Olympus SP-550 Ultra Zoom 7.1 Megapixel

The Olympus Stylus 550UZ is a pioneering digital camera, with the highest optical zoom currently avaailble; it's sure to be one of 2007's most talked about new products. The remarkable 18x optical zoom super-telephoto lens allows for even longer and more detailed shots, and the 550UZ's built-in image stabilization (both the valuable sensor-shift IS and the admittedly less important digital IS) keeps things in line. Thr 550UZ also has ISO settings up to 5000, for improved action or sports photos and night shots. The Stylus 550 is looking to make a big name for itself, and with features like these, it will certainly generate a large amount of buzz.
Olympus SP-550UZ Specifications

* 7.1 Megapixels
* 18x optical zoom / 5.6x digital zoom
* Sensor-shift and digital image stabilization
* Auto and manual focus
* Auto and manual exposure
* ISO 50-5000
* JPEG, RAW file formats
* Movie mode with sound
* 2.5-inch LCD
* xD-Picture Card storage
* 4 AA batteries

This is a very easy to use point and shoot digital camera. The picture quality is excellent. It did take a little practice to figure out how to change to the different shooting modes. I really like how quick it is to switch from taking pictures to reviewing the shots that you want to review...very fast. Also the time between being able to take your next picture is very fast. The video feature is a little choppy, but the quality is very good. I wish the manual was more user friendly. If this was a first time digital purchase, I would have had a hard time understanding some of the dialogue that was used. It is not real clear how to reach different functions on the camera. I needed to contact a friend that already had the same camera to understand some of the features. All in all though, I am very pleased with the camera purchase.

function just like c2100uz. same quality but higher resolution. battery life is excellent. however, it used xd card instead of sd card.

A great camera with a lot of capability. No need to buy an extra lens for those shots that normally require a telephoto lens. If you desire, you may also purchase a separate TCON 1.7X Teleconversion lens with CLA-10 Lens adapter tube for true telephoto capability. Image stabilization is also a big factor.
Takes great photos.
Highly recommend the camera for all purpose photos.

I have had my new camera for a few months now, and I like everything about it and it has not disapointed me in anyway, it takes great photos, and is very easy to use and easy for me to load my photos on my PC.It has worked great for my photos of items I have been placing on Ebay,The Olumpus SP-500 gets an A+++ from me!

Like extremely quick startup, easy swithing to review photos, video mode, anti-shake, and incredible telephoto. Extreme closeups an unexpected benefit. Don't like the overall size; wish it could be smaller.

Camera is great.It has many settings for different situations. When set to "auto" it is a "point and shoot" camera. If set to "P" you can set many functions to customize your shot. This was an upgrade from from an SP510.

I am a repeat customer.....this is my 5th purchase....I am very satisfied with all of my purchases and the experience in buying from Olympus on Ebay.....

No problems here!!!!

will buy again .....

I just purchased this camera and began using it immediately - very user-friendly. The main reasons for my purchase were: Zoom, Image Stabilization, and sequential shooting (up to 15 frames per second). I am not a professional, and don't aspire to be, but I can tell you this camera does what I need it to. I got it mainly to take pics of my son's football games. It does a good job of getting right in on the action. You do have to experiment with the settings, decide whether or not to use Image Stabilization, and go through some trial and error, but you will get some good action shots from this camera. It also has excellent macro capabilities as well, and works well in low light. My only complaint is that it uses XD storage as opposed to SD, but I can live with it. I would recommend this camera to any sports dad out there.

I like everything about the camera. Extra high light sensitivity and lense range especially. I have used the camera for several parties and had good results with both still pictures and movies. I even took pictures of pictures taken at a highschool prom and you could not tell them from the originals. this is not possible with most cameras. The macro feature and wide angle are superior.

The camera is just like new although it is reconditioned. It is lightweight and easy to use and everything works perfectly and all the buttons are easily accessed. I researched several different cameras but it all came down to price and optical zoom and this camera had both.

I bought a camera. I like the fact that I saves a small amount from if I bought it from a internet store. I did not like the last few things I bought some how other people tried to sell me the same item through email.I would receive many emails to buy the different items even before the auction was over. I bid on many of the same items but got lots of emails asking me to buy them each over and over.
This was very disheartening. thank you, for asking my opinion.
please email me if you have any more questions.

Bought a Fugi XD card to use with camera but the Fugi won't handle the panoramic function the camerea offers.

love it!!! much better than my kodak dx7590 , more zoom , better detail even on long shots with telephoto . the owners manaul is hard to follow and no contents page make it hard to refer to when needed . the camera has great number of adjustments to set up great pictures . a little slow between pics of high q but still does well in lower resolution modes . i would give it a 9/10 for the general use for most people in this price range .. over all a great camera..i can't wait to try the new sp-570 from olympus . so if you want a great camera for the middle of the road user , this is it . above most point and shoot cameras out there ....dave d

I love the quality of the pictures this camera takes.. the simplicity of the auctions setting allows me to choose the perfect picture for any online sales I might be doing.. it is a handsome design and must be at the leading edge of today's available technology..

I bought this camera because it had a reasonable compared to other cameras with less features.The ultra zoom,battery life,picture quality is perfect.I was aware that,before starting to use the camera,I had to purchase an xd memory card,rechargable batteries+charger and a carry case.No problem I bought them and started using the camera,I was fully satisfied with the useful features and good quality photos.But,when I wanted to buy some filters for even better pictures and also to protect the lens.I got stuck I found out that,there are no filters in the market to fit this camera.I visited official Olympus site they do not even tell the exact thread size.I also visited many forums and found out that there are quite a no.of people complaining about the subject.They measured the diameter of the camera lens and it is roughly 37mm a weird size you will have to buy an expensive 52mm adapter or an after market tube adapter,both of which make the camera bigger and wont fit in the case.I believe Olympus should supply filters to fit this camera rather than trying to sell expensive "adapters" for using non-expensive filters.

Great camera for what it's designed for. Zoom is quick and clear. Stabilizer works like it should. This camera molds into your hand, easy to hold on to. Controls are easy to understand once you read the entire book!
Indoor photos are very good without the flash when using the proper mode.

Only thing I didn't like about the camera is the slow auto focus.
Yes, I would buy it again. Where can you get a camera with that kind of optical zoom for that price!

I am changing from 35mm to digital and saw this camera at Christmas. It has a very strong zoom and since my daughter dances at competitions I need one that I could be out in the audience and still catch her in all types of light. So far it has been very easy to use and follow instructions, pictures came out nice yet to see at a competition put the zoom, lightness of weight makes this a nice camera for beginners like me to those who know what they are doing. I eve got shots of the moon in eclispe . Very cool!

For the combination of features, compactness/portability, and price, the SP-550 UZ was the clear choice for me. The camera is well laid out; buttons are placed where they are convenient without getting in the way. The camera has a good look and feel, is not too big, and not too heavy. Worthy of particular note is that it has been designed in such a way as to afford the user a sure (and comfortable) grip, and that means less worry and more fun. As for performance, here are some of the things I like, and some that I don't...

+ Plusses:

+ The shutter responds quickly.
+ The batteries last amazingly long.
+ The LCD screen is quite good.
+ The LCD in the view-finder is also quite good.
+ Control layout is ergonomically convenient.
+ Takes close-ups as close as one centimeter.
+ Powerful zoom capability
+ Zoom is achieved rather quickly.
+ Additional zoom capability with optional attachments
+ Has manual focus capability.
+ Has manual shooting mode, as well as "shutter priority" and "aperture priority" shooting modes.
+ Has on-board flash.
+ Flash intensity can be adjusted.
+ Can record images as RAW data.
+ Can record movies with sound*.
+ Can record movies with image stabilization*.
+ It has an alarm clock.

- Minuses:

- Pictures become grainy when using those functions intended for capturing fast action with the least possible blur, and those functions that are intended to render images even in low light situations.
- There is that magnified occlusion in the view-finder (or on the screen) that is supposed to be helpful when manually focusing, but which actually makes the process more difficult, and which cannot be switched off.
- MANUAL FOCUS function is somewhere in the middle of the menus, so when that moment occurs that auto focus is not auto focusussing, good luck on getting there and back before the shot is missed. (One note: There is a button to which the user can assign whatever function they wish, and I use it to access the manual focus option.)
- The pop-up flash unit must be manually released, instead of automatically popping up when it might be needed. This, however, does serve to keep the camera from flashing whenever it takes a notion to.
- *Movies shot with sound cannot be shot using image stabilization, and vice versa.
- Olympus has, for whatever reasons, chosen not to use the faster USB 2.0 for transfer of data between camera and computer, opting instead for the older, slower USB. (You can make it easier on yourself by purchasing an xD memory card reader.)

OK, nothing's perfect. But I can say that, knowing what I do now, and given the same budget, I would still choose this camera.

ztag88

I bought the camera for my husband for Christmas. I wanted something that was easy to use, but had the capabilities to take professional quality pictures. This was exactly what I was looking for. It is easy to use and takes excellent quality pictures. The 18x doom is a wonderful feature it really brings distant objects close and clear. My husband is really enjoying it. When compared to other cameras this one really seemed to have a simple point and click option as well as advanced picture taking options. I would truly recommend this camera to others.

I researched alot of different cameras and found the SP-550 to be the best for my needs.Im very impressed with the options already programmed into the menu.And the step by step on screen instructions is a fantastic feature.Ive already reccomended the SP-550 to many of my friends.This camera is great for sporting events with the multiple frame in 1.5 seconds.I like this camera so much that I will be purchasing one for my daughter for her graduation.Thank You Olympus for a great camera and terrific auction.

I absolutely love this camera. I bought this camera to get some good pictures during the holiday season and have not been dissappointed. We researched many different types and brands of cameras before buying and feel that we made and excellent choice. The only bad thing is all the different settings and buttons on it that will take a while to figure out but we wouldn't change our minds about purchasing it again!!!!

I couldn't be more happier with this camera. It has so many features that I forget to use them, sometimes. Although, I'm getting better.
My family, who all have Olympus digitals, is also very impressed with this camera.

I bought the camera for the zoom.I have beem playing with it and I love it.The only thing I would like on it is,when you zoom the picture up that you already taken,that you could keep that picture also.