Product Description

World?s first 18x optical zoom takes photography to the next level Get up close and personal in a whole new way. With the world?s first wide 18x optical zoom, the Olympus SP-550 UZ accepts no limits, bringing photographers closer to distant subjects than ever before. Capture candid street scenes from a discreet distance, grab the detail of your favourite sport from way up in the stands ? then even use the wide angle lens to take in the whole game ? as this model?s focal length spans an amazing 28mm-504mm (in 35mm camera equivalent terms)! Enjoy double protection against camera shake with Dual Image Stabilization. Even at high magnifications or when capturing fast-moving objects, this technology ensures results are significantly sharper. Packing 7.1 Megapixels of detail-capturing power, the SP-550 UZ opens up a new realm of creative possibility.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31561 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Olympus
• Model: SP-550 UZ
• Released on: 2007-02-15
• Dimensions: 3.09" h x 4.57" w x 3.07" l, .82 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

Good value
I have had a 550 for a week or so now. I have not noticed the banding on the LCD other reviewers report in spite of using it in bright sun. On the whole I think it is good value; the stabiliser works effectively and as far as I can tell a better zoom would be on a SLR costing at least £600. In the macro mode something the size of a bumble bee fills the screen. It is on the limits of what can be carried around casually - it can just be squeezed into a cagoule pocket and weighs almost exactly a pound (450 grams) including batteries. The controls (unlike the manual) are fairly easy & intuitive. I have found it excellent for landscapes - the zoom allows almost anything to be framed and it generally appears to capture colours well enough for Photopshop to fix (and there are various colour controls I have not used yet).

It is easy to quibble - the images on long zooms are not as sharp as I hoped; I think there is some dulling & distortion in the corners of most pics; however, cropping and a bit of sharpening in Photoshop sorts this out. Purists will no doubt see other problems - when I took a shot of a reservoir I could see a very slight hump in the distant waterline. Slow start up and writing to the card make wildife photograpy hard work - and I only tried to get shots of wildfowl squabbling as they swam near a hide. I have taped the door to the card shut because it is easy to pull it open when taking the 550 out of a case or pocket.

So - overall it is good value - but see it as an overgrown compact rather than a cheap SLR and you will not be disappointed.

olympus sp-550uz
i have been using this camera for a week now.

i am pleased with most of the pictures i have taken except for in sunny conditions when both the lcd screen and the evf become practically unusable due to bands of light appearing across the display,especially at a wide angle shot.this does not always appear on the actual photo but a few pics show bands of over exposure across them.
i have tried putting a black tube around the lens as a sun shade but it makes no difference.

i have been testing this against my kodak p850.
generally apart from bright sunshine shots the olympus produces the sharper pictures.
but even though the kodak has got a lower lcd/evf resolution it is more usable than the one on the olympus

i almost returned this camera,but the 18x zoom and the quality of most of the photos just saves it.

i must say though that indoor shots and low light shots are of outstanding quality.
so maybe it is the brightlight technology that is to blame for its poor handling in sunny conditions.

if olympus can correct the lcd problem,then they would have an unbeatable camera worthy of 5 stars,but for now i rate this camera 4 stars.

Superb handling camera
The choice was a Canon S3 or the Olympus SP-550. Dozens of man hours were spent reading reviews. I went for the Olympus and I am very happy man.
The key selling point for me was the 28mm wide angle -it opens a whole range of photography, especially inside and for landscapes. I was going to get a wide angle converter for the Canon anyway, but really thats a pain and would I really carry it around with me all the time - no not really. The movie mode is better on the Canon with opical zooming with sound and a still capture ability if you see a great shot while filming. I do a lot of movie stuff, so it was a difficult choice. But the Olympus movie mode is fine - good quality 30fps, and you can use the digital zoom if need be. And videoing on max angle is great in busy social situations.

I could go for hours but life is too short. There are loads of detailed reviews out there. One thing though that most of them slag off is the value of high ISO settings - too much noise they say. Well, I say having a noisy picture is better than no picture. If you are desperate there is Noise Ninja out there. I took some pics at my kids first ever karate tournament. Strictly no flash photos, difficult to get close, all indoors with low light and fast action. Challenging? Well I was the only eager parent taking stills apart from some dad with a £1800 Nikon SLR. I then I took some movie footage to capture the atmosphere - sorry SLR owner, victory to the Olympus I think. Anyhow, I could hand hold the camera at max zoom at ISO 3200 and snapped adequate pics that my kids were delighted with. How many people are really fussed with the finer points of quality anyway? No other camera could have done that (stills and movie).

Manual focus is a bit dodgy, the super macro is outstanding, focus at max zoom in dull light is slow and could do with some sharpening - but hey, the in camera editing will sort that for you too.

Great camera that is SO much fun.