Olympus’ SP-800UZ 30x Superzoom Comes with all the Fixin’s
The tweener world between point-and-shoot and DSLRs gets more interesting all the time. Just when you think 20x zooms, advanced focusing, image stabilization, and lots of megapixels pretty much max out the potential for these cameras, along comes Nikon, Canon, or Olympus to prove you wrong. Case in point, Olympus’ SP-800UZ which comes with a 30x “superzoom”, 14 megapixels, and 720p video.
The SP-800UZ, which is the fourth installment in the SP series, has a 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor with 14 megapixels, giving a maximum resolution of 4288 x 3216. Image ratio is 4:3, but it will also shoot in 16:9. ISO rating is from 64 to 3200, with options for 6400 and 10000 with “boost”. Shutter speeds range from 1/4 second to 1/2000 second, but the shutter can be kept open as long as 4 seconds in Night mode. Wide open the lens is 28mm, and 840mm when fully extended (30x)–and that’s without the 5x digital zoom.
The SP-800UZ uses TruePic™ III Image Processor and saves images as JPEGs (movies as MP4s). Sorry, no RAW. Images are stored to either the 2GB of internal memory or an SD/SDHC card. And, as is the trend in this range, there’s no optical viewfinder. Instead, you have to rely on the 3-inch LCD.
There are 27 shooting modes, four “Magic Filters”, and a panorama mode, which should keep most amateurs busy. Manual control is also available. It also has auto focus, dual image stabilization, face detection, and automatic noise reduction. Flash is built-in. 720p video (1280 x 720) is available at 24fps. You can also capture video at 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 at 30fps or 15fps.
The SP-800UZ isn’t pocket-sized, but it is smaller, and cheaper, than the next step up. The SP-800UZ is currently on pre-order, with a suggested retail price of $349.99.
Image Credit: Olympus