The Olympus SP-560 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with an 18x optical zoom lens. It incorporates manual exposure controls and other more advanced features such as image stabilisation. At the time of writing the review the SP-560 offers one of the longest lenses of any digital compact camera. When zoomed right out the lens also has wide angle capabilities. These two extremes give plenty of scope and flexibility for different types of photography.
Image Quality Olympus SP-560 test shots
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
Although I like the colours in this picture it is not as sharp as I would like to see. This is true both in the centre of the photo and as you move out towards the edges. I think a camera with this length of lens should be able to do a bit better than this.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
This is a good effort. Many digital cameras really struggle for sharpness when the lens is not zoomed in at all. Although my test picture is not perfect the SP-560 does well compared to other cameras with wide angle lenses.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
Well this is the big test for the SP-560. On smaller prints the picture looks quite promising, but as you blow the picture up you start to see problems. Purple fringing shows more clearly than with other super zooms. This is where a purple line is added to the edge of brightly coloured objects. On top of this, overall clarity slips away too. As mentioned in the first outdoor shot the picture could be sharper. Noise also starts to show in the sky.
Outdoor Portrait
With the subject a lot closer to the camera than for the scenic type shots, focusing improves. I have also used the face detection setting to help the camera along. The picture could be improved if it was brighter, as I think it has a dull feel to it.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
Time to get my sunglasses out! In contrast to the outdoor portrait this photo is too bright. Other cameras are able to calculate the amount of flash needed to brighten a scene without blasting out detail.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
This is a much better effort than the one where I used flash. In fact it stands up well against other cameras too. As long as the light remains relatively bright this offers an alternative to using flash.
Colours
Colours are standard. In one or two places, such as the outdoor portrait, I would like the colours to pack a bit more punch.
Macro
The macro shot is the best of my test shots by some distance. It is an impressive effort. The picture is bright and sharply focused. It suggests you should be able to take some very good close ups with this camera.
ISO 400
At ISO 400 the camera makes a pretty good fist of my test. This supports my findings from my indoor portrait without flash. Once again I have noticed some purple fringing creeping in.
ISO 1600
Pushed up to ISO 1600 picture quality collapses. At this level quality is very poor indeed.
Overall
The SP-560 is a bit hit and miss. Sadly with the lens fully zoomed in picture quality is not brilliant. Although I accept that the extreme length of the lens means that you will not always need to zoom to full capacity it is still a black mark against the camera.
Shutter Lag
I was able to take a single photo in 0.42 seconds. This is slightly longer than average. Five photos took a more respectable 10.42 seconds. Turning the flash on really slows down the first shot, taking 1.63 seconds. Five photos took 14.81 seconds.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Style: Like other super zoom cameras the SP-560 is modeled on a digital SLR.
Dimensions: 116 x 78.5 x 78 mm
Weight: 365g
Batteries: Four AA batteries are required to power the SP-560.
Memory cards: 47 megabytes of storage have been built into the camera. I was able to take 30 photos before the memory became full. The SP-560 is also compatible with xD cards.
Click here to save money on xD cards.
Ease of use rating: Fair. It is not just because of the extra features that I only class ease of use as fair. To get to any meaningful menu you have to go through a main menu first. This can slow the time it takes to change a key setting and a photo opportunity could go begging.
Points I like:
Macro shot
Where it could improve:
Picture quality when full zoom used - shutter time for single photo with flash
Alternatives
When it comes to super zooms with 18x zoom there are very few to choose from. One I like is the Panasonic DMC FZ18. You could also try the Sony DSC H9. This model has a 15x optical zoom.
Verdict:
Perhaps I have been a bit harsh in my assessment of the Olympus SP-560, but I am disappointed by the quality of some of my test shots. The camera has plenty of features and I am sure its long lens will appeal to many.
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
| Olympus SP-560 Summary |
| Description: | 8 megapixels and an 18x optical zoom lens |
| Ease of Use: | 7 |
| Features: | 9 |
| Colour: | 7 |
| Macro: | 9 |
| Indoors: | 7 |
| Value for Money: | 7 |
| Style: | 8 |
| Movie Mode: | 8 |
| Image Quality: | 7 |
| Build Quality: | 8 |
| Total: | 77 |
| Verdict: | "My tests shots were a bit mixed. It is true this camera has a very long lens, but personally I would like to see more emphasis on picture quality and less on technology." |
| Review Date: | January 2008 |
| Click for: | Specification Sample Images Features |
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