Product Description

This is by far the world's most powerful ultra zoom camera! In fact, the SP-550 Ultra Zoom has revolutionised the world of bridge cameras by incorporating an 18x wide-angle optical zoom and 7 megapixel CCD sensor! The possibilities are endless! You can capture the moment with its high-performance sensor, which lets you get closer to your subject than any other compact digital camera on the market (up to 1 cm in macro mode), or eliminate blur once and for all with its Bright Capture Technology and double stabiliser system! The SP-550 UltraZoom also comes with a burst mode of 15 fps (in a resolution of 1.2 megapixels) to make sure your photos are amazing each and every time. It's very easy to use thanks to its practical 6.35 cm LCD screen, which lets you preview your shot before taking it. Representing the perfect balance between professional SLR performance and ease of use, the SP-550 UltraZoom from Olympus is the wisest choice for all photography fans!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13374 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Olympus
• Model: SP-550 UZ
• Released on: 2007-02-15
• Dimensions: 31.10" h x 45.67" w x 30.71" l, 1.54 pounds
• Display size: 2.5

Manufacturer's Description
Explore the possibilities of this kind of magnification power. With an 18x wide zoom lens (equivalent to 28-504mm on a 35mm camera) there's no need to disturb your subject, whether it be an animal wandering through the wilderness or people lounging in a city park. Telephoto shots can be more prone to blur caused by camera shake, so the SP-550 UZ features Dual Image Stabilisation to help deliver the clearest results possible. Get a front-row view from a safe distance in high-action situations - and even make use of the phenomenally-high burst rate to take great sequential shots at speeds never before seen in this category: Up to 15 frames per second*!

Experience a lens that's simply more versatile than anything you've seen before. On top of astounding ultra-zoom attributes, its wide-angle capabilities stretch to 28mm (35mm camera equivalent). Therefore the SP-550 UZ offers photographers a broader viewpoint from which the photographer can see and do more. And with a 2.5"/6.4cm LCD it's easy to frame and capture shots, without having to squint and make guesses about how the image will turn out. See the world from a different point of view with Super Macro mode - making shots possible from as close as 1cm! From the tiniest wonders nature has to offer, to the simple detail of everyday life: The most unique photographic opportunities are easily recorded with the SP-550 UZ.

Don't let low light ruin a photo opportunity. You can rely on BrightCapture Technology to add brightness to any shot, even in movie mode! With the help of an extra-bright LCD, framing dim shots is no problem, making high-quality photo and video capture a reality in virtually any low-light situation.

Thanks to an ergonomic design plus the intuitive menu and button layouts, the SP-550 UZ is a delight to hold and just as much fun to operate. With P/A/S/M exposure modes and 23 scene modes available, there's a perfect setting for every user, and for pretty much any situation.

The versatile Olympus SP-550 UZ turns creative dreams into reality.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

great camera, no need to upgrade with conversion lenses
I have had mine for a few months now and the pics are amazing. Great for novices or people like me who want to try and be a bit more adventurous.
A word of caution, dont bother trying to upgrade it by buying the tele converter or wide angle converter. both require a huge adaptor to be purchased as well and the resulting pics are a waste of time. just use the camera as it comes and you will get fabulous photos.

Brilliant camera!
I have owned my Olympus Sp550uz for 6 months now and I am delighted with it. Yes there are one or two small problems but I will come to that later. The image stabiliser is fantastic - on holiday in Croatia I snapped away through the window (using the Through Glass setting)on a moving coach with great results. The colour and sharpness of the images is excellent. The 18 times zoom is fantastic for taking pictures of wildlife and the image stabiliser keeps the images reasonably sharp without using a tripod. It is easy to negotiate your way through the menus and settings unlike lots of other well known makes of camera. I use the view finder most of the time as I find it difficult to view an LCD screen especially in bright light and you can use the view finder to see the menus and settings which is fantastic. The pre set scene modes are easy to use and give excellent results. On the down side, the auto focus is a bit erratic but can be lived with or turned off - it doesn't affect the final result. The original batteries lasted well but I havent yet found any re-chargeable batteries which are long lasting in this camera. The battery warning on the camera doesnt show as a gauge as on other cameras, you just get a red light when the batteries have run out and a warning sound then the camera goes off so you do need to have extra sets of batteries with you. I really enjoy using this camera it feels good and sturdy. It is not a lightweight camera but not as heavy as an SLR - and who needs and SLR with this beauty?

Olympus SP550 UZ Superb value
Who needs a digital SLR when you can buy this Olympus! The image quality is excellent although it does begin to deteriorate at the 500 end as do a lot of SLRs. At the wide end, definition is more than acceptable. It is comfortable in the hand and after a bit of practice trawling through the various menus, it not too difficult to operate. The image stabilizer is very effective and thus far I have seen no evidence of the DCS (dreaded camera shake). The SCN (scene) programmes are very comprehensive. Having a viewfinder is useful particularly in bright sunlight making it difficult to use the display. There is little noise even when using fast shutter speeds indoors in poor light without use of the flash. This is a camera loaded with features and the 7.1 megapixels is quite adequate It would be churlish to be critical, however, I find the automatic zoom slow and clumsy and would prefer it to be manual. The chord for attaching the lense cap is a bit fragile and I have replaced it with a leather bootlace not pretty but effective. Using rechargeable AA batteries is to be recommended, the supplied alchaline batteries did not last long.
For the money this is a superb piece of kit with a host of features and a great way of stepping up from 35 mm SLR photography if you require more than just point and shoot.