Olympus SP-310 review: Page 1. Introduction [Digital Photography Review]

Olympus SP-310 Review
Simon Joinson, November 2005

Review based on a production Olympus SP-310

At the end of August 2005 Olympus added two more cameras to its 'SP' range of 'creative compacts'; the 8 megapixel SP-350 and the model reviewed here, the 7 megapixel SP-310. The SP-310 - on paper at least - offers a compelling mix of point-and-shoot ease of use and advanced photographic features - including RAW capture - at a very competitive price point. But is it any good? Read on to find out.

Let's start with the main selling points:

7.1 million pixels
3x zoom lens (equiv. 38-114mm)
6.4cm/2.5” LCD monitor
Auto, Program, Aperture & Shutter Priority and manual exposure
24 scene modes
iESP auto focus , spot with option to select AF area with 143 points and manual focus
Super Macro mode up to 2cm
Histogram function in shooting and playback modes
Recording in JPEG or RAW formats
Very long battery life (up to 510 shots)* and uses standard AA batteries
TruePic TURBO image processor
32 MB internal memory plus xD-Picture Card slot
Movie recording with sound
USB Hi-Speed AutoConnect
PictBridge compatible
Availability of lens converters WCON-07F, TCON-17F and underwater case PT-030

* Under ideal conditions using the included CR-V3 battery pack

Olympus SP-310 Key specifications

Street price	• US: $333 • UK: £270
Body Material	Plastic
Sensor	• 1/1.8" Type CCD • 7.4 million pixels total • 7.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 3072 x 2304 • 3072 x 2048 ( 3:2 ) • 2592 x 1944 • 2288 x 1712 • 2048 x 1536 • 1600 x 1200 • 1280 x 960 • 1024 x 768 • 640 x 480
Movie clips	• 640 x 480 @ 30/15 fps • 320 x 240 @ 30/15 fps • Up to the capacity of the memory card • QuickTime Motion JPEG
Lens	• 38 - 114 mm (35 mm equiv) 3x optical zoom • F 2.8 - 4.9 • 5x Digital Zoom
Focus	• Spot • iESP autofocus, AF area is selectable (from 143 points) • Manual focus with enlarged focusing area • Macro: 0.2m (W)/ 0.3m (T) • Super macro: 2cm
Metering	• Digital ESP metering • Spot metering • Center-weighted
Shutter speeds	15 - 1/2000 (up to 8 minutes in Bulb mode)
Apertures	(W) F2.8 - F8.0, (T) F4.9 - F8.0
Image Parameters	• Saturation ± 5 • Contrast ± 5 • Sharpness ± 5 • RAW edit • Red-eye reduction • Sepia mode • Black & white mode
Shooting mode	• Program • Aperture priority • Shutter priority • Manual • Portrait • Landscape with Portrait • Landscape • Sports • Night Scene • Night Scene with Portrait • Cuisine • Beach • Snow • Available light portrait • Self Portrait • Indoor • Behind Glass • Museum • Document • Auction • Candle • Sunset • Fireworks • Manner • Shoot & Select 1 • Shoot & Select 2 • Underwater Wide 1 & 2 • Underwater Macro • 4 My Modes • AE compensation -2.0EV to +2.0 EV in 1/3EV steps
Sensitivity	• Auto • ISO 64 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400
White balance	• Auto • 7 presets • Manual (custom) • White balance fine tuning (7 steps, Red - Blue)
Continuous	• High speed mode: up to 2.4 shots per second up to 2 images • Normal mode: up to 1.5 shots per second up to 8 images
Flash	• Built-in • Modes: Auto, red-eye reduction, fill-in, off, fill in and red-eye reduction • Range: 3.8 m (wide) / 2.2 m (tele) • Guide number: 7.5 • Flash output level control (10 levels)
Storage	• xD-Picture Card (optional) • 32 MB internal memory (24MB available for image storage).
Viewfinder	Optical real image
LCD monitor	• 2.5" TFT LCD • 115,000 pixels
Connectivity	• USB 2.0 Full Speed • A/V out • Optional AC adapter C-3AC;
Power	• 2x AA battery (NiMH, NiCd, alkaline, lithium) or 1x lithium CR-V3 • Optional adapter
In the box*	• Camera • Strap • USB cable • audio/video cable • 1 x lithium battery LB-01 (CR-V3) • OLYMPUS Master 1.31.
Other features	• DPOF • EXIF 2.2 • PIM III • PictBridge • AE bracketing • Optional lens converters WCON-07F & TCON-17F • AF assist lamp • Playback and record histogram • Noise reduction on/off (0.5 second exposure or more) • Saved image editing • Timelapse (interval) shooting - 2 to 99 shots, 1 to 99 minute intervals.
Weight (excl batt)	180 g (6.3 oz)
Dimensions	100 x 65 x 35 mm (3.9 x 2.5 x 1.4 in)

* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.

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Digital Photography ReviewOlympus SP-310 reviewPage 1. Introduction

Olympus SP-310 Review Simon Joinson, November 2005

Olympus SP-310 Key specifications

Digital Photography Review
Olympus SP-310 review
Page 1. Introduction

Olympus SP-310 Review
Simon Joinson, November 2005