The Olympus SP-700 is the first
small compact of the SP series. Offering a 6-megapixel resolution,
and a 3X optical zoom that does not extend past the front
of the camera, the SP-700 also stands out for its very large
3-inch LCD monitor.
The front of the camera is made
of brushed metal — the finish for which can be either
silver or blue — with a chrome ring around the lens trim
while the rest of the camera is covered in a black plastic.
Indeed, the finishing on the SP-700 is excellent.
The relatively thin top of the
SP-700 supports a number of controls, starting with the Mode
Switch, which has three positions:
to capture still images
to capture movies
playback
Next is the rectangular Power Switch, which is slightly
recessed into the surface to prevent the camera from being
turned on accidentally.
On the right end of the top is the
2-stage shutter release — which locks the exposure
parameters and the focus when pressed and held at the halfway
point — and the zoom control lever around it. The
zoom control also has a function when the camera is in the Playback
mode, showing thumbnails — an index view — of the
captured photos (4, 9, 16 per screen, or 25 images per screen
in a calendar view) when pushed towards the W
side, or magnifying any part of an image on screen up to 10X
when pulled towards the T
side.
To be expected in view of the
large monitor and of the compact size of the SP-700, most of
the camera's back is occupied by the 3-inch (7.6 cm)
screen with 230,000 pixels. The camera is not equipped with
an optical viewfinder so the screen is constantly in use but,
to conserve power, the camera automatically dims the monitor's
back light after 5 seconds of inactivity.
The remaining external controls are squeezed into the very
narrow space that is left over on the right side of the monitor.
At the top, directly below a red
LED power light, three rectangular buttons are aligned vertically,
their function indicated by a mix of text and icons.
The first controls the
information superimposed on the monitor either when
the camera is set to a capture mode, or the playback
mode (see further). In addition, when an option
is highlighted in a menu, pressing this button display
an explanation about the option's function.
The middle button has two different functions, depending
on whether the camera is in a capture mode or
the playback mode:
With the SP-700 set to a capture
mode, the Custom button can be configured to
access a number of functions. By default the button
is programmed to access the sensitivity (ISO) settings,
but it can be set in the Setup menu to access
other functions (see the Interface and Software
section of the review for a list of the functions that
can be assigned to the button).
With the SP-700 connected
directly via USB to a PictBridge compatible printer,
the button serves to call up the print options.
The third button starts the
Quick View mode which avoids having to
move the Mode Switch to the Playback position and displays
the last captured image. Touching the shutter release
lightly or pressing the Quick View button again
returns the camera to the capture mode.
As noted above the DISP.
button controls the information superimposed on the monitor.
The default view indicates the battery state, the capture
mode, shows the AF brackets, the image size and quality setting,
the memory in use, and indicates the remaining number of images
that can be captured in the given memory space. Pressing the
button once clears all superimposed information off the screen
with the exception of the AF brackets.
Pressing the button a second time
returns the default information to the monitor and adds a either
a grid or cross hairs to help compose the image more precisely.
Pressing the button a third time replaces the grid by a real-time
histogram showing the distribution of brightness in the frame.
When the SP-700 is set to the
playback mode, the image under review is presented with, superimposed
on the photo, the memory in use, the image's file name, its
size and quality, and at the bottom of the screen, the date
and time at which it was captured and the number of images
in the folder.
Pressing the DISP. button once adds the image size,
exposure compensation, white balance and ISO. Pressing the
button a second time removes all superimposed information,
leaving only the image.
A third press of the button displays
the image as a thumbnail with its histogram below.
The 4-direction Arrow Pad is positioned directly below
the Quick View button and serves to navigate the menus, select
options and change them by pressing the OK/MENU button
at its centre. In addition, each of the four arrows of the
Arrow Pad access specific functions:
The up arrow serves
to choose the Capture Mode(see further).
The right arrow serves
to select the Flash Mode: Auto, Auto with Red-eye
Reduction, Fill-in, Fill-in with Red-eye Reduction, or
Forced Off.
The down arrow controls
the 12-second Self-timer.
The left arrow activates
the Macro or Super Macro Modes. Set to the
Macro mode the SP-700 is able to focus on a subject that
is 10 to 30 cm (4 to 12 inches) from the front of
the camera when the lens is at the wide angle end, and
between 50 and 60 cm (20 to 24 inches) when the lens
is at the maximum telephoto setting. The Super Macro mode,
on the other hand, locks the zoom at the widest angle
and allows the camera to focus on a subject that is only
1 cm (0.4 inch) from the front of the lens.
Selection of the capture mode is done using the up arrow,
labelled Scene. A menu is then displayed on the monitor,
presenting the available modes in a column of the left, and
a typical image for the mode on the right. And, if the
DISP./GUIDE button is pressed then, the image is replaced
by a short text description of the selected mode.
A total of 26 program are available on the SP-700,
and while all take charge of basic camera settings, selecting
the aperture and shutter speed, each offers differing levels
of control over other settings such as white balance and sensitivity:
Program Auto
Landscape
Reducing Blur
Landscape + Portrait
Portrait
Night Scene
Sport
Night + Portrait
Indoor
Candle
Self Portrait
Available Light Portrait
Sunset
Fireworks
Behind Glass
Museum
Documents
Cuisine
Auction
Shoot and Select 1
Shoot and Select 2
Beach
Snow
Under Water Wide 1
Under Water Wide 2
Under Water Macro
The last external control, below
the Arrow Pad, is the Erase button, used to delete the
image currently displayed on the monitor in playback. The button
can also be used to delete more than one image once these have
been selected using the Index view (up to 200 images can be
selected at any one time), or erase all the images on
the memory card or in internal memory at once with the exception
of those that have been protected. (See the Characteristics
section of the review).
When the Mode Selector
is set to the Movie []
position, the SP-700 is able to capture video clips with or
without sound at any one of three frame sizes, while the length
of the recording is only limited by the available memory space:
Fine: 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second.
Standard: 320 x 240 pixels at 30 frames per second.
Extended: 160 x 120 pixels at 30 frames per second.
When sound is being recorded with the video, the optical
zoom is deactivated to avoid the sound of its motor from being
recorded as well, and the zoom is locked at the position it
was at from the first frame onwards, however a 4X digital
zoom can be used. While with silent movies, the autofocus
can be set to continuous. Irrespective of the sound setting,
exposure is continuously adjusted as the recording proceeds.
In addition, an electronic image stabilization system
is available, minimizing the effect of camera shake at the
level of the CCD.
The Olympus SP-700 is a very small and compact camera, and
yet is equipped with a 3-inch LCD monitor. Regrettably, this
leaves precious little space for controls and those that are
there are a bit buried between the chromed edge of the camera,
and the monitor making them a tad difficult to use.
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Ergonomics
to capture still images
to capture movies
playback
side, or magnifying any part of an image on screen up to 10X
when pulled towards the T
side.
