Snap up a great deal! (Olympus SP-570 UZ)

Member Name: jowdee1909

Product:	Olympus SP-570 UZ
Date:	17/06/08 (440 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 20X Zoom is unbelievable, 10MP, User-Friendly Menu, Large LCD screen, TTL Hot-shoe, 10-picture Panor

Disadvantages: No way to "permanently" mount a protective (UV, Sky) lens filter. Flash seems a bit weak. Small(ish)

I bought this to replace a seven year-old C-2100UZ that is still working great. I figured if I got this kind of usage from Olympus then I'd stay with them for the new camera. I looked at the SP-560 and the SP-570 and decided to go the SP-570 route. The camera menu stayed much the same as the C-2100, so the learning curve was fairly low. They did put the Panorama function in the first level so it's easier to find. It's not something I had used frequently, so when I wanted it I had to search around to find it. The 20X zoom is phenomenal... I took a picture zoomed all the way out (equivalent to 26mm) and took the same picture zoomed all the way in (equivalent to 520mm) and was impressed with how "close" I could get w/o moving. The macro mode is superb. I found that if you can get light to an object you can photograph it - I mean a cm away and bring it into sharp focus. Great for detail shots of small items. The lens filter issue has me stumped. You'd figure that a camera such as this would allow filters directly on the lens barrel. The SP-570 has NO threads at the end of the lens. (You can get the tubes but that brings up other issues.) The SP-550 and SP-560 both do, and there are step-up adapters out there for "permanently" mounting filters. Just a note; most digital cameras at this level that have a lens barrel that extends out won't have a way to do this either. I looked at the Olympus external flashes and they seem expensive for my infrequent use. That said, I'll probably go with the FL-36R as I know it works automatically with the camera settings and was just a few bucks more than the FL-36. Their identical, but the FL-36R has the wireless remote capability. Nice if using a camera bracket. In spite of these few inconveniences, I love this camera.

Summary: Id recommomend

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