Product Description

Experience the all-in-one Ultra Zoom. You won't find a better ultra-zoom value on the market. With the SP-510 UZ you get high-resolution with 7.1 megapixels, extra-long battery life, Digital Image Stabilization and a whole lot more. It's designed to satisfy the needs of beginners and advanced users alike. This versatile camera provides incredible point-and-shoot functionality as well as professional features like full manual controls, ISO 4000 and RAW shooting.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15926 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Olympus
• Model: 225835
• Released on: 2006-09-18
• Dimensions: 2.80" h x 2.90" w x 4.20" l, .66 pounds
• Memory: 21MB
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• 7.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 15 x 20-inch prints
• 10x optical zoom with digital image stabilization; 2.5-inch LCD display, plus electronic viewfinder
• Bright Capture for low-light photography and image viewing
• In-camera editing features such as Red-Eye Fix
• Stores images on xD Picture Cards; powered by 4 AA-size batteries (4 batteries included)

Customer Reviews

A Solid Performer for the Price - 4 Stars for Value
It is important to thoroughly read the manual for any camera and test it out fully before making a decision on keeping it. For example, the "it picks some random focus point" issue can be solved by choosing P mode and telling the camera that the focus point should always be in the center. A lot of this camera's hidden beauty lies in its ability to be fully manually operated, from zoom (albeit awkwardly with buttons) to exposure. Unfortunately, this camera falls slightly short of being a great camera due to excessive noise and no optical image stabilization.

Let's hit the bad points first and then balance them out with the good ones. The Olympus has no manual zoom control or manual ring focus control. This hurts because the motorized zoom is a lot slower than a manual can be and it is very noisy. Next, CCD imaging chips have a lot of pixels on them. Each pixel is sensitive to one color, so you'll have some of the pixels dedicated to blue, some to red and some to green. If a red pixel is placed on the sensor, only red will be sensed at that location. This is OK, because the camera's processor is able to guess the value of the missing colors and output it to the file. The ability of a camera to accurately guess colors (unless it's a 3 CCD camera with one imaging chip for each color) is what makes its photos look good or bad. Additionally, pixels are a certain size. As manufacturers put more pixels on the same-sized chip, these pixels must necessarily be smaller and are therefore more subject to electrically interfering with each other when the chip is exposed to light. This interference is called "noise" and is usually heavily processed out so that it doesn't mess up the photo's resolution. ISO ratings are an old film standard that defined the size of the individual film grains (100 being larger grains than 200, 400 or 800), with larger grains being able to capture more light and smaller grains being quicker at exposure, but shorter on detail. Digital cameras use this same terminology for their light sensitivity settings, with 100 being a bright daylight setting and 3200 being almost pitch dark. This camera is good to about ISO 200, after which, unacceptable amounts of noise creep in, preventing the use of the full 7.1 MP resolution print sizes. It'll make good 4x6s or 8x10s to ISO 800 and, after that, the camera will limit its own resolution to 3MP around 1600 and 3200. I would say that if you were shooting a lot of low light scenes without the flash, you'd be better off getting a DSLR and high quality lenses. This problem with ISO ties into the picture stabilization. The camera will adjust the shutter speed and flash and bump up the ISO to counteract camera shake, but, if you're using the stabilization and the light's not bright sunlight, you'll get a higher ISO and therefore more noise in the photo. This concept makes the higher end of the zoom unusable without a tripod or at least a monopod. The last real downside that is glaring is Olympus's refusal to allow CD cards in their cameras. They want you to buy their special media which is only available up to 2GB and has a higher per-byte cost than any other card. An SD or even a CF slot would have been welcome here! By the way, the flash is not automatic. It's got a little pop up button and you have to manually push it to get the flash up. Not a big deal, but might put people off. Another Olympus blunder is the LCD screen. It's big, but only slightly more than 100,000 pixels...meaning that it will NOT show the photos you take in their full quality. The electronic viewfinder is equally bad. You'll take a bunch of blah photos that will look great once you get them off of the camera...Olympus isn't the only guilty party-other big name manufacturers use a similar trick so they can advertise a 'HUGE SCREEN" and save money on the build cost. Check for this before you buy!


Now for the good things. I know the ISO noise thing sounds like a killer, but the noise level is pretty much on par with other cameras in this class. Most long zoom cameras are basically point and shoots that try to squeeze too much out of their lenses and imaging chips and ISO ratings suffer for it. As long as you learn how to use the camera and learn how to take photos (for which this FULL MANUAL capable camera is ably suited), you'll be able to adjust. The lens is good and doesn't soften too much or distort more than any other camera in its class. This camera features a RAW shooting mode, where you can get the image straight off of the CCD without processing and then tweak it yourself...this is HUGE for this class of camera because even though the files are a LOT bigger, you can basically "take the photo" all over again in processing by adjussting levels and color saturation. This is well worth the effort, but realize that the JPEG color saturation is pretty good already. I would recommend shooting at the next-lowest level of resolution if you're shooting JPEG. This will help the noise problem a little bit by increasing the size of the pixels because they're grouping together. You sacrifice some resolution, but save noise. This camera is light and comfortable to hold and the battery life is outstanding. The camera is responsive and you can save custom settings easily. I also liked the lock on the bottom battery door; it's a small issue, but having a door pop open and batteries raining out of the camera prevents phototaking! The tripod mount is close to center, but the memory card slot is on the back/side of the camera, meaning that you can change cards without removing the tripod! Very nice. The movie mode is great, with the big lens catching a lot of detail and the 640x480 resolution at 30fps making things smooth. The videos don't look too bad on a TV, although they're not in the MPEG format. The software is good and offers a complete solution for not only viewing/editing (especially RAW files) and phot stitching, but also for updating the camera's firmware. Also note that using an Olympus-branded card will unlock a special panorama mode for your camera.

This camera is a good, basic camera that tries to get a little too ambitious and falls slightly short of great. Some of it is due to Olympus's reliance on xD and noisy imaging processor and some of it is due to cutting corners to save the retail price, but overall, the camera is a good buy for the money. People that are disappointed with this camera will be people who might not want to do manual control but just want a camera for point-and-shoot and want quick snapshots to be perfect and fast. Other people want $2000 worth of quality and features in a sub-$400 camera and get upset when it can't match a DSLR with a full-sized imaging chip. Believe me when I say that, if you're wanting a commuter car that will get you there, save power and do it well, this is the camera for you...if you want a sports car, go spend the money and get one. Don't think this is an adequate substitute.


A definite recommend for amateurs who want more control, but can't afford the $150-$200 more that other cameras cost.

Disappointed
I purchaed this camera to replace my older Olympus C750 camera. My main criteria in a camera is the 10x zoom. Both cameras have 10x zoom but the C750 has 4MP vs the SP510's 7MP. I expected the SP510 to be a better camera, especially since it's at least two generations newer and it is loaded with extra features such as motion stablizer and higher movie resolution with sound. However, I was deeply disappointed to find that some of the picture quality of the SP510 isn't as good as my older C750. Both camera are used almost exclusively in auto-mode. My older C750 produced very sharp and vibrant outdoor pictures while the newer SP510's outdoor pictures are not as sharp and the colors have lost some of their vibrance.

I used to highly recommend Olympus cameras because of the great pictures that they produced, but now I'm not too sure I'll do the same. The main reasons for me are the decreased outdoor picture quality compared to my older Olympus C750 and the frustrating way the SP-510 shifts its focus when used in auto-mode. The way the SP510 focuses is not adjustable when used in auto-mode.

Below are my pro and con for the SP510. I've now had this camera for several month and have taken 1000+ pictures and a bunch of movies on the SP510.

PROS:
1. Indoor and night time shots are clearer and does not look too washed out.
2. Battery lasts very long. With NiMH batteries I am able to take several hundred pictures and a bunch of movies without recharging.
3. Camera is very well made and feels solid.
4. Movie quality is much improved over the older Olympus and now has sound.
5. Able to capture pictures in lower light then many other cameras.

CONS:
1. For outdoor shots, the SP510 is not as sharp or vibrant as my older Olympus C750. I've updated the firmware and made sure that the focus is locked on the subject and have found the SP510's pictures tend to look out of focus. Some pictures will sometimes be more focused than others, but even then the depth of focus seems to be shallow (e.g. other nearby objects are not as in focus). When I compare the pictures between my two Olympus cameras the pictures taken with my older Olympus are simply sharper.
2. Very frustrating to focus. The SP510 keeps locking focus away from the subject in the center. Even when I point the center of the frame at the subject the camera often locks on some object to the side. My old C750 does not have this problem and neither does my low-end Nikkon camera. I'm not sure why Olympus changed how the camera locks on a subject. The way the camera focuses cannot be changed in auto-mode.
3. xD Picture is more expensive than the sD memory card.
4. The view screen is very dark when using the camera in low light. I can't see where I'm pointing the camera. However the view screen does gradually brighten after a several seconds or when I lock focus on the subject.

Overall I am disappointed because I expected the SP510 to be better (or at least the same) in every catagory compared to my old Olympus C750. Instead I found the SP510 has lost some of the picture quality I've come to expect from Olympus and the frustrating way the SP510 keeps shifting its focus away from subject in the center of the frame is keeping me from fully enjoying my new camera. Maybe that's why the SP510 has dropped $40 one month after I've purchased mine.

If this was my first digital camera, I might have rated the SP510 higher. But having had an older Olympus camera as a reference, I expected the SP510 to be the same or better in every catagory--not worst in some catagories.

This is a great camera
Pros: very long battery life uses 4 AA batteries alkaline or Ni-MH rechargeables. I took over 500 shots with fully charged 2500 mAh Ni-MH batteries. Plenty of settings from full auto to manual

Cons: non so far

Other Thoughts: I have read several negative reviews on this camera that are not justified. Reading these reviews I am certain that these people have not read the ADVANCED MANUAL that is included in the CD that came with the camera. There is a way to set the camera so that it focuses on where you want it to, three modes actually: Auto, Spot and Area. I am so happy with this camera that I am buying two more to give as gifts. The price drop is an added bonus.

Please view some of the images I have captured with this camera!