Olympus Unveils SP-550UZ with 18x Optical Zoom

18x optical zoom (wide to telephoto), 15fps at 1.2MP, able to shoot RAW, macro as close as 1cm, Dual Image Stabilization

"The SP-550 UZ debuts in March for $499.95." - from the link above.

Wonder when this thing gonna hits our shore and for how much?

This post has been edited by vyruz: Jan 26 2007, 10:20 AM

1/2.5 '' CCD sensor, i bet anything over iso 200 is useless.

on paper spec is really a dream. let's see whether real performance can match the spec

15fps at 1.2MP wahh... video shoot meh hahahah

seems interesting on paper, but real performance is yet to be seen. will be watching closely on this cam

seem very nice....it cover wide angle and tele.... bad new for other prosumer user like me

but the olympus previous mode had some serious problem on the purple fringing..hope this 1 dun hv this problem...

Very impressive specs, as good as a DSLR with wide angle to long range zoom lense already, would really like to get one if i hadnt got my Dslr earlier



Yeah, i have olympus c770 with 1/2.5 ccd sensor, noise at 400 is very high.

This post has been edited by Gundam Wing: Jan 26 2007, 01:40 PM

The price is as close as D40. lll

Other than the CCD sensor size, it's almost close to perfect for a prosumer. (OK, to be fair, that's a common sensor size for a prosumer.)

The wide-to-18x tele is really a killer, and FINALLY, Olympus implemented a real/optical IS.

Wonder how responsive is this camera. My experience with SP-510uz is just "acceptable" as compare to FZ-5/7 for responsiveness.

Is that true? I'm comparing between the Olympus SP-550 and Panasonic FZ-7. Although the 550 looks more professional and modern and I have had a good experience with the C-3020, the FZ-7 impressed me with its focussing speed.

How do you find the FZ-7's performance?

man..18x optical.. too bad im moving towards DSLR soon.. if not i would get this new eye opener

the optical IS is sensor-shifting -_-

An excellent match against any DSLR under a very very hot day. 18x, candid shots just got more interesting...

i wonder if Canon will come up with similar spec like this, maybe for S4 IS..

u mean a papparazi/stalker's dream cam?

Yeap. The FZ-7's focusing speed is amazing, burst-shot (continueos shots) is fast (3 FPS), writing is fast, uses SD instead of the obscure xD. To me the only drawback of FZ-7 is the feeling in my hand. I felt like I am handling a toy, it's too light and plastic.

I'd suggest you to test out both b4 deciding. If picture quality is you main concern, D40 might be a better choice.

You might oso want to consider FZ-50, as it allows SLR-like manual focus (turn the focus ring), rather than to press some stupid buttons).

Eh, the new Olympus ISO1600 is good till ISO400, usable at ISO800, as seen on their 2005/2006 models. It's not noisy like the Panasonics!

Panasonic's bad ISO and focus-by-wire ring will ruin high-speed action shots. For that purpose the Fujfilm S6500fd is more suited, though it does not have optical stabilization, it has ISO3200 and good ISO800.

yeah.. 18x is simply good for candid.

how bout the SP510UZ? any1 use it before?
think wanna buy but dunno better wait for this 550UZ or not.
pls advice for the function n price.....
thanx ya.

of course it's better.. it's 18x optical... when this launch.. im sure 510uz price will drop.. might as well wait

I guess the price will be around RM1700 - 1800. Hmm... acording to the web, it will launch around March, so expected to come to Malaysia around April maybe. So still have time to save money then...

wow....nice camera...
i'm olympus 770uz user....
thought to upgrade myself too....

Olympus targets 5% camera sales increase this year

By Jack Wong

KUCHING: Olympus (M) Sdn Bhd, which has launched a new range of digital compact cameras with unique features, targets to increase camera sales by 5% to 600,000 pieces for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007.

Its managing director Tan Tick Boon said the company hoped to boost sales revenue to at least RM90mil during the same period, up from RM82mil last year.

He was confident that this could be achieved with the introduction of more attractive camera models, anticipated better retail sales during the Chinese New Year period and Visit Malaysia Year 2007.

Tan said despite the stiff competition of the digital camera industry, Olympus had recorded a remarkable performance last year, with its market share growing 7% to 20%.

Now ranked among the top three brands in Malaysia, Olympus is eyeing an expanding market share to 30%.

"To help meet our new sales targets, we have allocated 7% of our revenue for advertising and promtion efforts this year, covering a multitude of mediums, like billboards, television commercials, print and on-line advwrtisements,'' he added at the launch of three Olympus lastest digital compact models at the Kuching Hilton on Thursday.

The new models - SP-550UZ, u 770 SW and the all new 7.1 megapixel u 760 - will be unveiled in peninsula Malaysia later.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?f...12&sec=business

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Added on February 11, 2007, 9:44 pmsomeone bought for 1.8k with 1gb xd card...

This post has been edited by lkm51: Feb 11 2007, 09:44 PM

I just bought the SP550-UZ. It's my first high-end camera (well, high end compared to my previous camera which is the Sony U60 waterproof 2MP camera). I was really attracted to the styling and the following :

1. 18x optical zoom with image stabilization
2. rubberised grip
3. Uses AA battery (convenient to reload when travelling)
4. Great specs like the 30fps video clip and the super macro (1cm)

Been having it for around 5 days now. I must say the 18x optical zoom is really useful. Coupled with the image stabilization, taking shots at max zoom without a tripod is much easier. See the results :

Kingfisher on a tree about 100 ft away :


Kingfisher on a different tree about 50 ft away :


Bird in her nest about 15ft away : (this picture not on max zoom)


This post has been edited by OSFlanker: Feb 16 2007, 10:01 PM

wow...how come u can get it so fast?

Bought from Mid Valley Foto Shangri La a few days ago. I also didn't know this camera was available. Fotodata and Key Colour at Mid Valley also have, but Foto Shangri La gave me best package deal.

How much and what's the package?

I'm impressed by the 100ft and 50ft bird shots.
Any full sized pictures?

RM1,780 with 1GB XD card, mini tripod and screen cover.

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Added on February 19, 2007, 10:20 amI uploaded the photo to flickr.com, it doesn't allow full size. Below are the links for 1,024 x 768 :

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/3947929...81d44b5a8_b.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/3947929...39a41800f_b.jpg

Here is a picture of a newspaper using super macro mode :



This post has been edited by OSFlanker: Feb 19 2007, 10:26 AM

Man, I went 1-U just now and this lady wanted to sell me at 1899!
With 1GB card. -.-
No batteries and crap.

1st impression of this cam - Solid Built...Great Zoom. View finder can use a lil upgrade..its kinda small and resolution is not great.

Still waiting for a comprehensive review for this

wow...

3x 6x 10x 12x.. and now 18x... 630mm in 35mm eqv...really paparazzi this time

I saw it at 1-U yesterday too at camera shop... Too bad got not enough money to buy the zoom killer camera

Had a look at tis cam y'day.

A bit on the light-weight side, but i was truly impreseed by the built quality. Zooming in full was smooth n omg... d full length of tat lens is way cool. Fits nicely into my hand. XD card door feels a bit cheap though.

Quoted for RM1799 + 1 gb XD.

Really lookin forward to upgrade from my mju410 to tis baby.

i saw that in fotokem .. rm1800 i think...

wow... perfect spec for prosumer or long zoomer ...... haven get to try out the cam so dunnoe hows the quality

Check this out http://fotokrazy.com/cms/content/view/30/1/

Anyone getting the CLA-10 adaptor plus filter to protect lens?

Always get the adapter and a filter to protect the lens as this is not interchangeable.

what happened to the other Olympus SP 550UZ owners..

I saw it advertised in the Star today for RM 1,588 at Desa Home Theatre. But it did not mention any free gifts. But the price looks very reasonable.

any sp550 user here? mind showing the picture taken?

planning to get one.