics (e.g. birds in flight etc)? Thanks.

[james moh]

Hai, Thanks for a wonderful review. I been waiting for quite some time since it's launch.Sold all my 35mm gear four years back.I was always hesitant of the digital format.Iam a landscape and bird photog, and was initially planning to spend about 8k, just to get back into photog. Now this camera is really a blessing in disguise.Wish you could have taken somebird shot's,perching or in flight.THANKS anyway. JAMES.

[Shayne]

If its not an imposition I wonder if you might try to take some photos of crystals eg quartz or citrine, being translucent glass like qualities. Would you use underwater or through glass settings to take the clearest pictures without reflections?

Please contact me to discuss via email if necesary as Im looking for a good camera to use with my crystals and also to post items to ebay etc etc

thx in advance

Shayne

[mlhm5]

I was hoping for a really clean 200 ISO shot, but Olympus is not really any better than my FZ-20 Panasonic.

Have to wait for the new CCDs I suppose.

[Mark Phillips]

I'd love to know your take on the viewfinder.
I'm considering a Panasonic FZ8. It has a pretty bright and fairly large viewfinder and I hate being dependent on the LCD.
The lack of specs from Olympus on the viewfinder has me a little suspicious about the size and # of megapixels.
Apart from that the 550 is very tempting.

Thanks.

Mark

[Rog Patterson]

Would be most interested in your opinion of the so-called "stabilization" system some reviewers claim is no more than upping the ISO. Olympus literature says two systems are at work...what's your take on the real thing. And how is using the viewfinder in bright light...I have to cup my hand over my C-740US finder to see the view and anything would be an improvement.

Thanks for sharing your experiences,

Rog Patterson

[Lawrence Ripsher]

Mark - I've commented on the viewfinder here:

http://scaredofthedark.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/olympus_sp550_r_4.html#comment-61648328

Rog, regarding the image stabilization, you can be sure that it's optical image stabilization at work. I have the camera set to aperture mode all the time with the ISO fixed. So for all my pictures, when image stabilization is on, the ISO does not (cannot) vary at all, yet its benefit is very apparent.

I'm able to handhold sharp images at 500mm with a shutter speed as low as 1/20s or so (even lower if I have something to brace my elbows on). This obviously is something that comes with practice as IS can only do so much but it's been one of the most useful features for me so far.

[Rog Patterson]

Thanks for confirming the SP550's "real" image stabilization, Lawrence. Have been going back-and-forth between it and Kodak's P712, with the latter's confirmed stability at long zoom and low light work, so your findings swing me over the edge. Thanks once again!

The extent and thoroughness of sharing your experience with this digicam has been most useful. I appreciate your hands-on approach you've taken.

Rog Patterson

[Detlef]

thank you to this test. in germany ican buy the sp550 at 1. march, and so no test before in germany in speziality newspaper
Greating from Merlin -germany

[tommy vivrett]

In you review about Olympus SP-550UZ you said you got a detail manual for the camera that you can read or print out if you wanted to.
I did not get a manual on the CD, only the program Master 2.
I did get a Quick Start manual. I called Olympus here in the United States and the man said there is only the Quick Start manual.
This is the fourth Olympus digital camera I have bought and they all had a detail manual.
I guest the US does not rate.

[Judy Butler]

Any chance you have used this in a concert setting? When allowed by the artist, I love shooting at concert venues. It's tricky with all the movement going on though. I now use a Canon S2. Is the 550 going to be a real improvement?

[jahanpour]

hi again lawrence

i must wait 2 month or more for seeing olympus 550 uz in my city. have u any idea about these new cameras?
canon TX1
sony H9