Olympus SP-570UZ - Magnificent Magnification
Reviewed on 22 February 2008

When Olympus decided it was a good idea to crank out a new SP model every 6 months or so, it's a tactic that you can either love or hate. Last October, we saw the launch of the Olympus SP-560UZ with its predecessor launched approximately 6 months earlier. While this stream of newer models may sound great at first, many observed that they were just minor upgrades. With the upcoming Olympus SP-570UZ now confirmed for a March release, we initially expected more of the same but Olympus is proving us wrong. Headlined as the world's first 20x optical zoom digital camera with 10 megapixels of detail grabbing power, the SP-570UZ is an exciting camera that's gotten many quivering with anticipation.

If you're a photographer who requires that extra zooming to take you closer to your subjects, the Olympus SP series is without a doubt one of the top choices for non-DSLRs users. With the latest SP-570UZ, Olympus delivers the world's first 20x optical zoom that offers a 35mm equivalent focal length of 520mm at maximum zoom. The versatility and creativity that this lens brings to users can be endless, and with a truly useful wide angle equivalent of 26mm, users are empowered with the ability to grab at expansive sceneries and add more people to that group shot. Under the macro mode the lens can focus as near as an impressive 0.39 inches (1cm) away.

Mimicking the usage of a DSLR, the new featured zoom ring aims for greater zoom precision than what the simple zoom lever provides. However, since the zoom ring is not physically coupled to the lens, it doesn't give quite the fine control you would expect of a real zoom lens. Only zooming in as quickly as the motor reacts, it is nevertheless a nice feature that should be commended. In terms of its overall body design, the SP-570UZ is very different to its predecessors and offers a much larger handgrip and sports an even larger 2.7-inch LCD. Needless to say, actual handling should also be greatly improved.

If we had to sum up the Olympus SP-570UZ in one word, we would use the word 'versatile' to describe it. Suitable for a wide-range of photography from photographing sports or birds in the wild to wide angle architectural photography, integrated technologies like Face Detection, Shadow Adjustment and BrightCapture Technology will also be handy to the portrait photographer. With all that said, it's no surprise that the SP-570UZ inspires users with unlimited creativity.