  Olympus SP-500UZ
Way before the super zoom digital camera gained substantial popularity and before we saw super zooms from the the big names such as Canon, Kodak, Minolta – and pretty much everybody else – Olympus already had their first super zoom out in the market, the C-2100UZ. With only Sony to worry about, with their bulky floppy disk-based cameras with camcorder lenses, enthusiasts and professionals gladly welcomed the Olympus C-2100UZ and made it a big success.
Times have changed and the super zoom market has grown in massive proportions. All the major players have released their own super zooms and the market is heavily saturated. Olympus' latest entry is the SP-500UZ, which we review in this article.
 Features
The SP-500UZ is a sleek, black package in the signature Olympus styling we've all come to know. The camera measures 4.15 x 2.93 x 2.80 inches. Without batteries and memory card, the unit weighs a solid 10.05 ounces. With 4 AA batteries, it would weigh a substantial bit more.
The SP-500UZ features an Olympus lens that is 6.3 – 63 mm (38 – 380 mm equivalent in 35mm photography), consisting of 11 lenses in 7 groups, and is made up of 2 aspherical lenses. The aperture range is f2.8 to f3.7 adjustable in 1/3 EV steps. The SP-500UZ features a CCD contrast detection focus system, with a focus range of 3 centimeters in super macro mode, to infinity in normal mode.
The SP-500UZ wouldn't amount to much as a super zoom if it didn't have a super zoom. The SP-500UZ features a 10x optical zoom and 5x digital zoom. Using a combination of optical and digital zooms, a maximum of 50x zoom is possible.
The heart of the SP-500UZ is the Olympus TruePic TURBO Image Processor. It supports ISO 80, 100, 200, and 400 modes at all image resolutions from 640x480 pixels to a whopping 2816x2112 pixels. It also records movies at 320x240 pixel resolution at either 30 or 15 frames per second. The TruePic processor saves videos in QuickTime Motion JPEG format. The SP-500UZ also features 25 built-in shooting modes, with the ability to store 4 user custom modes.
External interfaces on the SP-500UZ include a USB 2.0 port as well as an A/V output for viewing slideshows and videos on external equipment, such as a TV. There's also a connector for an optional battery charger to charge the 4 AA batteries you have installed.
Bundled with the SP-500UZ is a strap, USB cable, AV cable, 4 alkaline AA dry cells, and Olympus Master 1.31 software. The SP-500UZ features 10 megabytes of internal flash memory which is expandable with xD Picture Cards.
Pros and Cons
On the physical aspect, the SP-500UZ is a solid-feeling camera. Even if it's encased completely in plastic, it doesn't have that cheapo flimsy feel other cameras have, including more expensive ones. Then again, Olympus is known for making durable workhorse cameras. The weight of the camera is nicely balanced; the battery compartment which houses 4 AA dry cells are on the opposite side of the camera to the side where the lens is. The use of standard AA cells is a double-edged sword: we actually prefer standard cells because they're easier to find and purchase. You won't have to be locked-in to buying proprietary batteries from the camera manufacturer. You're also safe from when the manufacturer decides to stop making the particular type of battery for your camera. On the flipside, the 4 AA cells add considerable weight to the SP-500UZ. On the whole, the SP-500UZ is a tidy, sturdy, and sleek black package that feels right to the hands.
The SP-500UZ control panel is rather spartan. Olympus probably opted to keep things simple and uncluttered by putting only the most essential buttons on the back. However, all camera features are easily accessible through the menu system, which is well organized and pretty intuitive. The SP-500UZ's LCD is very bright and clear, and at 2.5 inches diagonal, is pleasantly large.
Image quality on the SP-500UZ is up to Olympus standards. Colors are bright, vibrant, and clear. Image distortion is at a very low level for this type of lens. The flash works very well and helps a lot to produce excellent colors and exposure. At ISO settings, noise is well-controlled, even more so than competing super zooms. The main weakness of the SP-500UZ, as far as image quality is concerned, manifests itself when shooting images at the highest zoom levels. The SP-500UZ, along with other Olympus models, are notorious for not having any form of image stabilization. We wish Olympus had integrated such an important feature in the SP-500UZ; it's inevitable that the high zoom levels will be used to shoot pictures, and excessive camera shake can and will ruin perfect shots. For movie mode, quality is actually pretty good, except that the maximum movie resolution is a meager 320x240 pixels, a quarter of competing cameras' maximum resolution.
The SP-500UZ comes bundled with Olympus Master image management software. A nice twist of this software is that it allows users to convert raw images to a more usable format, offering control over exposure compensation, white balance, contrast, sharpness, and saturation. Raw image manipulation often isn't possible with competitors' camera software, requiring users to purchase or download 3rd party raw converters. With the power of a raw image converter bundled in the box, users will most likely latch on to saving pictures in raw format rather than the somewhat over-processed looking JPEG.
Summary and Recommendations
The SP-500UZ is a great value camera from Olympus. You get Olympus quality in both camera construction and image quality, a nice LCD screen, convenience of standard dry cells, and a ton of features. The lack of image stabilization means that you'll probably need a tripod (or at least supremely stable hands) when shooting at high zooms. |
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