Olympus SP-100EE Manual Zoom

I just purchased this camera because I was looking for a high zoom bridge camera with manual focus. No place around me sells them in store so I ordered one online. I was quite disappointed that the manual focus is more of a setting instead of an active function, not at all like the focus ring on a DSLR or film camera. Is there something I am missing with this camera, or should I return it and buy something that is more like I imagined?

I've not seen the SP-100EE in person, but from reading the manual, it looks like you are right.  FWIW, the Stylus-1 does have a mode (depending on the FN2 lever in the front of the camera) that you do have manual focusing with the control ring.  However, the Stylus-1 only has 1/3 the zoom of the SP-100EE, and is twice the cost (with the Stylus-1, you do have the FN button that can be programmed to be a toggle for 2x digital zoom, and you can attach the tcon-17x/CLA-13 tele-converter on the camera, so you can get up to 1,020mm equivalent focal length, but it isn't as convenient as the SP-100EE.

I have both an SP-100EE and a Canon SX50.   Both have good points and not so good points.  But at the end of the day the Canon has a lot more features (albeit for a lot more money).

If you are set on a MF function, the SX50 (and I assume the SX60 that replaced it) has one.

But kiss your red-dot sight good bye 

Seemed odd that camera didn't have easy MF, I went and checked out your camera's manual

http://www.olympusamerica.com/files/oima_cckb/SP-100_MANUAL_ENGLISH.PDF

right click it, save as, now it's on your computer (watch where it goes, perhaps downloads) these things open and scroll faster when on your computer, and you can print specific pages.

You have two ways to get to MF, then you use the control ring to focus, it gives you focus magnification automatically in MF

pages 34, 35, 65 tell the story

page 34

1. Use AFL button, lock the focus, then turn the control dial, it should go to MF automatically. Take the shot, it goes back to AF.

2. use the Fn button as an AF/MF toggle, then use the control wheel to focus.

a. page 65, using camera menu 3, assign MF to the Fn button

b. page 35. Press Fn button, it switches to MF, turn control wheel to focus, press Fn button to go back to AF, it's a toggle.

If you want to use your Fn button for something else, use the first method, it gives MF for one shot only, then returns to AF automatically.

If you want to use MF a lot, and for several sequential shots, use the Fn button method, it stays in MF until you press Fn button again.

..............

ps, your thread title said Manual Zoom, that would be wonderful too, but not possible, different than manual focus which you made clear was your question.

It just occurred to me, if they had a limited manual zoom on one of the lens segments, you could use the motorized zoom to get close to your range, then make a limited manual zoom from there. That could easily be separate from the zoom motor.

One use, for sequential shots, find the bird, then manually zoom a bit, bird moves to a different branch, manually zoom a bit, that sort of thing, keeps you in optical range.

elliottnewcomb wrote:

You have two ways to get to MF, then you use the control ring to focus, it gives you focus magnification automatically in MF

Thanks Elliot. I'm embarrassed to admit that you are correct.

Especially as I have actually used the mode where you assign MF to the Fn button.  Used it and hated it !  The Fn button is positioned so that it's almost impossible not to press it accidentally when switching between EVF and LCD modes.  And once you lock MF accidentally and don't adjust the focus,  you get a lot of blurry shots.

Thanks for the correction - I should have spotted that rather than throw in the comment about the Canon cameras.