Olympus SP-600UZ Summary

This point-and-shoot ultra-zoom offers a rather basic feature set and intuitive menu system which makes it simple to use. Its 15X wide-angle optical zoom lens offers great versatility and it quite usable thanks to a great body design and optical stabilization system which is very effective. The addition of HD video and HDMI output at this price-point makes these features quite afforable. A decision by Olympus to use SDHC memory cards and usage of AA batteries contribute a low total cost of ownership.

Given its afforable price-point and complex lens, it is understandable that image quality is only average. Noise levels and loss of details can be seen at all ISO the Olympus SP-600UZ is still usable for the most common print sizes up to ISO 800. Distortion is low for such a long zoom lens and purple fringing practically inexistant. While exposure is good, white-balance is clearly below average. In terms of speed, it is not so stellar with focus and shot-to-shot speeds being on the slow side. Battery life is good though.

There are a few competing light ultra-zooms with HD video and AA batteries, most of them offering more features than the Olympus SP-600UZ. The more compact Canon Powershot SX130 IS
Canon Powershot SX130 IS may have a slightly shorter 12X zoom but is the only one to also features full manual-controls and is certainly worth a look.

Neocamera detailed review Read the full Olympus SP-600UZ review.