The SP-560UZ is smaller than a D-SLR, larger than the average point-and-shoot and packs a whopping 18x zoom lens. Do we really need all that lens, or is the package too big for us to use often?
Review summary of the Olympus SP-560UZ:
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 Our first thought when testing this camera was that it would be too big; we like cameras that fit in our shirt pockets, letting us take them anywhere. But the images we got from the SP-560UZ were so good, we found ourselves finding excuses to take it along. The zoom was stunning and the options were plentiful; we see this as a perfect bridge between the point-and-shoot market and the D-SLR market, a great way for someone looking to take better pictures without taking the leap and spending $800 on a D-SLR. Release: November 2007. Price: $350.
Pros: 18x zoom lens, excellent anti-shake, bevy of manual settings
Cons: Bulky for a point-and-shoot, manual flash release, xD memory card
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65%
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Full review of the Olympus SP-560UZ:
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Editor's note: Click here to check out our in-depth review of the Olympus SP-570UZ.
Design – Very Good
The SP-560UZ sports a standard 2.5-inch LCD screen; what didn’t seem so standard was the electronic viewfinder located directly above it. The viewfinder--which has given way to larger and clearer LCD monitors on most digital cameras--has an explicit advantage over LCD monitors. On single lens reflex cameras, the image you see through the viewfinder is exactly what the lens sees, and is exactly what is being captured by the image sensor. Unfortunately, the SP-560UZ does not have a single lens reflex, so the electronic viewfinder simply shows a smaller representation of the image can be shown on the LCD monitor. So while it may externally look like an SLR, it still has the guts of a classic point-and-shoot.
The buttons were almost flush to the surface of the back on the camera, and we had mixed feelings about the main circle of buttons. We liked the directional ring that encircled the section of buttons, but it made the four buttons directly inside of the ring very difficult to press. We liked both the location of the zoom toggle switch (surrounding the shutter button) and the location of the selector wheel (on top as opposed to on the back). But the flash switch was on the left side, leaving it as the only thing preventing the SP-560UZ from being capable of one-handed use. To be fair, the left side is the default location for such a switch on a D-SLR, but since the SP-560UZ is considerably more compact than a D-SLR, we thought maybe Olympus would take this into consideration and put it on the right side.
Externally, the SP-560UZ takes the D-SLR form factor and shrinks it down a bit. The large lens requires an external lens cap, and the included neck strap reinforces its identity as a baby SLR. We liked the rubber hand grips, and simply put, the SP-560UZ looks a little more serious than your average point-and-shoot.
Shooting Features – Very Good
In the world of digital cameras, it doesn’t take long to realize how little the sensor matters and how important the lens quality is. There are many point-and-shoot models, including those made by Olympus, that have 9, 10 and 12 megapixels, far more than the 8 megapixel sensor found on the SP-560UZ. But the 18x zoom, wide-angle Olympus ED Lens is clear and crisp enough that 8 megapixels is more than you’ll ever need. ISO settings reaching 3200 and a vast array of shutter speed options meant more manual customization that we’re used to on a point-and-shoot. As we do with every Olympus camera we review, we had brand-related xD card problems, unable to use features like panorama because our memory card was not an Olympus brand. Our feelings on this subject have been voiced before, and for the sake of this review, we just pretended those features didn’t exist.
The 25 different scene modes was the best we’ve seen on an Olympus camera, but they’re still lagging behind some of the competition. Start-up time was about average, taking close to five seconds to go from a fully “off” position to completing the first picture. However, each subsequent shot could take only a fraction of a second, with a hi-speed burst mode of up to 15 frames per second. We also liked the RAW format option, something we usually only see on a D-SLR. There was even a calendar feature, allowing you to view your photos organized in an on-screen calendar showing when each photo was taken.
Image Quality - Very Good
Despite its official point-and-shoot status, the SP-560UZ looks serious, and for good reason; it takes seriously good pictures. The 27mm wide-angle 18x zoom lens takes up about half of the camera's body, but it gives it versatility that shirt-pocket sized cameras just can't match.
Whether indoors or out, in a studio or in a car, we were able to get great shots with minimal effort. The flash's range was impressive; our biggest beef with it was that it wasn't automatic, we had to push a mechanical button to release it. The zoom lens was unequivocally amazing, and we used it every chance we got. Often times we found ourselves disappointed that it didn't go farther; then we removed our eye from the viewfinder and saw how far away we actually were. Such foolish notions of inadequacy were quelled immediately.
Samples
Shot taken with Indoor scene mode
This shot, in a well-lit apartment; notice the detail in the foreground (wood grains on the chair) as well as the background (tiles on floor).
Shot taken with full auto
This shot does a good job of showing the wide and deep focal range of the lens; with an infinite vanishing point, it still captures the building, cars, street and trees beautifully.
Shot taken with Macro mode
While the attractiveness of the subject may be debatable, the level of detail on this shot is not; from the creases in the leather on the couch, to the sweat on the subject's forehead and the hair on his face, everything is captured in exceptional detail.
Admittedly, we were surprised to see a video feature on this camera. Maybe it was because we found ourselves having to constantly be reminded that this wasn't an SLR, but whatever the origin for our preconceived notion was, the fantastic lens helped the SP-560UZ captures some exceptionally clear video. We were disappointed by the lack of a widescreen format option, and after shooting with it for a short while, we imagined that with a camera of this size HD video was certainly possible (the Kodak EasyShare Z1275 is a less than stellar example). But as far as we're concerned, if you're going to go all out, you might as well do it with every format. All that being said, the video mode was above average, and the VGA (640x480) resolution was certainly helped by the massive lens.
The in-camera editing options weren't mind-blowing, but were certainly above-average. We were able to shrink, crop and edit color, as well as add a frame or a label to our photos. Rounding out the in-camera post-production capabilities are the calendar (we assume for use with pictBridge, another feature of the SP-560UZ), presentation layout and an expression changer, which can literally turn your subject's frown upside down. The features were some of the more useful that we've seen, but we generally don't find ourselves using in-camera editing features. Especially not useless automatic editing options like “red eye fix” and “lighting fix.” Other than in cases of an extreme close-up, how are you supposed to see red eye in a group photo on a 2.5-inch LCD?
Image Transfer - Very Good
The current version of Olympus’ camera software, Olympus Master 2, is one of the better proprietary pieces of transfer software we’ve seen. It can be set to start immediately upon connection of a camera or card (the convenience of which is debatable). When you load the software, you can import your pictures from the "My Pictures" folder on your computer, or if you have previous versions of the Olympus software, you can import from those as well. Upon startup, a quick-start guide pops up, which remains on top of the screen as you follow the directions it gives you. Considering it obstructs the view of the program, it's a bit cumbersome. It would have been nice for the guide and the functions to be integrated, or at least dedicate a part of the screen to the guide so we could follow along as we performed the tasks.
The software has lots of editing options, allowing you to adjust brightness, contrast, color, tone and gamma, with auto and fully manual settings. We liked that the software worked with Macintosh computers, providing considerably more editing options than iPhoto, if an admittedly less aesthetically pleasing experience. For those not looking to splurge on Photoshop, this seems like a pretty solid and easy-to-use photo editing option, one of the better that we've seen. It would have been nice to have an e-mail option within the program, however.
Transfers with the USB 2.0 cable were fast, especially with the 1920x1080 shots we took, taking a mere seconds to transfer. We suspect shots taken at full resolution would take considerably longer. One thing we especially didn’t like about the USB cable was its proprietary connector. While this particular model seems to use a connector that is a bit more common than one we recently saw on Olympus' FE-300, the fact that Olympus cameras that require different cables is still ludicrous.
The memory card was again an issue; we were yet again troubled by the required xD card. More expensive ($39.99) than the 1GB SD cards we saw at our local big-box retailer ($21.99), and this is in addition to the aforementioned fact that in order to access certain features (like Panorama), you need an Olympus brand xD card. This is nothing short of shameful. If they want to include special features on their brand of cards, the least they could do is include one with the camera.
Accessories - Good
The Accessories included with the SP-560UZ were pretty basic, consisting of a USB 2.0 cable, a proprietary A/V cable and a software CD-ROM. The neck strap and lens cap, while nice, seemed to be more of a necessary evil. The best accessory, however--the TCON-17 conversion lens--was not included. Neither was a rechargeable battery, which irked us. We hate the idea of lugging around packs of AA batteries for when the camera's get drained, although in its defense, our batteries didn't expire once during the extensive testing period. We also like camera docks (which this did not have), but we don't see this beast mating too well with one.
Price and availability
The Olympus SP-560UZ will start selling for $350 () in November 2007.
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