ProductCritic: Olympus SP-550 UZ Reviews

Lawrence Ripsher's Photo Journal (95)

To me, this really is a camera where Olympus managed to get several innovations right in the same body. So long as you consider what it was designed for, I think it’s hard to argue against the fact that Olympus really have put together something great.

DigitalCameraReview.com (91)

I really enjoyed using the Olympus SP-550 UZ. It’s comfortable to hold, has plenty of advanced features and takes great shots. Beyond that, you get the world’s first 18x optical zoom in a point and shoot digital camera. The dual image stabilization is a must for such long zoom shots and the system in the Olympus does a good job of handling blur from camera shake. While I normally wouldn’t use the 15fps sequential shooting capability very often, it is also a nice feature. The camera also has great battery life.

Megapixel.net (91)

We can only hope that with its excellent image quality and convincing optical performance, the SP-550 UZ is also a herald of a new class of bridge cameras that will place a strong emphasis on image quality and overall capabilities, and which will, in turn, offer many people with an alternative to bulkier digital SLR cameras.

Steve's Digicams (88)

As a sports shooter, the SP-550 UZ is a bit of an enigma, hampered by its slow autofocus performance and poor image quality in its 2 high speed drive modes. But no other consumer digicam can come close to its high speed capture rate and the pre-capture mode that renders anticipating the decisive moment a moot point. The SP-550’s high-quality lens can’t be matched either, offering a versatile focal length range that is equally at home in tight interiors and athletic playing fields.

DigiCamReview (85)

The Olympus SP-550 UZ manages to put Olympus back up there with the other ultra zoom cameras, but goes one step further with the world’s biggest 18x optical zoom lens! If you want a wide-angle ultra zoom digital camera, then the Olympus SP-550UZ is Recommended, it has numerous benefits and a few little problems, but the benefits definitely outweigh the negatives.

The Star Online (85)

While the Olympus SP-550UZ won’t win any awards for picture quality, it’s an excellent consumer-class camera. For the casual holidaymaker, its flexibility (thanks to its lens), long battery life and punchy out-of-the-camera results make it an ideal choice.

DigitalCameraInfo.com (82)

Olympus packs in other great features like manual control, slave flash compatibility, and simultaneous RAW and JPEG shooting. The 7.1-megapixel ultra-zoom digital camera does have some drawbacks as well. It had some serious processing delays, a slow burst mode, and confusing menus. The SP-550UZ comes at a $499 price and that seems to be more for the 18x lens than anything else. Still, the lens is so long that it almost creates a whole new category in the market.

Digital Camera Resource Page (82)

Though not without its share of flaws, the Olympus SP-550UZ is a very good (though not best-in-class) ultra zoom camera. It offers virtually every feature known to man, though some of them aren’t implemented terribly well. Still, if you want a camera with a lot of zoom, and you won’t be using custom white balance very often, then it’s definitely worth a look.

Cameralabs (82)

The Olympus SP-550UZ is a wonderful camera to use. It feels really well-built and it’s reassuring to know you have such a massive optical zoom range and effective stabilisation at your disposal. If the image quality had no issues, the SP-550UZ would easily have earned our top Highly Recommended award, but as discussed earlier, visible coloured fringing when zoomed-in and a general softness throughout the range let the camera down.

NeoCamera.com (80)

Overall, the Olympus SP-550UZ turns out a good performance and earns its spot among other ultra-zoom cameras. Of course, the reason to get this one is its extreme zoom-range. For this who need the wide-angle but not the telephoto reach, the Fuji Finepix S6000fd is a superior choice.

Popular Photography & Imaging (78)

All in all, it’s a better-than-average camera in terms of features, but it is unfortunate that the actual performance and functionality is buried beneath a sea of marketing doublespeak and asterisked functions and features.

Digital Photography Review (78)

Ultimately however, after a lot of debate here, we decided that the SP-550UZ has just too many flaws where it matters (image quality and performance) for a $500 camera, and that (though a close call) it fell short of a Recommended rating.

Digital Trends (75)

Olympus is to be congratulated for taking the mega zoom category up a level to 18x—and it appears this will be the most powerful model in 2007. Where Olympus continues to fall short is beefing up its processing so its cameras can move quickly rather than forcing photographers to wait for it to save files.

TrustedReviews (70)

The massive zoom range and impressive image stabilisation make the SP-550UZ a camera with unique capabilities, and at low ISO settings the image quality is very good. Handling, build quality, style and low-light performance are also highlights. The range of manual options and RAW mode will appeal to experienced users, while the beginner-friendly Guide mode is a boon for those keen to learn. However slow focusing and shot-to-shot times, high-ISO image noise and lens distortion at both ends of the zoom range are serious handicaps.

LAPTOP Magazine (70)

The Olympus SP-550 UZ is a solid camera that will produce pleasing images in almost any situation. That said, we recommend it only for more advanced users who want the control-but not the expense and extra weight-of a DSLR.

CNET (63)

Olympus’ SP-550UZ has great ergonomics, but disappointingly slow performance and soft, noisy images drag it down.