Olympus SP-590UZ 12MP Digital Camera with 26X Wide Angle Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD

#1: Olympus SP-590UZ 12MP Digital Camera with 26X Wide Angle Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD Reviews!

I have had this camera for about three months now and have had a chance to take photographs in many different situations. Olympus is currently the leader in the ultra-zoom compact digital market. (I don't like to call these cameras point-and-shoot, because the features are as advanced as many SLR cameras.) In my opinion, this is one of the most versatile compact digital cameras available right now, although it does have its drawbacks. Here are the pros and cons of this model:

Pros:
The lens range. The ultra-zoom lens is the main feature of this camera and the reason most people are considering this model. It has an effective zoom of 26-626mm, which is the largest range of any zoom I have ever used. I don't know of any SLR lenses that have such a wide zoom range. Plus the 5x digital zoom increases the effective focal length to a ridiculous 3130mm. It is generally inadvisable to use digital zoom, however I used it for a moon shot and got excellent results (see my photo under customer images) so don't fully discount this feature. In addition, the lens is relatively light and only extends out 2.5" at maximum magnification. And it does all this with a relatively fast f/2.8.

Controls. This camera has all the controls of a full-featured camera, from fully automatic to manual control of just about everything. I won't run down all the different settings, but it has shutter speed ranging from 1/2000 second to 15 seconds, and ISO from 64 to 6400. It has two macro modes for extreme close-up photography and several modes of auto-focus as well as full manual focus. This makes it very versatile for both the novice and experienced photographer.

Image Size. 12 megapixels is at the high end of compact digital cameras. The images at full resolution are huge, large enough to be printed at 11 x 17. I mostly display my images on screen so the advantage for me is that they can be re-sized to increase sharpness and reduce noise. (Pushing the size to 12 megapixels does seem to introduce more noise in the image.)

Viewfinder. It has a very large 2.7" LCD viewer as well as a true viewfinder (something many compact digitals are doing away with these days).

Menu. The Menu is pretty straightforward, there aren't multiple levels to have to bury through.

Image Quality. The image quality is quite good, particularly at ISO 64 and in the wide and mid-range of the lens. Sharpness leaves something to be desired, however, and drops off noticeably at the long end of the zoom (see cons).

Ease of use. The camera does not have a steep learning curve, and feels good in the hand. The controls are not all that complicated, especially for an experienced photographer graduating from an earlier model (I am moving up from an Olympus C-5050 Zoom and this camera is a joy to use by comparison.)

Flash. I am not a fan of most images produced with a built-in flash, however the flash is decent, produces more natural colors than my previous C-5050 and I like the fact that the flash is never engaged unless it is popped up.

New Modes. This camera has some new modes such as Beauty Mode and 14 different scene modes. Being an experienced photographer I like to have control of the way the camera shoots, so I probably won't use these much, and can't give an opinion of them except that the Beauty Mode does do a nice job of softening face wrinkles.

Cons:
Lens sharpness. This zoom lens is a joy to use however the images it produces are not nearly as sharp and clear as I would like. Of course when you pay under 0 for the entire camera, there has to be some trade-offs in the optics. This built-in lens is never going to rival any of the high-end SLR glass from Canon or Nikon. The lens is not crisply sharp at any focal length: at the wide end there is noticeable softening of the image around the edges; the lens performs pretty well in the low to mid-range of the zoom but image quality at the far end of the zoom is equivalent to a cheap telephoto, with quite a bit of chromatic aberration. These imperfections can be compensated for my shooting at the full 12mp and then reducing the image size in Photoshop. Then sharpening must be performed to make the images look good. You can get some really great shots, just don't expect full professional quality with this lens.

Noise. The noise levels are a lot worse than I would like, beginning at ISO 200. ISO 400 is pretty poor, and starting at ISO 800 the images are really unacceptable in my opinion. ISO 1600 is just terrible, but for some reason the image quality improves at ISO 3200. I had hoped for better low-light performance with this camera, so don't buy it if that is your goal or else stick with the flash when shooting indoors.

Quick Menu. Although the menu is greatly improved over my C-5050, the quick menu seems to be lacking. I wish more of the controls were easily accessable, particularly exposure compensation +/-. My previous Olympus had a dedicated button for that.

No RAW mode. It really bothers me that camera manufacturers are leaving RAW mode out of the newer cameras. I am sure that the image quality of this camera could be improved if the RAW versions of the photos were available. Image processing in a camera is never going to match what you can do with Photoshop. Casual users usually skip RAW, however I think they should keep RAW mode available for enthusiasts like myself. This is a high-end camera, it should have RAW mode!

Static LCD. The LCD doesn't pivot or move in any way. My old C-5050 had a pivoting LCD and I'm disappointed they didn't retain this feature. It comes in handy in tight spots.

Movie Mode. It's only standard resolution but the videos look very good so that's not really a con for me.


Conclusions: This is a highly versatile and fun to use camera, particularly the zoom. Although the lack of sharpness in the optics was a disappointment initially, when the images are re-sized and sharpened they can be quite spectacular. I have impressed my friends and family with the images I have obtained with this camera, particularly the macro and long shots. (Please see the photos I uploaded for examples; my descriptions all end with my initials, DJS.)

Although these are not professional grade optics or sensor, the SP-590UZ is a great piece of equipment for the price. It's a take-anywhere-do-anything camera. I'm finding it a pleasure to use and I highly recommend it for all outdoor hobbyist type of shooting, where it excels preferably at ISO 64 or ISO 100, or indoors with a flash. Look elsewhere if your shooing situations are primarily indoors and/or low-light situations.

Final note: Olympus came out with an even longer 30x zoom, the [Olympus SP-800UZ 14MP Digital Camera with 30x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD]. But they dumbed it down with exposure control being strictly automatic and there is no viewfinder. As opposed to this camera, it's a true point-and-shoot.

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Olympus SP-590UZ 12MP Digital Camera with 26X Wide Angle Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD Features

• 12-megapixel resolution for photo-quality, poster-size prints
• 26x wide-angle optical dual image stabilized zoom
• Pre-capture scene modes: Multiple Exposure, Soft Background Focus and Beauty Mode
• 2.7-inch Advanced HyperCrystal III LCD screen
• Compatible with xD Picture Cards and microSD memory cards (not included)

Customer Reviews

Performs As Advertised - DoubleDAZ - Peoria, AZ USA
I won't add to the reviews that have already been posted except to say the SP-590 performs as advertised and as expected. My wife loves it and I'm quite surprised by the image quality. We bought it mostly because new digital cameras, other then dSLRs, seem to be dropping the viewfinder and that is a necessity for us. To be sure, there are plenty of things I don't like about it, but that's why I have a dSLR for myself. :)