Olympus SP-560 UZ

Opinion: I bought one used for my daughter - great camera. A bit over-complicated, but she's figured out the most important bits

Opinion: A bit about my quest for the compact. I was on market for a compact last year. I handled SP-560 back then but then something took over me and I bought a Canon G7. We never became friends.. I couldn't love G7 no matter how hard I tried. SP-560's memory started haunting me. So, I sold the G7 and bought an SP-560 a while ago... should've got that back then. Oh well, live and learn (get the thing you love, not something someone else loves).

Construction: one of the best I've handled. It feels very solid, materials feel good.. there's something luxurious. Grip is wonderful.. it really grips YOU!

Features: There's everything and the kitchen sink . and a bit more. It will brew you coffee and call a taxi.. Why not 5 then? Well, that's my objection to stuffing in every not so useful feature (um, alarm clock?,?) Also, one of the few real annoyances is that there does not seem to be any way to force flash on when in super macro mode.

Image quality: Well, obviously not DSLR quality, but surprisingly good at base iso (50), and that's pretty much what I use and need .. I certainly like the photos a lot more than the thousand ones I made with G7 before giving up.

Ease of use: Well, actually the camera is quite *easy* to use (snap away).. however, certain settings could be easier/faster to access. One programmable button and four my modes help quite a bit.. but oh well I'm a bit spoiled by back panel and dedicated buttons of my DSLRs.

Value for money: Well, I bought it a while ago and it was the cheapest camera I've ever bought.. and it's so great and inspirational little thing .. it takes me out for walks to snap a few pictures. It feels just so marvelous. Can't give anything less than 5

Other: Battery life is good. Focus speed is fine.

Opinion: My third current Oly camera, next to E-330 and E-3. Image quality is obviously not comparable to the SRLs : it is good to very good in enough light, but suffers and struggles in low light.
But it is a fun and versatile camera to always have lying around in the car or wherever, to capture all those moments that present themselves when you don't have the SLR nearby. The zoom, starting from real wide-angle, is an awesome feature in that respect : this really turns the camera into a good-for-any-situation performer.

Opinion: User Marc850 pretty much nailed it in his intelligent review.

I bought the earlier model SP-550UZ when it first came out in the beginning of last year, and must say I was a bit disappointed with its mediocre performance - especially in the department of both auto and manual focus. Don't get me wrong - I managed to take some nice pictures with it, but only in spite of its serious flaws. So now, a year later, when the 570UZ was announced, I got very excited about the new model's 20X manual zoom ring, improved manual focus, and 10 megapixel sensor. I quickly sold my 550UZ.

However, after recently testing out the new 570UZ, I discovered to my dismay that the motorized zoom ring has an extremely jerky quality, and is too easily activated, often ruining compositions I'd settled into before releasing the shutter - I much prefer the earlier models' discrete zoom lever. Also, the new UZ's body had become a bit bulkier than it's predecessors' more comfortable and elegant design - without that compactness, you might as well move on up to a DSLR.

That was when I decided to jump back a step and look into the 560UZ, the model released immediately after the 550 late last year. I hadn't ever considered the 560 because it seemed too similar to my 550, both physically and functionally. But after careful analysis, I now realize that Olympus had reached near-perfection in the 560UZ for this class of super-zoom point-and-shooters. Every problem which I'd experienced in the 550UZ had been dealt with and solved. The autofocus is now much quicker and more responsive, and the manual focus is greatly improved, delivering accurate results. With its 8 megapixel sensor, shots come out astonishingly sharp. The colors and white balance of this camera have been greatly improved over its predecessor.

The 550 was merely a study for the 560, and probably should never have been released. However, I must give Olympus the highest praise for creating in the 560UZ one of the most versatile and superbly-performing photographic instruments I have ever encountered! And I've encountered quite a few. How they managed to cram so many features into such a small device and make it work so well is nothing short of miraculous. And now at its lowered price (on account of the release of the 570), a better deal for what you are getting can NOT be found. Folks, don't even bother with the inferior new 570 - it's a classic case of overdevelopment (sorry Olympus, you got it superbly right the last time). So, I'd run out and snatch up the remaining 560UZ's while they're still lying around. Simply put, the 560UZ is a talented amateur photographer's treasure.

Opinion: I have just purchased an SP560 before Christmas. It has a lovely professional feel to it but unfortunately I find the image quality is not quite as good as my 3 year old Olympus C765 which had 4MP and 10x zoom range. I was extremely pleased with this older camera as it gave me very good vibrant sharp images across the range once the conditions were bright. The drop in image quality is not huge between the two cameras but with an image stabilizer and double the megapixels I had been confident that the new one would be at least as good and have a bigger range. When I queried with Olympus Support why the quality was not as good I received the following reply:
“the quality of the lens in the older camera may be better, it is not possible to make a 18 x optical zoom lens built in to a compact camera and still retain the same quality as with a 10 x optical zoom lens. With a greater zoom range you will not have as good picture quality as with a smaller zoom range with compact cameras.”
This might be a word of warning to anyone thinking of changing their 10x for an 18x. In fairness to Olympus I would assume that the couple of rival 18x cameras are no better and I appreciate their Technical Support being so honest, not like their Marketing Dept.

Opinion: I received this camera 11/15/07, and really love it! It was purchased as a replacement/upgrade for my almost worn out "UZI", Olympus C2100UZI.

The Olympus menus are very familiar, and there are many new options and features to explore.

I have, with great success, used both the Olympus TCON17 and BMacro, with the attached Galileo Adapter and Delrin Collar. With these attached the widest focal length is about 21mm (digital).

For further comments and my user testing, please visit my SP560 galleries on Pbase, user name donnar.

Opinion: This camera is an improvement over its predecessor, the SP-550. It starts up faster.focuses better in low light, and has a slightly deeper buffer for high speed burst mode shots. It also has a few new modes, plus face detection.
I like the 3 megapixel Hi-speed burst mode - you catch things you would rarely see in slower burst modes.

Opinion: This is NOT a good camera ! Images lack quality, colour and precision (even in good dayllight). Why Olympus would tarnish its good name with such a dud is beyond me (I've owned 4 of their cameras).

PROS
. looks good, feels great in your hands
. indoor flash photos are ok