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Olympus SP-500UZ review

Olympus SP-500UZ review

Cameras equipped with super zoom are becoming more and more popular. In theory, everything looks just fine: few people will give up the 10x zoom lens on a camera that fits freely in a jacket pocket.

The Olympus SP-500UZ has joined the already numerous family of superzoom cameras. Its focal length range is immediately respectable: 38-380mm in 35mm equivalent at a maximum aperture of f2.8. In addition, the SP-500UZ has 6MP resolution, while many competing models only have a 5MP sensor on board. There are other arguments in favor of this camera. Its construction seems to be more robust than other devices in its class. The black color of the body makes the Olympus SP-500UZ feel like a professional shooting tool. The camera fits comfortably in the hand, and the layout of the controls is quite logical. The only design flaw is that some of the buttons are small and can be accidentally pressed by the user.

The camera's capabilities are impressive: there is a programmable button for quick access to one of the functions. There is a histogram option, as well as adjusting the shades of the white balance - however, we could not find the settings for the flash modes. The photographer has a variety of subject programs at his disposal, including Sunset, Snow, Fireworks, Panorama, Self-portrait and Portrait in a landscape background. Such a thematic variety will surely please the newcomers of "digital photography". In addition, the camera has a time-lapse function that allows you to take up to 99 pictures with different intervals between them (from 1 to 60 minutes).

The camera's 2.5-inch LCD monitor is fast, but for its size it has a rather low resolution. The same can be said about the electronic viewfinder - its small display severely limits the "horizon". The viewfinder lacks diopter adjustment. Not provided in its design and rubber eyecup.

The compact SP-500UZ impresses with an abundance of burst shooting options. Its “Speed ​​Mode” is seamlessly combined with Focus Bracketing and Standard Exposure Bracketing. In normal burst mode, the camera outputs up to 8 high-resolution JPEGs at approximately 1.5 fps. The duration of the high-speed mode is limited to three frames, but in this case the camera's performance is noticeably higher - approximately 2.5 frames / sec. The recording time of images on an xD-Picture memory card should also be satisfactory. A high-resolution JPEG takes about 3 seconds, and an average RAW takes about 9 seconds.

The SP-500UZ RAW file is approximately 8.5 MB, and the highest quality JPEG is approximately 4 MB. The time it takes to turn the camera on and off is about 2 seconds. Shutter lag is present, but Olympus is no worse than its competitors in this respect.

This category of cameras, in principle, is not designed to obtain perfect images. However, the high quality standards of the SP-500UZ make it stand out from other market players. Despite its tendency to lightly overexpose, Olympus captures all shades perfectly. Almost no white balance shifts are felt, which already speaks of the high accuracy of the automation.

As mentioned above, the camera sometimes "overexposes" bright areas. But the visual noise level at ISO 80 and 100 is exceptionally low. The sunset, filmed in the story mode of the same name, turned out to be very convincing. The trees came out a little worse in close-up against the blue sky (Landscape program). With the exception of a few cases in Macro mode, the SP-500UZ focusing system has always performed at a very high level.

The functionality and image quality of the Olympus SP-500UZ make it one of the “cream” of the compact camera market.Of course, the camera lacks something: it doesn't shoot in the AdobeRGB color profile, doesn't have an external hot shoe, and comes without a battery or memory card. Its flash is far from perfect, and the lens extends / retracts not very quickly. Moreover, the last procedure is accompanied by a distinct noise. However, the advantages of the SP-500UZ outweigh the individual disadvantages. Good manual controls, a user-friendly interface and a rich collection of scenes make this camera a good choice for those who have outgrown primitive compacts.

Contents of delivery

- Manual

- 4 AA alkaline batteries

- Lens cap

- USB cable

- AV cable

- Strap

- CD

Key points

Design

In its black décor, the camera looks very elegant. The SP-500UZ looks like a professional model. The case is quite sturdy, although it is made of plastic. The model also benefits from a large LCD monitor and a well-designed layout of the main controls.

Lens

The camera is equipped with a powerful 10x optical zoom lens. In Super Macro mode, they can shoot from a distance of 3 cm.The only complaints are the slow operation of the lens mechanics

Interfaces

The SP-500UZ has a standard USB connector as well as AV output and DC input. The camera is fully PictBridge compliant

Manipulator D-PAD

This plastic construction is not a style standard. Nevertheless, it allows you to quickly select an item of any menu using the OK / Menu button.

Batteries

The camera comes with four AA alkaline batteries. However, they will not work for a long time, since the large LCD screen is rather "gluttonous". Therefore, in order to ensure yourself a comfortable work, you will have to fork out for Ni-MH batteries.

Memory card

The SP-500UZ uses an xD-Picture format memory card. Since it is not included in the package, you will have to purchase it separately. But the camera has 10 MB of internal memory

pros

- Powerful 10x zoom lens

- Multiple burst shooting options

- High quality images

Minuses

- Low resolution LCD

- Electronic viewfinder display is too small

- Flash is poor

Specifications (edit)

Model - Olympus SP-500UZ

Number of megapixels - 6.0

Maximum resolution - 2,816 x 2,112

Lens - f / 2.8-4.5 (38-380mm)

Zoom - 10x optical, 5x digital

Focus range - 60 cm - infinity, macro mode - 3 cm

Excerpt - 15-1 / 1000 sec

ISO - auto, 80-400

Exposure modes - auto, program, aperture / shutter priority, manual, scene programs

Exposure metering - multi-zone, point, center-weighted, digital ESP

Flash mode - auto, forced shutdown / activation, reduction of the "red-eye" effect

Interface - USB, AV

Weight - 285 g

Dimensions (edit) - 105.5x74.5x71 mm

Batteries - 4xAA

Memory cards - xD

LCD display - 2.5 inches

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