Olympus SP-550UZ

Reviewed March 2007

Characteristics

The Olympus SP-550 UZ is fitted with a 1/2.5-inch, 7.4 million pixel CCD, of which 7.1 million pixels are effective when capturing a maximum image size of 3072 x 2304 pixels. No less than 10 image sizes are available to capture images:

The SP-550 UZ uses a proprietary RAW format that is only offered when the camera is set to P, S, A or M modes. The RAW format captures the image data coming from the sensor without any processing by the Truepic Turbo processor in the camera. But, while the image is not processed for white balance, sharpness, contrast, etc., the camera settings when the image was captured are stored along with the image so they can be applied — or modified — when the image is processed through Olympus Master, the software supplied with the camera. Once processed, the image can be saved in a more common format such as TIFF, TIFF exif, JPEG or BMP. Moreover, when the RAW format is used, an option is available to save a JPEG copy of the image simultaneously at any image size and compression.

The CCD has a starting sensitivity of 50 ISO, but it can be pushed to 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 or 5000 ISO when the camera is used with the P, S, A or M modes. Should the digital zoom be active, the two top sensitivity levels are not available. Two additional options allow the camera to automatically increase the sensitivity according to the ambient light conditions: Auto provides a range of 50 to 400 ISO, or High ISO Auto which lets sensitivity increase up to 3200 ISO, but which requires that the image size be 2048 x 1536 pixels or less. Likewise, Scene modes control sensitivity, and have a range of 50 to 1600 ISO.

The SP-550 UZ is equipped with an 18X optical zoom and with a Sensor Shift Image Stabilization system that operates at the CCD level. The zoom is composed of 14 elements in 11 groups and contains 2 aspherical surfaces to correct distortions, and 2 UD lenses (Ultra-low Dispersion) to minimize chromatic aberrations.

The zoom lens has a focal length range of 4.7 to 84.2 mm, the equivalent of a 28 to 504 mm on a 35 mm camera. Maximum apertures start at f2.8 at the wide angle end and f4.5 at the telephoto end, closing down to f8 for both.

The zoom lens takes approximately 3 seconds to transit, very fluidly, from the wide angle end to the telephoto end. And, while it is only 2.5 cm (1 in.) long at the wide end, it extends to 6.5 cm (2.5 in.) at the maximum telephoto.

The metallic trim of the lens barrel is equipped with thread that serves to screw on the optional adapter (CLA-10) required to mount an optional lens converter (TCON-17F), which adds a 1.7X zoom, extending the power of the zoom to the equivalent of a 856.8 mm in the 35 mm format.

The fastest shutter speed of the SP-550 UZ is 1/2000 second, although when set to the Manual mode this is limited to 1/1000 second. In most modes the slowest shutter speed is limited to 2 seconds, or 4 seconds when the noise reduction system is activated, which operates with all images captured with a shutter speed of 1/2 second or longer. While when the Manual mode is used, exposures can be as long as 15 seconds, or up to 8 minutes if the B (Bulb) mode is used.

In addition to the Function menu, which is displayed when the OK/FUNC button is pressed, the SP-550 UZ has a more in-depth menu, displayed when the MENU button is pressed. Set to a capture mode, the menu starts on a page offering 6 options:

• Image Quality: serves to select the image size and quality, as outlined above.
• Reset: returns all settings to their defaults.
• Camera Menu: is the access to the complete menu (see below).
• Setup: serves to access the Setup menu (see the Interface and Software section of the review for more information about the Setup menu).
• SCN: (only displayed when the Mode Dial is set to the SCN position) presents a choice of 23 Scene modes.

• Silent Mode: allows turning off all sounds produced by the camera, useful when discretion is important.

When the camera is set to P, S, A or M modes, the centre option is pre-selected by default. The option leads to the full menu which contains all options relating to the capture of images. The menu is spread over 5 pages and contains options that are also found in the Function menu:

• WB provides settings for the white balance: Auto, Sun, Cloudy, Tungsten (incandescent), Fluorescent 1 (daylight), 2 (neutral), 3 (cool white) or One-Touch White Balance (set under ambient lighting conditions using a white surface as reference).
• ISO: decides the CCD sensitivity (see above).
• Drive: serves to choose the Sequential shooting modes (see the Ergonomics section of the review).
• Metering: serves to select the metering mode, ESP, Spot, or Centre-Weighted (see the Ergonomics section of the review).

• Fine Zoom: On or Off. Uses the full resolution of the CCD to create a zoom effect by cropping the image as long as the image size is 2048 x 1536 pixels or less, thereby avoiding any interpolation. By combining the optical and digital zoom, the maximum magnification effect is 27X when the smallest image size is used.
• Digital Zoom: On or Off. A standard interpolating zoom that engenders a loss of image quality, the digital zoom, when combined with the optical zoom can produce a maximum magnification effect of 100X with still images, and 54X with movies.

• AF Mode offers three options:
  • iESP: which allows the camera to use all of its focus points and find the subject even if it is off-centre.
  • Spot: uses only the centre AF point.
  • Area: allows moving the focus point to any 1 of 143 points in the frame using the Arrow Pad.
• Focus Mode: decides whether the focus is automatic or manual. In the latter case, the centre portion of the image is magnified on screen to assist in focusing and a distance scale is displayed on the monitor. The up and down arrows of the arrow pad are used to set the focus distance, while the OK button is used to lock the focus.
• Fulltime AF: decides whether focus is adjusted constantly when the shutter release is pressed halfway, or only once.
• AF Predict: allows the camera to track a moving subject and maintain focus by predicting where it will be basing the calculation on its movement.
• AF Illuminat.: serves to control the AF assist lamp which is activated when the ambient light is too soft for the auto focus to operate reliably.
• Image Stabilizer: serves to turn on or off the stabilizer, useful when the Stabilizer button has been reassigned to another function.
• Flash Compensation: serves to compensate flash exposures over a range of ±2 EV in 1/3 EV increments.
• Flash Synchro: decides whether the flash is synchronized on the first curtain (the flash occurs at the beginning of the exposure), or the second curtain (the flash fires just before the end of the exposure).
• Flash serves to decide how the flash operates:
  • IN: internal flash only.
  • Slave: When using a commercially available slave flash that is synchronized with the camera flash, the amount of the light emitted by the flash can be adjusted in 10 levels.

• Sound (still images): allows recording a 4-second voice annotation immediately after an image is captured, which is then associated with the image. Recording begins 1/2 second after the image capture.
• Sound (movie mode): decides whether or not sound is captured in movie mode. When sound is not captured, the optical zoom remains useable. When sound is captured, the stabilizer is turned off and the zoom is locked at the first frame.
• Panorama: serves to capture a series of images that can be stitched together later, using a computer and the software supplied with the camera. An Olympus brand xD card must be used to have access to this option.

• WB Compensation: serves to bias the custom white balance towards blue or red in 7 steps in both directions.
• Sharpness: allows accentuating or lowering image sharpness over ±5 steps.
• Contrast: allows accentuating or lowering image contrast over ±5 steps.
• Saturation: allows accentuating or lowering colour saturation over ±5 steps.
• Noise Reduction: On or Off. Decides whether images captures using exposure times of 1/2 second or longer are processed for noise reduction.
• Time Lapse: serves to capture a series of images (from 2 to 99 images) using a set interval (from 1 to 99 minutes).
• Conversion Lens: Lets the camera know that a conversion lens is attached.

When the SP-550 UZ is set to Auto or to one of the Scene modes, this menu is not available.

Set to the Playback mode, the menu presentation is similar, starting with a screen that presents 9 options:

• Slide Show: serves to see the images in memory, with a choice of 10 different transition effects and accompanying music. The slide show can be set to loop back to the beginning. When a movie is on screen when the Menu button is pressed, this option is replaced by Play Movie, which serves to start playing the movie.

• Edit: opens a sub-menu to edit still images or movies. (See further.)
• Print Order: serves to select images to be printed on a DPOF compatible printer, or by a printing service. The number of copies to make of any one image can be specified, as well as whether or not the date and time at which the image was captured should be superimposed on the print.
• Calendar: serves to see captured images by their capture date.

• Playback Menu opens a sub-menu which contains three options:
  • Protect: protects images against an accidental erasure.
  • Rotate: allows changing the orientation of an image in 90° increments.
  • Sound: allows adding a 4-second voice annotation to an already captured image under review.
• Setup: is the access to the Setup menu (see the Interface and Software section of the review for a listing of the options contained in the Setup menu).

• Index: allows reviewing images as an index with 9 thumbnails per screen.
• Erase: serves to delete an unwanted image.
• Silent Mode: as in the capture mode menu, serves to turn off all operational sounds produced by the camera.

The Edit menu contains options that are spread over three pages and serves to edit images:

• RAW Data Edit: makes it possible to adjust the white balance, sharpness, contrast, and saturation of a RAW image and save it as SHQ, HQ, SQ1 or SQ2 (with a selection of the image size).
• Resize: serves to make a copy of an image at either 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels.
• Trim: allows trimming an image and saving the trimmed section of the image as a new image.
• Redeye Fix: allows correcting redeye in an image, and then saving the corrected image as a new image.

• Black and White: allows making a black and white copy of an image under review.
• Sepia: allows making a sepia toned copy of an image under review.
• Frame: makes it possible to add a frame to an image and save it as a new image.
• Label: makes it possible to add text to an image and save it as a new image.
• Calendar: allows creating calendar pages decorated with an image captured with the camera.
• Layout: serves to create layouts with one or more images that can then be printed.
• Brightness: allows adjusting the brightness of an image and then saving it as a new image.
• Saturation: allows adjusting the colour saturation of an image and then saving it as a new image.

If a movie is on-screen when the menu button is pressed, then the Edit menu only contains three options:

• Index Play: presents 9 frames from the movie, from which a starting point can be selected to view the movie.
• Movie Index: allows selecting the starting image and the end image in a movie that will be used to illustrate the content of the movie. The camera then selects seven frames from those between the start and end image, and assembles all 9 frames into a single JPEG image that can be printed.
• Edit: serves to cut and edit a movie and record the edited movie as a new movie.

The Olympus SP-550 UZ has a 20 MB internal memory. In addition it is equipped with an xD memory card slot, which is located behind a solid door on the right side of the camera. The SP-550 UZ is retailed without a memory card, and it is therefore imperative to purchase a card at the same time as the camera. Moreover, it is worth noting that an Olympus brand memory card will allow the use of the Panorama mode.

The chart below lists approximate capacities using both the internal memory and an optional 1 GB xD memory card:

The upper connection is designed for the optional DC Adapter (C-7AU), which makes it possible to power the camera using household current.

Depending on the cable used, the lower connection serves as a USB port (USB 2.0) or as an Audio/Video Out (A/V Out), and is compatible with NTSC or PAL systems. When the camera is connected via USB to a printer, a screen is displayed from which the USB protocol can be selected:

• PC (Mass Storage) to connect to a PC so that the camera's memory is recognized as a removable hard disk.
• Easy Print (PictBridge) allows printing the image on screen without making any modifications.
• Custom Print makes it possible to print all images, those in a specific album, an index sheet, or images in a multiple layout format. Moreover, the print size can be selected, as well as if the prints will have borders or not, and images can be trimmed before printing.

The SP-550 UZ is powered by 4 AA-size batteries, which are housed in the camera's grip. In North America the camera is retailed with 4 non-rechargeable, alkaline batteries. It is compatible, however, with Ni-MH batteries.