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Olympus SP-500 UZ Digital Camera

83

Very Good
  • Pros
  • High image quality
  • Powerful zoom
  • Cons
  • No image stabilization

User Reviews for Olympus SP-500 UZ Digital Camera

  • Reviewed by: markp

    Duration of ownership: 2 Years

    Strengths:

    Weaknesses:

    Overall Evaluation:

  • Reviewed by: sitsi

    Duration of ownership: 5 Months

    Strengths: Zoom, Beautiful images, it does what you tell it to do.

    Weaknesses: Again...No image stabilization, expensive XD cards

    Overall Evaluation: I love this camera, it has better images than my previoous Sony Cybershot. The pictures are taken as I imagine them, the camera does what you tell it to do

  • Reviewed by: alibailey

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Affordable - Great price for all this camera offers! Great Features, Lightweight, Super Photos, Great Zoom. Love it!

    Weaknesses: Seriously, none to write about.

    Overall Evaluation: This has been one awesome camera. It was my first digital camera - and as it's turned out - I couldn't have picked a better camera to learn on. I learned as I shot and I have used it every single day for almost 2 years. It renewed my love for photography in a big way. This camera is sturdy and easy to use. I have alot of arthritis in my hands so I need a camera that is lightweight with an overall style that makes it easy to grip and hold on to. This camera has both.The zoom is great and all the features are easy to use. The final result is always what you want cause if there's a pic you don't want - one press of a button and it's deleted.Even the software was easy to use. This is a great camera!

  • Reviewed by: bobandray

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Manual, shutter priority, and aperture priority shooting. Zoom. Good quality photographs.

    Weaknesses: None

    Overall Evaluation: I bought my first SP-500 for my daughter's college class. It was recommended by the professor. I tried it out first and fell in love with it. Photos are sharp, exposed properly, and have correct color and skin tones. I am used to using manual 35 mm cameras and know how to match shutter speed with lens length. So far I have not had trouble with shake on hand held telephoto shots. I liked the camera so much that I bought one for myself. So far, I have had no negative experiences.

  • Reviewed by: bucmeister

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Zoom, 2.5 inch LCD

    Weaknesses: Very weak indecisive AF. Painful shutter lag. Oly knows better.

    Overall Evaluation: I like the camera well enough, the pictures are good when in focus and timed right for the shutter lag that I thought was supposed to be SO improved, NOT. In this day and time of state of the art electronics there is absolutely no excuse for such a sorry AF system as what this camera has, my old Fuji A205 does better. Shutter lag, if I smoked I could almost light a cigarette between the time the button is pushed and the picture is taken, again the A205 seems faster. I have two years experience with the A205 and only 2 weeks with the SP500 so maybe it will get better. I will look more carefully next time. This will seriously impact my brand perspecive when and if I ever choose to upgrade to a dSLR.My years with an Olympus OM1, that I dearly loved and would still be using if it had not been stolen, tainted my perspective when looking into buying this camera. I may end up going back to my old Minolta 700 film camera afterall.

  • Reviewed by: jacjj5

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Zoom, Flash

    Weaknesses: No image Stabilization

    Overall Evaluation: This camera is awesome. To list any weaknesses besides a lack of image stabilization would be nitpicking. I do find myself taking a couple of shots to get it right when I zoom in close because of the blurriness though. With image stabilization, this would be the world's perfect camera. The flash is so intense that I took a picture in complete darkness and it looked like I was outside, the picture was so clear and well lit. I'm still working on how to adjust the intensity of the flash in order not to "over bright" my pictures when taking them indoors. I find sometimes that when I do not use the flash, my pictures loose focus. But that's the glory of a digital camera. If you don't like the first picture, just delete and try again. I truly love this camera. I owned a Camedia Sports Zoom and it was good. It gave me trust in the Olympus name to buy another. And this camera came through with flying colors. I recommend this camera to the point and shoot user as well as the more advanced user. You won't be disappointed.

  • Reviewed by: susho

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: light weight

    Weaknesses: absence of image stabilization, high shutter lag

    Overall Evaluation: While the camera is very light and has got lots of (21) scene modes it really gives trouble due to absence of any optical image stabilization. Due to a slight movement of the camera or the subject during taking the snap the photo gets spoiled. particularly at low light, when shutter speed has to be low any picture just gets blurred. This should be taken as a word of caution by the potential byers. Before purchasing please be very sure that you want this model.

What You Should Know about the SP-500 UZ Digital Camera

Larger-Than-Average Optical Zoom Range

The optical zoom range on this camera is sufficiently broad to give you considerable creative control. Your options extend from individual portraits to group shots to wide-angle landscapes. Most point-and-shoots offer a focal length range that’s roughly equivalent to 35mm to 105mm on a 35mm film camera. At the wide end (the 35mm, in this case), they shoot a bit wider than what you see with your eye. At the telephoto end (the 105mm, in this case), they can zoom in a good deal closer than you’d be able to with the naked eye.

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