Olympus SP-510 UZ

Reviewed October 2006

Characteristics

The Olympus SP-510 UZ has a 1/2.5-inch CCD composed of 7.4 million pixels, of which 7.1 million are effective to capture a maximum image size of 3072 x 2304 pixels.

CCD sensitivity starts at 50 ISO but can be manually increased to 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 2500 or 4000 ISO; but, from 2500 ISO on up, the maximum image size is limited to 2048 x 1536 pixels. An Auto ISO setting is also offered, allowing the camera to decide if the sensitivity should be increased to maintain a shutter speed that will avoid camera shake when the ambient light is insufficient to obtain a sharp image at low sensitivities.

As it was with the SP-500 UZ, the SP-510 is equipped with a 10X optical zoom. The zoom is composed of 11 elements in 7 groups and includes 2 aspherical surfaces to minimize curvilinear distortions. The zoom has a focal length range of 6.3 to 63 mm, the equivalent of a 38 to 380 mm lens on a 35 mm format camera. Apertures start at f2.8 at the wide angle end, and f3.7 at the telephoto end, closing down to f8 for both.

The metallic trim of the lens is equipped with a thread that makes it possible to attach an optional adapter (CLA-4), which can support a wide angle converter (WCON-07F, 0.7X) or telephoto converter (TCON-17F, 1.7X).

With most shooting modes, the shutter speed range covers from 1/1000 second to 2 seconds, with a maximum exposure time of 4 seconds when the noise reduction system is active (for exposures of 1/2 second or longer). Otherwise, the Manual mode allows exposures as long as 15 seconds and also provides a B (Bulb) mode that allows exposures as long as 8 minutes.

Nine resolutions are available to capture photos:

The RAW format is only available when the camera is set to P, S, A or M modes. The format records the image without processing by the Olympus Truepic Turbo chip, meaning that no processing is done for white balance, sharpness, contrast, colour conversion, etc. Nevertheless, the camera records all its settings as part of the image file, so these can be either applied when the image is processed later on a computer, or changed as needed or desired. To process RAW images, along with other formats, Olympus supplies Olympus Master with the camera, and images can then be saved as TIFF, EXIF TIFF, JPEG or BMP. In addition, it is possible to have the camera save a JPEG version along with the RAW image, at the currently selected image size and compression.

Image Size and Quality are selected as part of the options displayed when the MENU button is pressed. Just like all other recent Olympus cameras, the menu starts by a screen offering 6 options:

• Image Quality: serves to set the image quality, as outlined above.
• Reset: returns the camera to its factory defaults.
• Camera Menu: accesses all the options relating to the capture of images (see below).

• Setup: accesses the setup menu (see the Interface and Software section for more information).
• SCN: (only accessible when the Mode Dial is set to the Scene position) provides the access to the camera's 21 Scene modes, outlined in the Ergonomics section of the review.
• Silent Mode: turns off all camera sounds, intended for use when the sounds produced by the SP150 UZ would be disruptive.

The Camera Menu is spread out over 5 pages and contains a important number of options, some of which are similar to those controlled by external controls:

• WB serves to set the white balance: Auto, Presets (Sun, Cloud, Sunset, Incandescent, Fluorescent 1 (daylight type), Fluorescent 2 (Neutral), Fluorescent 3 (White) or One-Touch (established based on a white surface under ambient light).
• ISO: to set the CCD sensitivity (see above).
• Drive: serves to choose the continuous shooting modes (see the Ergonomics section of the review).
• Metering Mode serves to choose the metering mode: ESP, the default, Spot or Centre-Weighted (as explained in the Ergonomics section of the review).
• Fine Zoom: this function allows increasing the optical zoom effect by cropping the the full size of the image the CCD at image sizes equal to or less than 1048 x 1536 pixels so there is no interpolation. The maximum "Fine Zoom" magnification is 15X when combined with the optical zoom.
• Digital Zoom: controls the 5X digital zoom. The digital zoom is the standard version, cropping and interpolating the cropped image to the currently selected image size, which lowers the image sharpness.
• AF Mode has three options:
  • iESP: allows the camera to select the focus point using any of its AF points, even if the subject is off-centre.
  • Spot: uses the centre AF point exclusively.
  • Zone: allows the user to move the focus point to any of 143 points in the frame, using the 4-direction controller.

• Focus Mode: serves to choose autofocus or Manual Focus. When set to manual focus, the centre portion of the image is magnified to assist in focusing, and focus is adjusted using the up and down arrows of the 4-direction control and a distance scale shown on the left side of the screen. The OK/MENU is then used to lock the focus at the selected distance.
• Fulltime AF: decides whether the autofocus is continuously adjusted or only set when the shutter release is activated.

• AF Predict: serves to track a moving subject, the autofocus calculating where focus should be from the movement and direction of the subject.
• DIS Mode: is the Digital Image Stabilizer, which increases the sensitivity over a range of 50 to 1250 ISO so that a high shutter speed can be maintained and thereby prevent camera shake from affecting the image.
• Flash Compensation: serves to adjust the power of the flash in increments of 1/3 EV over a range of ±2 EV.
• Flash Synch: provides for either first curtain flash (the flash fires at the beginning of the exposure), or second curtain flash (the flash fires just before the end of the exposure).
• Flash serves to control an external flash:
  • In: uses only the built-in flash.
  • Slave: serves to adjust the power of the built-in flash when it is used in conjunction with an optional external flash. The power of the flash can be adjusted over 10 increments.
• Sound Recording (Still images): allows capturing a 4-second sound clip that is associated with an image. Sound capture begins 1/2 second after the image is captured.
• Panorama: allows capturing a series of images, captured horizontally or vertically, that can be assembled later into a single panoramic image using the software supplied with the camera. Worth noting, this mode only functions when an Olympus brand xD is used.
• WB Compensation: serves to adjust the One-push white balance towards blue or red in 7 increments in either direction.
• Sharpness: to increase or lessen sharpness over ±5 steps.
• Contrast: to increase or decrease the contrast over ±5 steps.
• Saturation: to increase or decrease colour saturation over ±5 steps.
• Noise Reduction: turns On or Off the noise reduction system which is applied to image captured with a 1/2 second exposure or more.
• Time Lapse: serves to capture a series of images (from 2 to 99) and select the interval between shots (from 1 to 99 minutes).
• Sound Recording (movies): decides whether or not sound is captured with movies. When sound isn't captured, the optical zoom remains useable.
• DIS Movie Mode: turns on or off the digital image stabilizer mode when the camera is capturing movies.

Set to the Movie mode, the menu is composed of only 3 pages, omitting options that are exclusively for still images.

The access to the Playback menu also starts by a screen with 9 options:

• Slide Show: serves to playback images, with any one of 10 transition effects available.
• Edit: opens a sub-menu, which contains options to edit or modify images already captured (see below).

• Print Order: serves to select images to be printed on a DPOF compliant printer or service. The number of copies of each image to be printed can be specified, as well as whether or not the time and date of capture should be superimposed on the image.
• Calendar: allows displaying images in a calendar view, with a small thumbnail of the first image captured on a particular date shown for that date.
• Playback Menu: opens a sub-menu composed of five options (shown below).

• Setup: is the access to the Setup menu (see the Interface and Software section for more details about its contents).
• Album: serves to select images contained in a given album, as long as these images were organized into albums previously.
• Erase: serves to delete unwanted images.
• Silence: just as with the capture modes, this option serves to silence all noises produced by the camera.

The Playback menu contains the five options shown below:

• Protect: protects photos against an accidental erasure.
• Rotate: changes the orientation of an image by ± 90°.
• Sound Recording: allows adding a 4-second audio clip to an already captured image.
• Album Entry: to add one or more images to an album.
• Index Play: to review images in index format, 9 images per screen.

The Edit menu offers options that allow modifying images that are already captured:

• RAW Data Edit: serves to adjust the white balance, sharpness, contrast, saturation, and then save the processed RAW date into a SHQ, HQ, SQ1 or SQ2 format image.
• Resize: allows creating a copy of an image at 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels.
• Trim: serves to save a part of an image which has been zoomed into as a new image.
• Redeye Fix: serves to correct red-eye in an image and save it as a new image.
• Black and White: serves to create a black and white version of an image, and then save it as a new image.

• Sepia: serves to create a sepia coloured copy of an image, and then save it as a new image.
• Frame: allows adding a frame to an image, and then saving it as a new image.
• Label: allows selecting a title and its text colour and angle and superimposing it on an image, which can then be saved as a new image.
• Calendar: as above, but instead allows the image to be blended with a calendar and saved as a new image.
• Layout: allows adding selected images, or all images, or images from a folder to a layout which can be a photo album layout, or a calendar layout.

• Lighting Fix: serves to control the tone of a photo so that the darker areas become brighter, and store the adjusted image as a new image.
• Brightness: allows adjusting the brightness of an image and then storing the adjusted image as a new image.
• Saturation: allows adjusting the colour saturation of an image and then storing the adjusted image as a new image.
• Index (Movie Mode): allows extracting 9 frames from a movie and then storing it as a new image.
• Edit (Movie Mode): makes it possible to select part of a movie and overwrite it or save it as a new movie.
• Capture (Movie Mode): allows capturing a still image from a movie and saving it as SHQ or HQ.

The Olympus SP-510 UZ is equipped with a 21.1 MB internal memory and is therefore not retailed with a memory card. The small capacity of its internal memory makes the purchase of an xD memory card imperative, and if the Panorama mode is going to be used, of an Olympus brand xD card.

The slot for the xD card is on the right side of the camera and is covered by a solid plastic door.

The chart below gives an approximate idea of the number of still images that can be stored in the internal memory, and in an optional 1 GB card:

The SP-510 UZ is equipped with a DC-IN jack, located at the top right side of the body, and designed for use with the optional (C-8AC) AC adapter that can be used to power the camera from standard current.

A second external connection is located on the left flank of the camera, and is covered by a flexible plastic door. The connection has a dual role: USB port (compatible USB 2.0) or A/V Out (compatible NTSC or PAL as determined in the Setup menu), depending on which cable is connected to the camera.

When the USB cable is used, and the camera is connected to either a computer or a printer, a screen appears from which the USB protocol can be selected:

• PC (Mass Storage) to connect the camera to a computer and have the camera's memory or a memory card appear as a removable hard disk.
• Easy Print (PictBridge) serves to print images by pressing for each print when the camera is connected to a PictBridge compliant printer.
• Custom Print serves to set parameters to automatically print a series of images: all images or or those in an album, with an index print or one by one, with or without the time and date/or the file name superimposed on the image, with or without a border, or according to DPOF settings established earlier using the Playback menu. Moreover, and image can be trimmed before printing.

The Olympus SP-510 UZ is powered by four AA (R6) size batteries that are inserted into the grip, and covered by a solid, latching door. In North America, the camera is retailed with four non-rechargeable alkaline batteries.

Alternatively, the SP-510 UZ can be powered using third party rechargeable Ni-MH batteries, which last considerably longer than alkaline batteries.