Olympus SP-500

552 reviews

Nov, 2024

Positive
usability (217)
image quality (128)
performance (125)
zoom (117)
portability (100)

Negative
stabilizer (40)
viewfinder (14)
shutter (11)
low-light (7)
storage (2)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 552 reviews of Olympus SP-500. The average rating for this product is 4.2/5, compared to an average rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras for all reviews. Views about the portability and zoom are overall positive. The performance and image quality are also mentioned favorably, but some have doubts about the storage and low light performance. Reviews are divided on the focus.

usability, image quality, performance, zoom, portability

stabilizer , viewfinder, shutter, low-light, storage

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Olympus SP-500 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 87/100 = Very good quality.

See all Olympus Digital Cameras

Review analysis

(Based on 552 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(46% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (36% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews (11% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews (4% of reviews)
Show all 2 star reviews (3% of reviews)
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Features

usability
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image quality
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performance
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zoom
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portability
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More features

Showing 334 review(s)

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Showing 1 - 242 of 334 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (211)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Olympus SP-500

alaTest has collected and analyzed 34 user reviews of Olympus SP-500 from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.co.uk. Reviews about the portability and price are overall positive. The performance and image quality also get good feedback, but many are less positive about the viewfinder and durability. There are mixed opinions on the low light performance and shutter.

usability, image quality, performance, price, portability

stabilizer , durability, viewfinder

91% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Olympus SP-500

alaTest has collected and analyzed 198 user reviews of Olympus SP-500 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.1/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.2/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.com. Reviewers really like the portability and price. The zoom and performance are also mentioned favorably, but the low light performance and focus get critical views. Reviews about the shutter and image quality are different.

usability, performance, zoom, price, portability

stabilizer , focus, low-light

88% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Expert review by : Simon Joinson (dpreview.com)

Olympus SP-500UZ Review

Five and a half years ago, long before Panasonic launched the FZ series, before Canon, Kodak, Minolta - or anyone else for that matter - had joined the 'big zoom' party there was the Olympus C-2100UZ. With its image-stabilized 10x zoom, electronic...

Decent results with good detail and natural color Low noise at low ISO settings, still fairly low at ISO 400 Comprehensive photographic controls Rugged, lightweight construction and excellent handling Lots of scene/subject modes Huge range of advanced...

JPEG images look soft compared to much of the competition Mild exposure problems in high contrast / bright scenes Writing to xD picture card slow (much better with newer high speed cards). Raw mode slow (much better with newer high speed cards)....

Taken on its own merits the SP-500UZ is a more than capable camera with a huge feature set, great handling and perfectly good results - at a very competitive price point. But the 'super zoom' sector is one of the most fiercely competitive markets in...

Feb, 2006

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Expert review by : Richard Baguley (pcworld.com)

SP-500 UZ Digital Camera

The Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom is the lowest-priced advanced camera we've ever examined. Previously, the PC World Test Center tested the SP-500 as a point-and-shoot model. But after its impressive performance in that category, we chose to test its...

Long zoom lens Long zoom lens High image quality

No image stabilization

We were impressed with the color in the photos we took with the SP-500, and the camera accurately exposed the images. We did notice some slight distortion when using the zoom lens at its widest settings, and the photos looked rather soft: Details such...

Jan, 2006

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Expert review by : Richard Baguley (pcworld.com)

Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom

Artwork: Rick Rizner, Chris Manners

High image quality ; Powerful zoom

No image stabilization

The low-priced SP-500 delivers high image quality, long battery life, and a powerful zoom. But it lacks image stabilization.

Jan, 2006

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Expert review by : Will Greenwald (cnet.com)

Olympus SP-500 UZ

Sep, 2005

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Expert review by : Steve's Digicams (steves-digicams.com)

Olympus SP-500 UZ

Continue on to Features & Controls SP-500 UltraZoom Specifications Imager 6 megapixel effective, 6.37 megapixel gross, 1/2.5" CCD Lens 6.3 - 63 mm (38-380mm equivalent in 35mm photography), 11 lenses in 7 groups, 2 aspherical lens Zoom Seamless to 50x...

Feb, 2006

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Expert review by (letsgodigital.org)

Olympus SP 500 UZ review

The Olympus SP-500 UZ digital camera is an advanced digital camera that straddles the border between compact digital cameras and digital reflex cameras. The Olympus SP500 US was officially introduced in the second half of last year providing a compact...

The Olympus SP-500 UZ is a digital Megazoom camera that a creative photographer can really work with. The camera’s multitude of possibilities means that you can capture a variety of subjects in practically any way imaginable. The camera is multifaceted...

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Expert review by (imaging-resource.com)

Olympus SP-500 UZ

The 500UZ's long zoom reaches from 38-380mm, a full 10x. That used to be a lot more impressive, but these days there are quite a few competitors with similar specs, and most of those cameras have something the SP-500UZ doesn't: image stabilization....

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Expert review by : Jeff Keller (dcresource.com)

Olympus SP-500UZ

While many of Olympus' competitors have added image stabilization to their ultra zooms, Olympus has not had this feature on their cameras since the legendary C-2100UZ from the year 2000. What you will find on the SP-500UZ is a 10X optical zoom lens, 6...

Good photo quality ; Full manual controls ; Large 2.5" LCD display (but see issues below) ; Support for RAW image format; images can be edited right on the camera ; Customizable buttons and menus; favorite settings can be saved to spot on the mode dial...

Sluggish performance when viewing photos in playback mode, or shooting in RAW format ; No image stabilization ; LCD resolution isn't great, neither is low light visibility ; Unimpressive continuous shooting and movie modes ; No diopter correction for...

The SP-500UZ is an average camera in a sea of really good ones. While I'd say that it's "okay to buy" the SP-500, there are many other cameras in this category that offer better performance, photo quality, and features (including image stabilization).

Apr, 2008

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Expert review by : Consumer Guide (howstuffworks.com)

Olympus SP-500 UZ (UltraZoom) digital camera Review and Prices

Olympus has given photographers a hybrid between ultra-thin digital cameras and large 35mm-type models with its SP-500 UltraZoom. At 2.8 inches in thickness, the SP-500 UZ isn't going to fit in a pocket like an ultra-thin digital camera, but it is...

10X zoom lens, good photo quality, good mix of beginner and intermediate features, good response times

EVF won't appeal to everyone, LCD could be sharper, camera shake can be a problem

Sep, 2007

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Expert review by (photoaxe.com)

Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom Digital Camera Review

Olympus SP-500 is a 10X optical zoom camera, meaning it is an ultra zoom camera, way above the average zoom of other cameras; it provides 6 Megapixel CCD, large 2.5 inch LCD display, full manual controls (including white balance and focus), and plenty...

Aug, 2007

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