Overview
The Olympus SP-565UZ is a super zoom digital camera. At 20x zoom it has the longest zoom currently available on a digital compact camera. The lens is wide angle and this helps for landscape type photos or any other shots where you are trying to squeeze in plenty of width.
Why Buy The Olympus SP-565 UZ
As well as the long zoom the SP-565UZ has an array of advanced features. These include manual exposure modes, bracketing and manual focus. If you reduce the number of megapixels to three the camera is able to shoot at 13.5 frames per second.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
10
20x
2.5 inches
116 x 83.3 x 80.8 mm
373g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
1cm
No
Yes
AA
xD Micro SD
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
The SP-565UZ does well in terms of sharpness and definition. There is some loss of detail on the boats due to the low sun at the time of year the picture was taken. I can also see some purple fringing. This is where a purple line is added to the edge of objects. This is not something that usually occurs unless the zoom lens is fully extended.
With the zoom not in use and for a camera with a wide angle lens this distant scene is challenging. The SP-565UZ makes a decent attempt. As in the first shot sharpness and detail are good, but there are signs of purple fringing again. Even though it is more obvious in this photo than with other cameras it is only likely to become an issue with large prints.
This is my favourite shot so far. With the zoom fully extended the shot remains sharp and I also like the colours in the photo. Again there is some purple fringing, but this is similar to most other super zoom cameras and should not pose a problem unless you are planning to blow up your photos to a large size.
Overall sharpness of this photo is good and there is very little softening away from the centre. As a rule you would expect better results from larger cameras like the SP-565UZ than smaller compacts.
Portraits
The SP-565UZ comes up with a natural looking shot. There is just the right amount of colour. This camera should be able to take pleasing portrait shots in natural light.
In darker conditions the SP-565UZ produces a strong burst of flash. This creates a number of areas on the face where the light bounces backs into the lens. This suggests you will need to take a bit of extra care when using flash. Other cameras are able to temper the amount of light the flash emits better than this one. The skin tones also look a little pink around the nose and on the cheeks.
When flash is turned off a much more natural looking shot is produced. The colours look a lot better to me and I like the way this photo looks.
Macro, Colours and Noise
Most of these larger, super zoom digital cameras are able to take a good close up shot. This shows the advantage of working with larger size lenses. The SP-565UZ should be able to produce high standard macro shots.
Colours produced by Olympus digital cameras are mid range when compared with other brands. Looking more at my outdoor scenic shots the blue skies work well. There is also plenty of depth to the colours of the foliage of the bushes and trees.
There is not too much to say about the higher ISO tests. They are roughly inline with other digital cameras. Noise shows at ISO 400, especially in the darker areas of the shot. There is also a small amount of colour bleeding.
Summary
All in all I am happy with my test shots. The only real problem I noticed was purple fringing. This is a common issue with super zoom digital cameras and is only likely to show with larger prints.
Style
The SP-565UZ is based on a Digital SLR. It has a grip on the front for holding the camera steady when taking a shot.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.52 seconds
10.28 seconds
0.59 seconds
12.31 seconds
3.93 seconds
Ease of Use
This camera has a number of advanced features. Although the camera is well laid out and the menu system makes sense, it will take a while to master all the controls.
Points I Like
Features - Design
Where it Could Improve
Faster turn on time
Verdict
To be honest I don't think there is a great deal to choose between most super zoom cameras. Unless you are very fussy about picture quality they all do a decent job, so a lot of your decision to buy is likely to be based on features and handling. The Olympus SP-565UZ handles well and has a full range of features. Therefore it is worth adding to any shortlist.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Olympus SP-565 UZ Review Olympus SP-565 UZ Specification Olympus SP-565 UZ Sample Images Olympus SP-565 UZ Features
Review Date
December 2008
