Olympus SP-800UZ 14MP Digital Camera with 30x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD Reviews

1 Reply to “Olympus SP-800UZ 14MP Digital Camera with 30x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD Reviews”

1. Steven J. Streitfeld "SJS" says:

   April 13, 2011 at 6:12 am

   392 of 399 people found the following review helpful:

   
   Great Camera, April 1, 2010

   By 

   Steven J. Streitfeld “SJS” (yonkers, ny United States) –
   
     

   This review is from: Olympus SP-800UZ 14MP Digital Camera with 30x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD (Electronics)

   I should say right from the outset, the most important factor in buying a digital camera for me is the camera’s zoom capability. Several years ago, I began my digital camera collection with a cheap Samsung (S630), followed the year after with the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ-8 (432mm zoom) and the next year with the FZ-18 (504mm).
   It seems each year, camera companies try to outdo one another with the biggest zoom for the buck. Several weeks ago, I bought this camera with a mind-numbing 840mm zoom. Don’t be surprised if the 1000 mm zoom comes out next year. Surprisingly, for a camera with this kind of capability, it is light as a feather and differtentiates itself from the other ultrazooms out there by eliminating the Electronic View Finder completely in favor of a 3″ screen monitor (I suspect this omission may cost them sales). The instruction manual can be downloaded from the Olympus web site. The camera’s software can be downloaded by connecting the camera to your computer (make sure your memory card has been removed to download software)
   What also differentiates it from the others out there is that you can edit the still pictures you have taken using the special effects function from reducing red eye, shadow adjustment, adding/reducting color saturation, and cropping. Some of these functions were available in my Samsung S630, but in none of the more expensive Lumix models. With most digitals, if you want to edit your pictures, you would have to download them to your computer and use the camera’s editing software or Photoshop.
   By using Panorama function you can take up to 3 shots manually or automatically and the camera’s computer “stitches” them together into one panoramic wide angle shot. quite a technological achievement.
   Also differentiating this camera from its main competitor, the Fuji HS 10, a rather affordable price tag of $349 vs. $499 for the Fuji. The HS10 also has a smaller manual 720mm zoom and uses 4 AA batteries as its power source, which I consider a disadvantage in taking motion pictures. The SP 800uz has the capability of adjusting the focal distance during film recording in some modes, not always available in cameras of this class. Unlike the Lumix cameras, there is no hood lens included to take shots in bright sunlight, a slight disadvantage. There is no thread on the barrel for attaching wide angle or telephoto lenses, but with an 840 mm telephoto lens, why would you need one?
   The camera comes with cables to connect to your computer and your HDTV to playback still and movie pictures in 720i high definition. A rechargeable lithium battery pack is offered instead of the Alkaline or NiMH rechargeable batteries in Olympus’ previous models. If you take a lot of motion pictures, alkaline or rechargeable NiMH batteries must be replaced or recharged at more frequent intervals than most Lithium battery packs, or you could continue to invest in 12 packs of disposable alkaline cells.
   The rating for the included standard Lithium battery pack is 900 mAh. Imported batteries with a rating of 1400 mAh are available from 3rd party suppliers. A higher Mah rating means you get more usage between charges since the battery has a higher storage capacity, similar to having a larger gas tank on your car. Battery capacity is important if you use your camera frequently or take motion pictures which drains the battery…and your memory card.
   Another factor to consider is the camera’s 2GB internal memory, making it possible to store many pictures without the use of a memory card. The camera has an app to transfer the pictures taken from the camera’s internal memory to the memory card. The camera accepts SDHC cards up to 8GB, an important consideration if you take a lot of motion pictures.
   There are several shooting modes available and the camera has a small user-friendly internal manual to explain each mode and what flash, ISO, aperture, white balance settings are available for each mode, making taking pictures almost foolproof. There is a manual pop up flash for low light conditions. For shots taken with the digital zoom you should use a tripod to avoid camera shake at the far ranges, a problem endemic to a lot of ultrazoom models, not just this particular model or manufacturer.
   This is a great camera if you take sports pictures from the nosebleed seats, go on whale watches frequently, or want to take unobtrusive shots of your subjects from a distance. With an impressive ISO of up to 3200 sensitivity (unfortunately, the higher the ISO, the higher the distortion and graininess when enlarged for prints) you can also take excellent shots of moving subjects.
   I rate this camera highly.

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