 |
I've been tracking these cameras since they came out, and they were just out of my price range for a backup camera. But, after shooting a job and realizing I wanted a longer focal length for the digital, it seemed smarter to get the whole camera instead of just a new lens. Since getting it I've had a blast playing with the panorama modes. I've run tests at full optical and digital zoom. They're both functional, but the ability to shoot full res at at the 35mm equiv of a 300-400mm lens is really the bonus for me. Having shot with Olympus 35mm for so many years, getting used to the lens barrel focus/zoom seems normal now. Many reviews mentioned the lens lag, which is annoying but I don't really even notice it anymore. Olympus XD cards are small and easily available, I wish they had added the multi-format option that the DSLRs have now, but that's a small issue compared to all the features I do like.Read full review
This camera is very good in all areas, plenty of mega pixels (10) long zoom (20X) optical image stabilization plenty of dedicated buttons for the important functions meaning less menu searching and every other bell and whistle I have heard of. Don't expect great low light performace from this or any other long zoom do everything point and shoot camera. At the long end of this zoom I feel a tripod or mono pod should be used no image stabilizer could be adequite for that. But all other functions are very good including ergonomics which I rate excellant. This camera is a fine choice for those who are looking for close to SLR performance for less than half the price and you don't have to lug a 10lb bag stuffed with lenses, flash etc.
The good: Small, but weighty. Feels solidly built, and has nice ergonomics. Feels very comfortable in one's hand. Unlike the vast majority of "bridge" cameras these days, including almost all of the other Olympus SP series cameras, this one (570 only) has a hotshoe, allowing you to use a separate flash and (thus) also allowing you to BOUNCE the flash. (If you know ANYTHING about photographic lighting, you know that bounce flash is vastly superior to straight-on flash. There's just no comparison.) Uses standard AA batteries - very convenient and much cheaper than proprietary batteries used by many other bridge cameras. Price is great - you can pick up a good used one of these puppies on eBay these days for about two hundred bucks, give or take. That get's you a nice modern 10mp / 20x (optical) zoom camera with image stabilization, and most other bells & whistles commonly available in modern digital zooms (e.g. viewfinder... albeit a digital one rather than optical... histograms, video recording, etc). Also, most standard & optional accessories for this camera are readily available (and inexpensive) on eBay. The bad: Lens isn't threaded - no easy way to add filters (e.g. UV, polarizer) unless you also buy one of the CLA-10 adapter knock-offs on eBay (about $20) and even then, you can only use the filters at the long end of the zoom range, elsewise you'll get vignetting. (Of course, you can always just manually HOLD big enough filters out in front of the lens as you shoot. Not very professional looking, but it works.) Big zoom ring on the lens barrel is nicer than the dinky tight/wide toggle found on many less expensive digital cameras, but unlike on the Fujifilm bridge cameras, the Olympus zoom rings are "fly-by-wire" rather than manually linked, which makes them rather jerky. Not really a big deal, but just slightly annoying. Takes xD picture cards, rather than the more common SD/SDHC cards, but that's not really much of an issue either. (Currently, a 2GB type M+ xD card is widely available for about $17.) All in all, a very likable modern bridge camera. If you can pick up a good used one of these on eBay (with all standard accessories) for two hundred, give or take (as of Mar/2010), then go for it. You won't be sorry. (Original retail when this camera first came out was $499.) P.S. The Fujifilm bridge cameras are quite nice too - most/all of them have threaded lenses (for filters) and many/most have hotshoes, but you'll get a bit more bang-for-the-buck, feature-wise, with the Olympus SP line, relative to the Fujifilm bridge line (e.g. more megapixels, greater zoom range, etc).Read full review
Olympus SP-570 UZ 10.0 Megapixel: Excellent high resolution digital camera, nice size for those people like me who used 35mm cameras, and like that size and feel -- and it has an easy control zoom like the earlier 35mm cameras. The camera I bought through Ebay was in outstanding condition, original with accessories in the original box, including strap, instructions, download cords, batteryy charger, batteries, etc. The smaller 2GB M+ card [available at Radio Shack, etc.] are much easier to work with than the earlier model Olympus cameras with the overly large smart cards which required a special slot on card readers. Nearly all multi-card readers [Radio Shack, Wol-Mart, etc.] are now designed for this smaller size card, but not the larger older model Olympus smart cards. I paid about $250 for my Ebay camera, and feel $200-$300 is a fair and good price range at this time [May 2010] for buyers for a never used or well cared for Olympus SP-570 UZ 10.0 MP camera.Read full review
I normally don't give an excellent rating, but this product is great. If you're looking for a Digital SLR, but not the atrocious price, this is your buy. It gives a lot of manual control with an impressive 13.5 frames/pec hi-speed option. I caught a great humming bird with crisp quality. But, my wife is also being introduced to photography through it and she can even work it (over course, when things are in automatic mode). Regardless, she's happy to be able to take stunning pictures and digs the super-macro mode. I'm happy for her and happy with the tweaking I can do in manual mode. Good buy.
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Digital Cameras
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Digital Cameras
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
