Olympus SP-560 UZ

zoom, usability, portability, image quality, battery

design, performance, focus, size

100% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

image quality, price, zoom, performance, usability

100% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Phenomenal zoom range that includes real wide-angle to long telephoto capability Huge range of features Reliable exposure Good ergonomics RAW mode (though very slow) Bright, immediate 'consumer friendly' output Good detail and color at lowest ISO...

More features than you will know what to do with (many of them gimmicky) Unwieldy menu system Corner softness at shorter focal lengths High contrast tone curve tends to clip shadows or highlights RAW mode so terribly slow Limited AA battery life...

We described the Fuji S8000fd as trying to be all things to all people, but that was before we really got to grips with the Olympus SP-560UZ. The number of features and options available on the Olympus is frankly comical. You could use this camera for...

For additional information on Digital Cameras and product reviews, please visit our Digital Cameras product guide.

Elegant design with simple controls and a grip that grabs you ; Natural color ; Minimal shutter lag in a long zoom, especially quick at telephoto focal lengths ; Usable digital zoom takes the range to 100x ; Zoom starts at a true wide angle of 27mm ;...

Very high ISO and other high-end features (like Burst mode and Pre-Capture) only available at reduced image size ; High ISO itself is noisy ; High levels of chromatic aberration, especially at telephoto, typical of a long zoom ; High chromatic...

There's a choice of both an electronic viewfinder (specification unknown), plus a 2.5-inch LCD display with a resolution of 230,000 pixels. Autofocus is via contrast detection, and the camera can also be focused manually. ISO sensitivity ranges from 50...

18X optical zoom!, Dual image stabilization, Bright hi-res 2.5-inch LCD with adjustable backlight, 640 x 480 movies at a full 30 fps, Advanced face detection mode, As close as 0.4 inches in super macro mode, Full manual modes in addition to 33 scene...

No voice recording mode, Remains at 8 megapixel, xD-Picture card harder to find and more expensive

Powerful 18x optical zoom lens, Dual image stabilization, Very good image quality, Full range of exposure options - from manual to auto and everything in between, Lightweight and compact - bigger than a point-and-shoot, smaller than a digital SLR,...

Power button is difficult to engage quickly, Noticeable shutter lag, especially with flash, Multitude of mode and menu options may overwhelm beginners

I thoroughly enjoyed playing with the Olympus SP-560 UZ - enough that it's going to be hard to go back to my own compact digital camera. I've been spoiled by the fantastically long zoom lens, which makes it super-easy to grab great shots with hardly...