In comparison to the SP-500 UZ,
the interface of the SP-510 UZ is totally renovated. The new
interface is in line with the design of other current Olympus
cameras, and takes into account the additional external controls
of the SP-510 UZ. The button at the centre of the four-direction
control now displays the Function menu. The Function menu
allows changing the most commonly used settings quickly, without
having to delve deeper into the menu. Regrettably, a means
of changing or selecting which options appear in the Function
menu is not offered.
The information displayed in the electronic viewfinder is
identical to what is shown on the monitor and is very legible
and easily understandable. This makes it possible to use the
viewfinder to the same extent as the monitor, perfect when
the monitor is hard to decipher under direct sunlight.
With the camera set to the capture or playback modes, the
Setup menu is displayed as one of the options displayed immediately
when the menu is called up. The Setup menu is spread over
5 screens, and loops back to the beginning once past the last
option:
Format: serves to format the internal memory, or
a memory card. Formatting deletes all images, including
those that were protected.
Backup: to copy images in the internal memory to
a memory card.
Language to select the interface language. The
North American model reviewed here offered: English, French,
Spanish and Portuguese. Other languages can be added to
the interface using Olympus Master (see further)
while the camera is connected to a computer via USB.
PW On Setup: to select if an image is displayed
when the camera starts up (the Olympus logo, or an image
captured with the camera, or nothing) and if a sound is
played (two options or nothing) when the camera is turned
on.
PW Off Setup: as with the above option, but for
when the camera is turned off.
Screen Setup: allows selecting an image from those
in memory to be used at start up, or when the camera is
turned off.
Beep: offers a choice of two different sounds for
when camera buttons are used, at two different volumes,
or none.
:
controls the volume of sounds produced by the camera in
the capture modes when the camera is operated or the shutter
release is used (Off, Low, High).
Shutter Sound: allows selecting the shutter sound
from one of two sounds or none.
Volume: controls the volume of sounds, over 5 levels,
when the camera is in playback.
Rec View: decides whether or not an image is shown
on the screen immediately after it is captured.
File Name: decides whether images are numbered
sequentially, or restart at 1 when the memory card is formatted
or a new memory card is used.
Pixel Mapping: function that verifies the operation
of the CCD and the image processor. This function should
be used once a year.
LCD Monitor Brightness: serves to adjust the monitor
brightness over ± 6 levels.
Date and Time: serves to set the internal clock
and calendar of the SP-510 UZ.
Dual Time: serves to set home and destination time
zones when travelling.
Alarm Clock: controls the camera's built-in alarm
clock. Can be set to operate once or daily. The alarm time
can be set, as well as the snooze time and the alarm sound
(3 sounds) and the volume.
Video Out: NTSC or PAL.
Frame Assist: allows superimposing one of two types
of guidelines to help compose images.
Histogram offers three types of histogram displays
to reveal the distribution of brightness in the frame:
Off.
On, displays a real-time histogram on the lower
part of the image.
Direct: displays potentially overexposed zones
in the image as red, while those potentially underexposed
appear as blue.
My Mode: serves to save up to 4 distinct sets of
preferences (My1 through My4).
m/ft: selects the measurement units to be used
while manually focusing.
AF Assist: decides if the camera can automatically
use the AF assist lamp when the ambient light conditions
are insufficient for the auto focus to operate reliably.
Custom Button: serves to assign a function to the
Custom button .
Olympus supplies the North American version of the SP-510
UZ with a Basic printed manual printed in three languages:
English, French and Spanish. The basic manual only supplies
superficial information about the camera, and to obtain more
in-depth information, the user has to access the full manual,
supplied in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. Regrettably, unlike
similar manuals from years gone by produced by Olympus, this
one lacks logical organization, and is often a bit too shallow.
Software
In North America, the Olympus SP-510 UZ is bundled with two
CDs: one is Olympus Master and the other contains the
complete manual for the camera in PDF format, and in a variety
of languages.
Olympus Master (version 1.42) starts on a window that
offers a selection of tasks: image transfer from the camera,
printing at home or online, creation of slide shows or of
monitor backgrounds, or the sharing of images, be it through
e-mail or an Internet site. The program also makes it possible
to upgrade the camera's firmware, or of the software itself,
as well as adding languages to the SP-510 UZ interface.
The Browse window of the Olympus
Master presents the folders on the left side of the screen,
thumbnails of the photos contained in the selected folder
to the right, the shooting data of the highlighted image,
yet again to the right of the thumbnails, and on the far right,
a column of options that provide access to online support,
printing services, and online purchasing. At the top of the
window are icons that represent tools to change the presentation
of images, open the editing window, print, or transfer images.
Selecting an image and then
clicking on the Edit icon opens it in a new window that contains
tools to modify the image.
The orientation of the photo can be changed, the image can
be cropped, it can be automatically corrected, and can even
have automatic redeye correction applied. In addition, colour
balance can be adjusted as well, all these adjustments appearing
on the right of the image.
Moreover, the program offers a
variety of selection tools, ranging from geometric shapes
to a "magic wand," which can be used to select parts
of the image to which corrections will be made.
The software can also open RAW format images captured with
the SP-510 UZ.
RAW images are processed in
a different window and can be processed in batches, or one
at a time. The processing window makes it possible to modify
the capture parameters that were recorded along with the image.
Modifications can be made to exposure compensation, white
balance, grey point, contrast, sharpness and colour saturation.
Images can then be saved as TIFF, TIFF Exif, JPEG at a variety
of compression levels, or as BMP.
This version of Olympus Master
can be upgraded online to a version called Olympus Master
Plus, which provides access to additional tools that are
not enabled in the version supplied with the camera: Video or
DVD rom creation, (functions that are assumed by a program called
ImageMixer VCD DVD 2 from Pixela), the creation of albums
and contact sheets, or the creation of slide shows with sound.
Compare Prices for Olympus RMUC1 Remote Cable Release for Olympus SP510 UZ, SP550 UZ, Evolt E410 and Evolt E510 Digital Cameras
Interface & Software
:
controls the volume of sounds produced by the camera in
the capture modes when the camera is operated or the shutter
release is used (Off, Low, High).
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