Olympus SP-570 UZ 'superzoom' camera

This puppy packs a protruding 20x zoom

Switch-on wasn’t bad – it took around two seconds – and shutter lag was minimal. However, in single shot mode, it took around 2-3 seconds to settle down between shots. The auto focus system was fast and responsive.

The long zoom was a joy to use and even when shooting at the extreme telephoto end, camera shake wasn’t too bad thanks to the IS technology, although a tripod or some sort of support is highly recommended. We also liked the wide angle setting, and the super macro mode (that lets you shoot just 1cm away from an object), was superb – you can literally take good shots with the camera lens almost touching an object.

Sample shots
Click for full-size image

Colours were bright and vibrant with the SP-570 UZ

(left to right, ISO 64, 400, 640) noise starts creeping in at ISO 400

This shot gives you a good idea of the scope of the SP-570’s 20x optical zoom