Olympus SP-500 UZ

Reviewed November 2005

Interface & Software

Interface

The SP-500 UZ is equipped with 2 LCD screens: the one used for the electronic viewfinder which is composed of 201,600 pixels, and the one used for the 2.5 inch (64 mm) monitor which is composed of 115,000 pixels. Although it offers a higher resolution, the LCD monitor used for the viewfinder has a slower refresh rate than that of the monitor and the image it yields can become jerky when the subject is moving, unlike the image produced by the monitor.

Whichever is used — monitor or viewfinder — the way information is displayed is the same. Text and icons are presented in white with a slight black drop shadow, making them stand out quite clearly against the background image. And when the monitor becomes difficult to see outdoors, the fact that the menus can be seen in the viewfinder can be very helpful. Moreover, the SP-500 UZ is equipped with a Help system that can display short but useful reminders of any specific menu option simply by pressing the DISP./GUIDE button.

The menu system of the SP-500 UZ is typical of Olympus cameras, displaying the menus over coloured backgrounds so as to maintain high legibility while letting some of the background image show through, be it originating from the lens or a photo under review. The menus themselves are also organized logically, and 2 of their 4 sections — Card and Set (Setup) — are common to all modes:

The first of these, Card, contains options that relate to the memory:

• All Erase (shown only in Playback mode): to delete all images on the memory card or in the camera's internal memory.
• Format: to format the internal memory or the memory card.
• Backup: to copy images in internal memory onto a memory card.

The other section, SET, deals with basic camera configuration options:

• Reset: Yes or No. Decides whether or not settings are retained after the camera is turned off.
• Language sets the interface language with the following choices for the version of the camera reviewed here: English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Moreover, it is possible to add other languages to the camera when it is connected to a computer running the supplied software, Olympus Master (see further).

• PW On Setup: decides whether or not an image is displayed (the Olympus logo, a captured image or nothing) and if a sound is played (two options or nothing) when the camera is powered on.
• PW Off Setup: as above but when the camera is turned off.
• Screen Setup: to select image(s) that will be part of the options for PW On Setup or PW Off Setup.
• Rec View: to choose whether or not an image is displayed on the monitor immediately post capture.

• : controls the volume of the sounds produced by the camera in the capture modes (Off, Low, High).
• Volume: controls the Playback volume over 5 levels.
• Beep: offers two different sounds for the operation sound, or none.
• Shutter Sound: offers two different sounds for the shutter release or none.
• My mode: allows saving settings into the 4 My Mode (My Mode 1 through My Mode 4) sets of preferences.
• File Name: Reset or Auto. Decides whether or not file names will increase sequentially or be reset when a new memory card is used, or the card is formatted.

• Pixel Mapping: allows the camera to check and adjust the CCD and image processing functions. This function is recommended for use approximately once a year.
• Monitor Brightness: allows adjusting the monitor back light over ± 6 brightness levels.
• Date and Time: sets the date and time on the SP-500 UZ.
• Dual Time Setup: allows setting a secondary time on the camera, useful while travelling.
• m/ft: selects whether meters or feet are used in the display of focus distances when Manual Focus is used.

• Video Out selects the A/V signal that will be output by the camera: NTSC or PAL.
• AF Illuminator: to control whether or not the AF assist light operates when the ambient light is insufficient to guarantee that the AF will operate reliably.
• Short cut: to modify 3 of the shortcuts that are shown when the camera is set to P, A, S, M or Scene.
• Histogram offers two ways to determine the brightness of the image:
  • Off, no histogram display.
  • On, a real-time histogram is shown superimposed on the lower part of the monitor image.
  • Direct: zones of the image that are potentially overexposed appear in red, while those that may be underexposed are shown in blue.
• Frame Assist: allows superimposing 2 different types of guides on the monitor to assist in composition.
• Custom Button: makes it possible to assign a custom function to the AEL button so that it directly accesses a menu option from either the Camera or the Picture sections of the Mode Menu.

Olympus includes a short printed manual in three languages (English, Spanish and French) with the SP-500 UZ that provides basic information to make a start with the camera, and discover its parts and their functions. To become more familiar with the camera and take advantage of its many features, the user is required to read through the PDF manual contained on the CD. The PDF Manual is well conceived and interactive — links are available throughout the manual making it possible to explore the camera logically as subjects come up — and includes a well devised list of bookmarks that make reading the manual quite pleasant.

Software

The Olympus SP-500 UZ is retailed in North America with 2 CDs, one called Olympus Master 1.32 and the other offering the complete camera manual in PDF format and in a variety of languages.

Once installed, Olympus Master, starts with a window that proposes a number of possible tasks, each identified by an icon and a text description.

Olympus Master allows transferring images between the camera and the computer to which it is connected via USB and organize images using a calendar, key words, or albums. The program also serves to process RAW format images, create panoramic images from those captured with the camera's Panoramic mode and using an Olympus brand xD memory card, can also be used to edit video clips, and find updates to both Olympus Master and the camera's firmware.

Olympus Master's image browser window presents either the hard disk's folders, or the images organized by their capture date in a pane on the left. The centre pane shows the images contained in the current folder, presented as thumbnails whose size can be increased or decreased, while the shooting data of any selected image can be displayed in yet another pane to the right of the thumbnails. The last pane, on the far right side, offers online services for printing, and accessories.

RAW images can either be processed "as shot", applying the camera settings that were recorded at the time of capture, or be processed one at a time as their shooting parameters for such things as white balance, contrast, sharpness and saturation adjusted as required, and once processed, images can be saved into a more common format such as TIFF, TIFF exif, JPEG, or BMP.