Olympus SP-550UZ

Reviewed March 2007

Test Photos

STILL LIFE PHOTO

This subject is photographed in a room that has a mix of fluorescent and incandescent light, but which is not brightly lit. The camera's flash is used to add fill light. The backdrop is 1.95 m (6.5 ft) from the camera.

Most of the images presented on this page were captured using the SP-550 UZ's RAW image format, then converted to TIFF using the software bundled with the camera, Olympus Master 2, and using the "as-shot" settings recorded with the image file.

Set to the widest angle and at 50 ISO, the flash provides sufficient light to produce an image with very even lighting.

ZOOM PHOTO

Now we zoom in on a specific area. The intent is to test the sharpness of the image at the zoom's maximum setting. The camera remains at the same distance as with the preceding photo.

At the maximum telephoto setting of the zoom, the focal length is equivalent to a 504 mm on a 35 mm camera, and the camera captures a small area of the subject while staying at the same distance from the subject as for the wide angle shot. Sharpness is excellent, and it is possible to see a large amount of detail, such as the worn texture of the paper and the cracks caused by its age.

MACRO PHOTO

The SP-550 UZ is equipped with 2 macro modes: a Standard Macro mode that allows the use of the zoom, and a Super Macro mode that locks the zoom at the wide angle end.

The Standard Macro mode allows the camera to focus on a subject that is 10 cm (3.9 inches) from the front element of the lens at the wide angle end, and 1.2 m (4 ft) at the telephoto end. The Super Macro mode, on the other hand, allows the camera to focus on a subject that is 1 cm (0.39 inch) from the front element of the lens.

With the Standard Macro mode, the width of the field of view the camera captures at the minimum distance is 8.6 cm (3.44 inch) at the wide end, and 10.5 cm (4.2") when the zoom is at the maximum telephoto. With the Super Macro mode the field of view the camera captures is approximately 2.9 cm (1.13 inch), but at this distance it can become difficult to provide enough light for the subject.

BUILDING PHOTO

This image is our outdoor test. The architecture of the building, in particular the angled girders, immediately show the presence of jaggies. The shadowed entrance can also often reveal the quality of the exposure.

Captured under a gray and foreboding sky, the building's dark mass set against the diffused light coming through the clouds becomes a serious challenge for the metering. Yet, the ESP metering handles the difficult lighting very well and yields an exposure that captures both detail in all areas, and the atmosphere engendered by the weather conditions.

ZOOM PHOTO

Zooming in on the entrance of the building, the shadowed entrance takes on a greater importance for the metering and can cause an overexposure of sections that are directly lit.

With the lens now at the telephoto end, the power of the 18X zoom, and the value of the CCD stabilization system come through clearly. The image is captured at 1/13 second, while the camera is handheld. Yet, the small sign on the right hand door is clearly legible, as are items inside the building.

Still, a slight chromatic aberration can be detected around the edges of brighter coloured objects against the dark background, a phenomenon that is a bit more pronounced in the corners of the frame.

NIGHT PHOTO

Since this camera is capable of long exposures, a photo taken at night is included here.

The SP-550 UZ provides a maximum timed exposure time of 15 seconds when used in the Manual mode, as well as a Bulb mode that can capture an exposure as long as 8 minutes, albeit only when the optional remote control is used.

With the sensitivity set to 50 ISO, a 15 second exposure at f6.3 captures an image that is filled with detail. The zoom also makes it possible to capture a remarkable level of detail in the buildings of the city that is 2.5 km (1.55 miles) distant.

Sharpness remains high, even after noise reduction, a process that tends to smooth out fine details. Interestingly, there is almost no residual noise after the process, and as noted above, a lot of details such as the furniture in the distant buildings, are visible in the image.

As always with cameras equipped with image stabilization, it is important to remember to turn off the stabilization when the camera is mounted on a tripod, as is the case here, since otherwise it can cause an interference.