Olympus SP-800UZ Pro Reviews

It may have a massive 30x zoom, but basic controls and poor results at telephoto zoom settings mean the SP-800UZ is one to avoid.

The SP-800UZ is a versatile tool with a 30x optical zoom lens. Enthusiasts will be put off by the lack of a viewfinder and manual controls, and images at full telephoto are often blurry.

Olympus's new SP-800UZ is a 14-Megapixel ultra-zoom camera with a 30x wide optical zoom lens that was unmatched by any other camera on the market until recently (with the introduction of the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS). This zoom has a 35mm equivalent of 28-840mm, which is almost an unbelievable range. The SP-800 also sports Dual Image Stabilization, 720p HD video capture, a 3-inch LCD, Intelligent Auto and 2GB of internal memory. With all of these features and versatility packed into a body that is much smaller than any dSLR on the market, it could be the ideal camera for travel or just to keep handy around the house. Although it is not a compact camera, it is much smaller than a dSLR and much more affordable. Especially when you consider the cost of the lenses that it would take to match the range of this Olympus. The large grip and simple controls on the right side of the camera allow for easy shooting, video recording and all other camera operations with just one hand. A second hand will definitely help when using the telephoto end of the zoom, as any shake in your hands will be increased dramatically with this lens. Also helping keep things stable is the dual image stabilization system, which includes digital and sensor-shift optical stabilization technologies. Framing and viewing your images is accomplished with its 3.0-inch, 230,000 dot extra-wide LCD screen. This display was easy to see in all lighting conditions thanks to the brightness adjustment options.

The Olympus SP-800UZ has a massive 30x optical zoom and produces images with a 14-megapixel resolution. On top of those stellar specs Olympus has crammed in a hefty 2GB of internal memory to a smaller form factor than its direct competitors. Unfortunately the relatively few buttons and controls means that manual operation is convoluted, there's no EVF or RAW shooting, and you can’t record video with zoom and audio at the same time.

If you want a huge zoom in a relatively small and portable package, the class-leading focal range provided by the Olympus SP-800UZ is worth seeking out. However, we could have done with a few more dedicated buttons in order to find certain functions quicker, and unlike competitors there's no EVF to fall back on as an alternative to the admittedly clear LCD. The fact that operation of the lens is disabled when shooting video with sound however is, for us, a bit of a shocker. For this reason it loses a point from our review.

The Olympus SP-800UZ is the latest in a long series of ultra-zoom cameras from Olympus, and one of only two digicams in the world to offer a 30x optical zoom. That immediately makes it special, and worthy of anyone's attention. Being able to photograph everything from wide vistas to extreme close-ups of distant subjects without having to change lenses is something that has to be experienced in order to be fully appreciated.