A Super Zoom Champion (Olympus SP-590 UZ)

Member Name: Good_Guy

Product:	Olympus SP-590 UZ
Date:	06/05/09 (369 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 26x Zoom for starters and packed with great functions

Disadvantages: xD card maybe a draw back for some.

The Olympus SP-590UZ closely resembles the smaller and simpler SP-565UZ camera. On first impressions it feels good in hand; the very deep rubberised grip provides a secure and comfortable hold. The shutter release with a zoom lever surrounding it is nicely position for ease of use. It look and feels generally substantial and well built even though the body is mainly plastic but it doesn't look plasticy.

You get a printed quick start guide in the box with your new camera and there is sufficient information to get you started contained in that guide. A well cross-referenced PDF manual is provided on disk and this contains much more information for the more serious photographer. Not really much use though if you're out and about taking pictures so you need to study what a particular option does in detail before hand.

The SP-590UZ is powered by four AA-sized batteries so readily available if you need batteries when on the go or when on holiday. Personally I recommend you to use rechargeable batteries, I keep two sets of four rechargeables rated 2500mA; easily enough to last through a fortnight of holiday photography. The Olympus SP-590UZ has an xD-picture card slot; xD cards are slower and more expensive than the more popular SD cards, and fewer external card readers have a slot for them but as my previous camera used an xD card this was actually an advantage for me. In any case I have not found the speed a problem. In an emergency, you have the SP-590UZ's 22MBs of internal memory. Ports available are DC In, USB/AV Out and HDMI, the latter allowing you to hook the SP-590UZ up to a HD TV although disappointingly there's no cable included in the box I think this is an extra that is a must have.

The rear of the camera is dominated by the 2.7 inch monitor with a resolution of 230k dots and above is the electronic viewfinder with a dioptre adjustment wheel, a button that toggles between the LCD screen and view finder. What you see in the viewfinder is what you get in the photo which is as it should be. To the right of the LCD is the four-way controller with buttons that provide direct access to various modes; self-timer, flash modes and exposure controls. In the middle is the OK/FUNC button used to call up a sub-menu containing your six most frequently used options, a system similar to the one used by Canon's compact camera range.

The predominant feature or, at least, the one that attracted me to this camera is a 26x zoom lens; this makes the SP-590UZ the current super-zoom champion and is just fantastic for all those long range shots. Released with a RRP of around £350 (who ever pays full price!) but search the internet there are better deals out there.

I have only touched on some of the more obvious features and functions of this camera, mainly because I'm still finding out the capabilities of this camera. But I know it is a camera you can use in auto mode as a point and shoot or if you want you can use its many functions to be more adventurous.

Summary: Big package of function in an Ultra Zoom camers

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