Olympus SP-550 UZ anmeldelse

Lige før PMA in januar 2007 blev Olympus SP-550 UZ annonceret af Olympus som deres første seriøse forsøg på at tage markedsdele tilbage i super zoom segmentet, som Olympus selv startede tilbage i 2000 med deres legendariske C-2100UZ.

Olympus SP-550 UZ har væsentlige forbedring i forhold til dens forgængere i 'SP' serien med dens 7 megapixel, billedstabilisering og dens forbløffende 28-500mm optik som giver tillader 18x optisk zoom.

Segmentet for super zoom kameraer er allerede tæt besat og mange konkurrenter. Olympus SP-550 UZ vil komme til at konkurrer mod modeller som Sony H5, Canon S3 IS og Panasonic FZ8.

Det nye Olympus kamera har skabt meget interesse omkring sig bare ud fra specifikationerne.

Anmelderen skriver bla. at han ville ønske at Olympus havde gjort lidt mere ud af kameraets præstationer og billedkvaliteten i stedet for at fokuser så meget på specifikationerne, som de har gjort.

Specifikationer:

• 18x wide optical zoom (equivalent to 28-504mm on a 35mm camera) 1:2.8-4.5
• Dual Image Stabilization
• 7.1 Megapixels
• 6.4cm/2.5” LCD with 230,000 pixels
• High burst rate (up to 15fps in 1.2 Megapixel mode)
• Super Macro mode (from as close as 1cm)
• P/A/S/M exposure modes
• RAW mode
• BrightCapture Technology for better low light photography – also available in movie mode
• 23 scene modes (including Portrait, Sports, Night Scene)
• 25 languages on board
• Internal memory plus xD-Picture Card slot
• Supplied with Olympus Master software and four AA batteries

Fordele ved kameraet:

• Amazing 18x zoom range
• Truly versatile 28-504mm range, with real wideangle
• Comprehensive and extensive feature set
• Effective Image Stabilization system (good for two stops)
• Decent resolution
• Good, though by no means class-leading results at lower ISO settings
• Generally natural color rendition (slightly anemic reds aside)
• Raw mode (with JPEG duplicate options)
• Superb battery life
• Excellent handling & build quality
• Decent electronic viewfinder
• Nice screen - gains up well in low light
• Good level of customization available
• Excellent flash exposures
• In-camera editing (including raw conversion) of saved files
• Decent movie quality

Ulemper ved kameraet:

• Images lack biting crispness, some loss of fine detail to noise reduction
• Some corner softness at long end of zoom
• Distortion throughout the zoom range
• Focus slow at long end of zoom and in low light
• Occasional focus errors (where the camera says it's in focus and it isn't)
• Full resolution burst mode unimpressive
• Purple fringing and chromatic aberration (fairly mild, but visible)
• Slow file writing (xD-Picture Card)
• Poor artificial light Auto White Balance and slightly unreliable Custom White Balance
• Screen blooming and slow reaction to brightness changes in live preview
• Movie mode restrictions (can't use sound with IS or zoom turned on)
• Mild overexposure of bright scenes leading to highlight clipping (can be fixed with AE-C)
• Supplied raw converter produces unimpressive results
• HIgher ISO settings noisy and soft (due to noise reduction)
• Almost pointless low-resolution ISO 3200 and ISO 5000 settings
• Disappointing macro performance

Læs mere her: Olympus SP-550 UZ Review