Olympus SP-510 UZ

Opinion: I already proved the camera, I have been having it for 10 days, and have to say that it is much more camera that sp-500, has corrected failures of its sister, the quality of image, is just as sp500, I have not noticed difference at least, as far as the menu, is better, he is everything more ordered, and yes, the stabilizer works, in all the ways less in manual and a/s, works correctly, I take a joy here, the video has improved much. We have one sp-500 improved and updated. It is worth the trouble.

The objective now is but safe, the cover is more robust. According to the saying in Steve Digicam the viewfinder, is very novel and is one of the best thing than it has in the market, is seen very well. In order to begin in the photography it is a great camera. As far as the ways iso, I have to say that comparing it with fz7, sp-510 behaves better to greater isos. Also it has the advantage of being able to place the filters to him, 55mm with adapter CL-4, that always come very well.

Opinion: I wanted a high-zoom prosumer camera with which I could produce quality shots (of aircraft, primarily), and learn digital photography by experimentation. This camera appeared in my radar because of its comparatively low price (against other, similarly-specced devices) and easy availability of accessories here (in Kathmandu, Nepal). I definitely want to add a TCON 17 telephoto conversion lens, and the SP-510 lets me do this. All ratings are relative to similar prosumer cameras; I'm sure they would be different in comparision to dSLR's. Of course, if you're thinking dSLR's, you probably aren't reading this to help you decide.

Let's take each rating category and see how the Olyumpus SP-510 UZ fares.

Construction (4.0, Good):
The body is plastic with grips on the lens tube and err... hand grip area. I'd have liked for it to be metal (like the body of my previous device, a Kodak DX7630), but I'm thinking now that its light weight really encourages you to take it everywhere, which is a plus for anyone wanting to learn by experimenation. The lens cap works well, and the camera feels sturdy. Really, I have no complaints here. I didn't give it more than 4.0 because I'm not sure how exactly the construction of this camera compares to the competition.

Features (4.0, Good):
Really, the 4.0 rating is slightly off. This camera is literally blooming with features. 7.1MP max resolution, 10x optical zoom, digital image stabilization, RAW support, full manual controls, bulb-mode shutter... The lack of optical image stabilization, however, is a real bummer. Really, at 10x zoom (and 17x with the telephoto conversion I plan to add), shake is unavoidable. I believe there is a mechanical gyro to detect the actual movement, but any correction is either by upping the ISO (which introduces noise) or in software. It works well, no doubt there - this early impulse photo of a moving aircraft shot at 10x zoom from a moving vehicle going the opposite direction is evidence (link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/livatlantis/259568864) - but it just slightly feels inadequate. But considering the price, you really can't complain; besides, this is definitely a step up from the SP-500 which had no stabilization at all. Another feature I was recently introduced to is the 3:2 image aspect ratio, which photographers from the film world seem to like. So although I've rated it 4.0, if stabilization isn't extremely important to you and you'd love to try out all those nice features for a relatively low price, you can consider I've rated Features at 4.5.

Image Quality (4.0, Good):
Image quality depends quite a bit on which mode it is you're shooting in. The SP-510 does feature a great point-and-shoot auto mode, but I feel it really shines in the Manual or A/S priority modes. Noise is a problem in low-light conditions (link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/livatlantis/262442275) in the auto or in one of the scene modes, but doesn't seem to bother shots taken in manual modes (links: http://www.flickr.com/photos/livatlantis/274691744 and http://www.flickr.com/photos/livatlantis/274693658). So the image quality is really up to you and - especially if you don't think you'll absolutely want to depend on the automatic modes - quite good, which is why it gets a 4.0 rating.

Ease of Use (4.5):
No problem here. Took me just a few hours to warm up to the interface and controls (coming from a Kodak EasyShare, which is, rather appropriately, very easy to work), and a few days to work it blind (as in not having to look at the button icons). The controls feel ergonomic, and perhaps the fact that my hand doesn't hurt after extensive use suggests good design. It took some time to get used to the down arrow button, which is usually "quick review", but in manual modes controls either the shutter duration or the aperture size after pressing the up arrow button once. It was initially annoying to have to return to the correct mode (and this requires replacing the dial to that mode) when all you wanted to do was increase the shutter duration a little. But I got used to it, and now definitely like the "quick review". So 4.5 in this department, because this is really one of the easiest cameras to use (after the initial getting used to).

Value for money (5.0, Excellent):
Excellent value for money. This camera costs less than similar 'contemporaries', give or take a few things, and is bubbling with features. Check the current street prices for Panasonic FZ7, Kodak Z710, Sony H-5 and Canon S3-IS.

End notes:
A few other things to mention are the battery life - which I found impressive (and although I haven't tested this, Olympus claims 630 shots with four AAs) - and the bundled software, Olympus Master. It looks okay, and can handle basic editing of ORF RAW files the camera produces. For organization, though, I'll stick with iPhoto (or, if I were using Windows, Picasa).

As a final note, this review is obviously biased since I like to feel good about my new purchase (and boy, do I love this camera!), although I've tried to be as objective as I possibly can. Your experience may differ quite a bit from my own, so you might want to give the SP-510 UZ a test ride before bringing her home. It's all very subjective, quite ironically.

I'll say this one last time: this camera should be great for those of us just starting into good digital photography and want to learn as much as we can by experimentation before we go for dSLR - the manual controls and RAW support, especially, should come in useful.

Opinion: This is my second digital camera, and I tried everything in this price range before buying, so I can save you the trouble and tell you to buy this! The ease of use is phenomenal, yet this cam takes pictures and video of outstanding quality. The 10x zoom will blow your mind. This is pretty much a professional camera for a beginner.

Opinion: Great and very amazing camera and features.... on the paper only!. It has evething you could dream of for a very competitive price (in Canada). Very impressive except , except, except ....for the quality of the pictures. I mostly used the camera under low light/ indoor conditions. There is no much sun light in November in Canada. Very disapointed with this point. I have try all the modes, all set ups, read all the information ... no way... Pictures are too much noisy and ugly. I did not try the RAW mode. I do not buy a camera like this to spend extra time to fixed the picts on my computer. I returned it after a week of intensive test for a full refund. It was a so near perfect camera...I just wonder if Olympus test their products after they are manufactured? I got better results and picts quality from my old Olympus Stylus 410.
Do not hesitate to test it. You may find that I might be wrong. It could also be too early to buy one since it was launched end of October 2006.