Olympus SP-610UZ Pro Reviews

On the face of it, the Olympus SP-610UZ offers most of what you could want from a compact superzoom, featuring a 22x optical zoom and HD video capture. However, there are a few glaring oversights on the specification, while the build quality is also disappointing. So, while the SP-610UZ is a good camera, it falls short of being a great camera.

Considering its tiny, pixel-packed sensor and an ultra-zoom lens that naturally comes with its own set of compromises, the Olympus SP-610UZ produces surprisingly usable images, at least outdoors in bright light. While noise reduction does rob you of some fine detail even at base ISO, the overall impression is that the SP-610UZ produces generally sharper and more pleasing images than its 30x zoom cousin, the SP-800UZ. As is the case with most small-sensor digital cameras, image quality deteriorates quickly as you move up the sensitivity ladder, with ISO 400 already being characterised by heavy smearing of detail. At ISO 800 and 1600 you also lose quite a bit of saturation. That being said, we would not write off the SP-610UZ's high-ISO output as completely unusable - it's actually good enough for small prints and Web use. Just don't expect to see 14 megapixels' worth of detail at those settings, and you're unlikely to be disappointed. True low-light shooting is a different story - cameras like the Olympus SP-610UZ are simply not meant for that kind of photography.

The Olympus SP 610UZ is available for £169 (you can get a better deal if you search) and is a very good deal considering the features it offers. It is a good travel companion for casual photographers. It doesn’t have a lot of manual settings to play around with. But has quite a few features that make it an interesting buy. If you want a more professional camera go for either the Nikon Coolpix P500 or the Canon Powershot SX30IS. But you won’t get it for such a bargain.

If you're a seasoned explorer who's maybe not ready to own a complex DSLR, the Olympus SP-610UZ is relatively inexpensive, has an excellent 22x zoom and plenty of creative features, albeit mostly menu driven.

A compact camera with this amount of optical zoom takes some practice to get the best results. If it's more than the average amount of zoom you are looking for in a compact camera then the SP-610UZ offers excellent value for money. Although it's not going to fit in your pocket the camera is quite small considering the amount of zoom. The beauty mode used with flash gives bizarre results and some of the magic filters will probably be overlooked by some users, but the camera is armed with Super Macro modes and creates Panoramic images in-cameras, which is extremely good.