How versatile is an 18x zoom?

Shooting Vegas with the Olympus SP-550UZ

Megapixels may be overrated these days, but zoom range is another matter. The lens on a point-and-shoot can’t be changed the way an SLR’s can, so the wider the built-in range the better. Most compacts have 3x or 4x zooms, so that the widest angle you can shoot is equivalent to about 35 mm for a film camera and the longest telephoto is about 105 to 140 mm. If you’ve ever tried to use such a lens to shoot a closeup of more than a few people, capture a landscape, or get closer to a sporting event, you know how limiting this range is.

We’ve tested some cameras with 12x, and even 15x, zooms, but Olympus’s new 7-megapixel SP-550UZ goes further than anything we’ve seen. Its 18x optical zoom is equivalent to a 28- to 504 -mm lens for a film camera. Its range is wide enough for shooting in both tight quarters and at great distances. Although its lens doesn’t match the quality of the ones professional sports photographers use, a 504-mm telephoto is in the same ballpark, so to speak.

The SP-550UZ is surprisingly compact when turned off. Its lens automatically retracts like a turtle pulling its head back into its shell. But even extended at its full 504-mm zoom capabilities, the lens protrudes just about 2.5 inches from the front. Here’s what it looks like next to (on its left) a full-sized Nikon D100 SLR. (Click on the thumbnail for a larger version of the image.)

To get some idea of how versatile such a lens is, I took an SP-550UZ to the intersection of Las Vegas’s Strip and Tropicana Avenue, where the MGM Grand and New York-New York hotels face each other, connected by a pedestrian bridge. It was dusk, so natural light was weak, which made shooting crisp images harder than it would be in bright daylight. And I didn’t use a tripod, which would also help when shooting at 504-mm. While the sun was still up I spot metered on the landmarks themselves to minimize the effect of the backlighting, later switching to a metering mode that balanced the entire image. Image stabilization was turned on for all shots.

These shots don’t measure the SP-550UZ’s image quality. For that, we’ll have to await results of our lab tests. But they do give you some idea how close it can zoom and how wide it can shoot.

The first photos, shown below, were a wide angle shot of the New York-New York skyline and closeups of its individual landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and Chrysler Building, all of which are many stories tall and were hundreds of feet from me. ISO was set at 800 and resolution at 6 megapixels.

You can click on each thumbnail below to see the full-size version of the image. (Warning: Each image is over one megabyte in size.) For detailed shooting specs (such as the shutter speed) download each JPG image to your hard drive and inspect the file’s EXIF properties. (Note: Multiply the focal lengths shown in properties by a factor of 6 to convert from digital to the film equivalent.)

      

Next, I shot close-ups of subjects nearer to me — a statue above and some tourists on the pedestrian walkway over the Strip. With subjects so near, I found it harder to minimize camera shake, so I cranked up the camera’s ISO to 5000 (yes, you read that right) to allow for a faster shutter speed. The camera automatically reduced its resolution to 3 megapixels. I also turned spot metering off.

(Click on each thumbnail for a larger — over one megabyte — version.)

   

I shot both the collage-style image and the scene on the pedestrian walkway shown below at wide angle, so I was able to drop back to ISO 800:

(Click on each thumbnail for a larger — over one megabyte — version.)

 

My final two shots were taken from the pedestrian walkway over the Strip, looking north. Both, I believe, suffer from being shot at ISO 3200 and at a resolution of 3 megapixels. I’d expect crisper images in bright sunlight, with a lower ISO and higher resolution setting. Still, in the telephoto shot, the signs for Caesar’s and The Mirage — which my maps tell me were about a mile away — are quite readable.

(Click on each thumbnail for a larger version. These are under one megabyte in size.)

   

The SP-550UZ has other nice features, such as the ability to store a shot as both RAW and JPG files, and the ability to shoot continuously at speeds up to 15 frames per second (at a very low resolution). For a more thorough assessment of the SP-550UZ based on precise lab tests, check our First Looks on the ConsumerReports.org Web site in the near future.

— Jeff Fox, Technology Editor

Comments

[Patrick]

Over a year ago I bought the DMC FZ8, the 12x zoom model from Panasonic. I have shot over 3000 pictures and could not be happier. Although not a professional by any stretch, the pix I have taken of landscapes and architecture are awesome and I'd compare them to anyone's -- I give the camera all the credit.

Lots of folks are looking for good reviews, and, while I like Consumer Reports, the best for digital cameras are dpreview.com; but be warned, they are very technical.

[Sparky Witte]

I used a Canon powershot pro 1 for 3 years and took over 40,000 pictures. I was very happy with it ,but I broke the flash and decided to look for another point and shoot. I bought the olympus 550 about a year ago. It was recommended by a friend that takes picture for the Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C.
I have nothing but good things to say about it. I like the fact that it is so easy to carry, handle while shooting and if you learn all the settings, it is remarkable versitile. I just had it stolen, and am considering buying another one.
I am looking at other cameras too, just to see what else is out there, since this one came out.
If you love photography, like me and don't want the hassel
of changing lenses , this is an awesome camera. I use it professionally and it is a very good camera!
If you are cost concious, you can get it on line with all it's bells and whistles for a very good price!

[Rick]

I am sooooo happy with the Quality and finished work that my 8.0 18x delivers that I would recommend it to anyone! SP-560UZ RULES!

[Sylvia]

Mainly I want to take action shots of dogs competing in various sports. I really liked my Canon S2 but found the burst mode too slow for taking photos of dogs moving & it was terrible in low light conditions. Having one of my dogs pull the Canon onto the floor (it doesn't work properly now) gave me a reason to buy a newer digital point & shoot. I tried the Olympus SP-550UZ for several days & was really disappointed in the picture quality after I downloaded them from the camera. Like Virginia's experience, they looked great on the camera's screen but were very grainy on my computer. I returned the camera & am not interested in purchasing it. I also tried the Sony cyber-shot DSC-H9 and found the same poor photo quality. So far, the Panasonic DMC FZ18 is closest to what I'm looking for & the picture quality is much better. It was also very easy to use & actually fun to use. But I would still like faster burst mode & you can't change the zoom when using the video on the Panasonic. Also, the software of all these cameras isn't nearly as good as the Canon. I would NOT recommend this Olympus or the Sony Cybershot to anyone.

[linda woods]

I just returned this camera. The pictures with any type of movement were all blurred. Even a simple one of a child holding up his toy for a picture. The time between when you press the button to the time the chutter opens/closes is so long it blurrs everything. I have owned the Olympus D490Zoom for over 5 yrs and have been 100% pleased. I purchased an Olympus based on my previous experience. All I can say is that Olympus has gone downhill since they made my old camera.

[Michael G]

Just purchased the Panasonic DMC FZ18 and what a great surprise! GREAT Leica lens/18x opt zoom (main reason for purchase) very fast auto focus and NOT 1 blurry picture taken with the "intelligent auto" so far! Purchased for US$289 at thedigitalnerds.com! Excellent hybrid for near SLR quality with point and shoot ease of use! ZOOM IS AWESOME for this size and price! Highly recommend! Also, 3pic/sec burst ability!

[Donna Ellis]

I've been shopping around for a good camera for our family for a couple of weeks now. I read a lot reviews trying to find the best quality at the best price. After comparison I found the Panasonic Lumix with 8.2 megipixel, 18x zoom for $340.00 online at Dell. I'll let you know what I think about it after I get to use it.

[RICK LANE]

Panasonic newest offering the FZ 18 with 18X Optical Zoom with intelligent auto mode has it all and does just about everything. Price varies between $425 and $525 in Canada depending on where you shop. Costco supposedly carries for under $400 however I have not been able to find on the internet.

[Joanna]

I am looking for an underwater digital camera, or one with an underwater housing. Has anybody had any experience with these?

[Bill]

I bought the SP-550 and tried it for a few days
I didn't like the picture Quality as compared to my C-750 10X zoom Olympus. Auto focusing doesn't seem to be as good as my C-750 I did return it. To bad ,I really like the 18X because I shoot mostly outdoor photos at long range. I'm
thinking of the Kodak Z812 which is only 12X but seems to get good reviews

[Mark]

I think the best deal going right now is the Panasonic DMC-FZ50S.

[satish chandra thakur]

i am awaiting test images of finepix s8000fd lumix dmc fz18 and olympus 560uz but only a part of the picture rather than the whole with 100percent crop

[Sugarz]

Wait for the SP-560UZ

The picture quality is better. (supposedly)

[Mike]

I'm getting new camera but haven't decided, 2 brands : Canon or Panasonic. Canon PowerShot S5 IS Digital Camera 8-megapixel 12x optical zoom OR Panasonic DMC-FZ50S Digital Camera 10.1-megapixel 12x optical zoom. I've read lots of reviews, still confuse. I need more information, anybody ?

[julianne ryan]

Looking for my first digital camera. I have 3 boys, all is sports. So looking for a camera able to catch them in that perfect sports moment. Don't mind big, but also want to get great family portrait shots.

Any suggestions?

Julianne

[Stan Davis]

I am trying to decide between this camera, the Sony cyber-shot DSC-H9(also 18X zoom), and the Canon Powershot S5 IS(12X zoom). They all seem to have their good points and bad points.

[Mary]

When is the Consumer Reports review coming out? I am looking for a new camera for the summer and this looks perfert, but I want to be sure before I buy.

[Kahn Soomer]

NONE of the jpg images for which you provide links is larger than 200 Kilobytes, in spite of the warnings of some images being larger than 1 Megabyte. Indeed, the images have been greatly reduced in size--so much so that their value at assessing the image quality of the SP-550UZ camera is nearly nil. Any 7 megapixel image that has been resized to 1 megapixel or less (as apparently these have) is likely to look quite good unless it is badly out-of-focus or has poor exposure.

[Max Neuberger]

I assume this camera uses the X-D picture card. If so, that is a big minus. I have "lost" many photos on these cards; they appear as thumbnails, but are not visible otherwise. Then if you try to contact Olympus' "customer relations" department you don't get any helpful information.

[Daniel]

I purchased the camera prior to it's debut and received at first shipping in March, it is the best camera I have ever owned and would recommend it to anyone.

[Clara]

Amazon has it at $459. 18x sounds really amazing!

[Virginia]

I have the Olympus SP-510 UZ. I needed a camera that would take action shots (swim meets) from a distance. This one has 10x zoom, 7.1 MP. I was told it was a good camera for sports. I have to say I'm not satisfied with the picture quality. When I look at the photo's in the 2.5" display they look awesome, however when I blow them up on my computer screen they are VERY grainy. The movies come out much clearer, however if I zoom while shooting in video mode my battery dies. I have tried changing the ISO, shutter speeds... nothing has worked to get a better quality picture. The mode to take pictures in rapid succession is quite slow. For shooting a start at a swim meet, they're already in the pool for the 2nd shot. I just got the camera 7 months ago and I am looking for a new one. Maybe the SP-550 is better, but I would want to see the pictures on a bigger screen before I purchased the camera.

[Crystal]

I have this camera and it is good.This year I took the camera to wrestlemania23 along with my sony camera. I shot signs the were hundreds of feet away and they were very good up close action shots were ok, my sony took better quality pictures. The 15 frames mode is great for action shots like wrestlers jumping off ladders but the image quality was poor. So between both cameras I got amazing pictures but it was very difficult to manage both cameras at once. If I could only bring one camera it would definitly be my 5.1 mp sony cyber shot with 12x zoom I have had many cameras and it is the best one I have tried.

[Patricia]

Sam's Club has the SP-550UZ for $470. Walmart $475. I'm eagerly awaiting the offical report on this model and hope it's good.

[Loretta]

Hi I'm looking to purchase a camera and am wondering when and where can I find this camera? Also, would you recommend this camera over all others. I would really like one that is easy to use and does everything in other words has all the bells and whistles. I want to also take action pictures of my son son pitching and sounds like frame speed is good
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