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Category: Beginner to Serious Amateur

HANDLING & FEEL

The Olympus SP-560 UZ is medium compact in size and has a handsome black-finish body. The finish is a mixture of non-slip texturized rubber covering the handgrip and smooth black hard polycarbonate plastic for the rest of the body, plus silver/chrome accents to tie it all together into a very good looking camera. The result is a tightly built body with excellent construction and balance. The handgrip feels comfortably secure with all my fingers finding a resting place, except for the protruding eyelet for the shoulder strap.

The zoom goes from a satisfying wide-angle 27mm to a tele reach of 486mm (focal lengths throughout this review are expressed in 35mm equivalent). A CCD-shift image stabilization helps stabilize hand holding the 18x optical zoom.

With the camera powered on, the lens extends approx. 26mm (1 in.) and takes approx. 2.5 sec. to do so. At full zoom, the lens extends approx. an additional 37mm (@1.5 in.) and takes approx. 3 sec. to do so. A lens cap sits on top of the lens barrel and is just loose enough that the extruding lens will not jam but will safely push it off the lens barrel should you turn on the camera and forget to remove the lens cap first. A retaining string ensures you do not lose the lens cap.

The camera is ready to go (lens extended, LCD on) in about 3 sec. Shot to shot time is about 3 sec. with most of that time apparently taken with writing the image to the xD-Picture Card. In low-light, AF time is fast at wide-angle and can take up to 3 sec. at full tele. When you turn off the camera, it remembers where the tele setting was and zooms back to it on power on.

The SP-560 UZ sports a large 2.5-in. LCD screen with a high 230,000 pixels resolution. The EVF is excellent with a smooth display and the image appears bright (without hurting my eyes), clear and crisp letting you know when focus lock is achieved. There is a diopter adjustment that works very well. I can see the whole viewfinder display even with glasses on. As with other EVFs, exposure data and a framing grid or histogram can be superimposed.

Included in the box are 4 AA Alkaline batteries. We recommend that you purchase 4 AA NiMH rechargeable batteries and a battery charger.

Controls

The top of the camera has the Power Button, the Stabilizer button (customizable), the Shutter Release Button, the Zoom Lever around the shutter release button, and the Mode Dial. The Mode Dial has AUTO, P, A, S, M, My Mode (4 available), SCN (Scene Modes), GUIDE, Movie and Playback. The molded shape of the excellent handgrip is clearly visible from this angle.

The SP-560 UZ has full exposure flexibility, with PASM, plus Scene Modes. In addition, there is a GUIDE setting on the Mode Dial that attempts to answer the most common questions beginners ask by providing various solutions to a "problem." For example, if you take a picture and it turns out too dark, the GUIDE offers two ways that you can brighten it: 1) Dial in an exposure compensation (+1.0EV), or 2) Use fill-in flash (you need to pop up the flash up first, of course). You select the option you want and it's set! It's really helpful for beginners as a learning tool. There are 15 subjects covered in the GUIDE:

The flash is of the pop-up kind (button on the left side) and needs to be manually popped up. Beginners who rely on the camera to fire the flash automatically will need to remember to pop up the flash first; every one else will be happy they have full control over when the flash fires. The flash can be set to fire front curtain or rear curtain (set in Camera Menu), allowing you to take those streaking car light special effects.

The Zoom Lever is around the Shutter Button and it takes about 3 sec. to zoom from wide to tele. The zooming is very smooth and I counted about 28 intermediate steps.

Stabilizer Button	Camera Menu

To turn the CCD-Shift Image Stabilizer on, all you need to do is press the Stabilizer button and select ON. However, since the Stabilizer button can be customized to some other function, you can also set Image Stabilizer on in the MENU.

There are a number of Continuous shooting options and it's all a bit confusing figuring out when options are available and when they are not. The Instruction Manual is no help here. For example, the Hi 1 and Hi 2 options are available only when ISO is set to AUTO or ISO 400 and above.

You can record movies with sound limited only by the size of your memory card. You can store approx. 26 sec. of SHQ movie in the Internal Memory, or approx. 18 min. 56 sec. on a 2GB xD-Picture Card.

Note that if you are not using a High Speed xD-Picture Card (Type H), you'll be able to store only 15 sec. of SHQ movie (the other Image Quality options do not seem to be affected).

If sound is set ON, you cannot use optical zoom (you can use digital zoom) during movie recording nor use the Image Stabilizer. If the sound is turned OFF, you can use the optical zoom and the Image Stabilizer (though with Image Stabilizer ON, Olympus warns that the camera will heat up and may stop recording, in which case you need to remove the battery and allow the camera to cool down). If Full Time AF is ON, the sound of the focusing will be recorded.

No xD-Picture Card comes with the camera but there is approx. 47MB of internal memory.

Unlike some digital cameras that only give you a few image quality / image size options, the SP-560 UZ gives you a plethora of image quality / image sizes combinations. (However, we can't help wondering if all that is really necessary.)

RAW can be saved by itself or in combination with a JPEG mode. It takes about 11 sec. to save a RAW file, and 20 sec. to save a RAW + JPEG SHQ files. At JPEG SHQ, 128 images can be saved on a 2GB xD-Picture Card.

The back is well organized: there is a large 2.5 in. LCD monitor, and the controls are on the right side, adequately well spaced out. The thumb area slopes up to the right to provide a comfortable and sure hold.

The USB connector is covered by a square rubber flap. The bottom of the camera has a plastic [!] tripod socket and the battery compartment has a safety lock to prevent accidental opening of the compartment.

LCD & Menus

There is an electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a large 2.5 in. LCD monitor with a high 230,000 pixels resolution. The EVF is bright, clear and crisp -- without hurting my eyes as most high resolution EVFs tend to do.

The LCD has a fast enough refresh rate for a very smooth display. The LCD monitor's brightness can be adjusted in MENU/SETUP. The LCD gains up very well in low-light (even extreme low-light, though grainy).

There is a very effective AF-assist which makes auto focus to be precise even in low-light situations. [Except in situations where the AF light cannot reach a subject that is too close to the lens, as in Super Macro mode.]

The Menu Structure has improved but is still quite hierarchical. Hierarchical is nice for PCs, and keeps everything well organized, but on a digital camera, it makes for lots of button presses and frustratingly slow navigation. For example, from SHQ mode, I need to do 8 button presses just to switch to RAW+JPEG SHQ mode. Changing shutter speed or aperture is also painfully slow. Olympus is known for lots of innovation, but its menu structure isn't one of them. I am not necessarily asking for an à-la-iPhone user interface (though it's good to bear in mind that a new generation of younger photographers will expect and demand that) but whoever is the Gatekeeper (and I think there is someone) to this menu structure needs to realize the world has changed already. I believe it is pretty obvious that this menu structure is well past its glory days and has to go. I also believe the Gatekeeper can give us a better menu structure. [Sorry, been watching too many Matrix reruns ;o).]

There are a number of interesting features that bears mentioning:

• AF Predict (for subject moving toward or away from camera)
• Front Curtain, Rear Curtain flash sync
• Timelapse (2-99 pictures at 1-99 min interval); wish the interval could be shorter, down to 2 secs if necessary
• Area (13 horizontal x 11 vertical = 143 areas, pretty much up to the screen edges)
• Live Histogram (Graph or Direct)
• AEB +/- 0.3, +/- 0.7, +/- 1.0, 3 or 5 shots
• Grid Assist (Horizontal/Vertical or Diagonals)
• Silent Mode
• Face Detection, Smile Shot scene mode
  

	CAMERA MENU
	CAMERA MENU 1 of 5 - WB - ISO - Drive - Fine Zoom - Digital Zoom
	CAMERA MENU 2 of 5 - Metering - AF Mode - Focus Mode - Fulltime AF - AF Predict (for subject moving toward or away from camera)
	CAMERA MENU 3 of 5 - AF Illuminator - Image Stabilizer - Flash Compensation - Flash Syncro (SYNC1 = Front Curtain, SYNC2 = Rear Curtain) - Flash (IN, SLAVE)
	CAMERA MENU 4 of 5 - Voice memo - Panorama - WB Adjust - Sharpness - Contrast
	CAMERA MENU 5 of 5 - Saturation - Noise Reduction - Timelapse (2-99 pictures at 1-99 min interval) - Conversion Lens
	WHITE BALANCE - Auto - Preset - One-touch WB
	WHITE BALANCE - PRESET - Sunny day - Cloudy day - Tungsten light - Fluorescent lamp 1 (home daylight fluorescent)
	WHITE BALANCE 3 of 4 - Fluorescent lamp 2 (desk lamps neutral white fluorescent) - Fluorescent lamp 3 (office white fluorescent)
	WHITE BALANCE - ONE TOUCH WB
	ISO 1 of 3 - Auto - High ISO Auto - 50 - 100
	ISO 2 of 3 - 200 - 400 - 800 - 1600
	ISO 3 of 3 - 3200 - 6400 (SQ1 2048x1536)
	DRIVE 1 of 2 - Normal - Sequential (SHQ 3264x2448) - Hi Speed 1 (SQ1 2048x1536 H) - Hi Speed 2 (SQ2 1280x960 N)
	DRIVE 2 of 2 - AF (SHQ 3264x2448) - AEB (SHQ 3264x2448)
	METERING - ESP (Multi-Pattern) - Spot (Center) - Center-weighted average
	AF MODE - Face Detect - iESP (Pattern) - Spot - Area (13 horizontal x 11 vertical = 143 areas, pretty much up to the screen edges) - With AREA, press and hold OK button down to activate and set it
	FOCUS MODE - AF - MF

	SETUP MENU
	SETUP 1 of 5 - Format - Backup - Language - Power on Setup (Screen, Sound) - Beep
	SETUP 2 of 5 - Warnings - Shutter Sound - Volume - Rec View - Menu Display
	SETUP 3 of 5 - File Name - Pixel Mapping - LCD Monitor Brightness - Clock - Dual Time
	SETUP 4 of 5 - Alarm Clock - Video Out - Frame Assist - Histogram - My Mode Setup
	SETUP 5 of 5 - m/ft - Custom Button
	LANGUAGE - English - French - Spanish - Portuguese
	FRAME ASSIST - Off - Grid - Diagonals (to obtain absolute center of screen)
	HISTOGRAM - Off - Live Histogram - Direct (Black and white areas)
	CUSTOM 1 of 4 - Image Stabilizer - AE Lock - AF Lock - AF Lock + AE Lock
	CUSTOM 2 of 4 - Image Quality - Fine Zoom - Digital Zoom - AF Mode
	CUSTOM 3 of 4 - Focus Mode - Fulltime AF - AF Predict - Syncro
	CUSTOM 4 of 4 - Flash - Voice Memo - Noise Reduction

	SCENE MODE MENU
	SCENE MODE 1 of 5 - Portrait - Landscape - Landscape + Portrait - Sport - Night Scene
	SCENE MODE 2 of 5 - Night+Portrait - Indoor - Candle - Self-Portrait - Available Light
	SCENE MODE 3 of 5 - Sunset - Fireworks - Cuisine - Behind Glass - Documents
	SCENE MODE 4 of 5 - Auction - Shoot & Select 1 - Shoot & Select 2 - Smile Shot - Beach
	SCENE MODE 5 of 5 - Snow - Underwater Wide 1 - Underwater Wide 2 - Underwater Macro - Quick Shutter
	SCENE MODE HELP - After approx. 4 sec. a help screen appears for the selected Scene Mode

	FUNC - White Balance 1 of 2 - AWB, Sunny day, Cloudy day, Tungsten light, Fluorescent lamp 1 (daylight / home), Fluorescent lamp 2 (neutral white - desk lamps), Fluorescent lamp 3 (white - offices)
	FUNC - White Balance 2 of 2 - One Touch WB
	FUNC - ISO 1 of 2 - Auto, High ISO Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400
	FUNC -ISO 2 of 2 - 800, 1600, 3200, 6400
	FUNC - DRIVE 1 of 2 - Normal, Sequential, HI 1, HI 2, HI 2 Pre-capture
	FUNC - DRIVE 2 of 2 - AF, AEB
	FUNC - METERING - ESP (Multi-Pattern), Spot, Center-weighted average

	IMAGE QUALITY
	IMAGE QUALITY 1 of 2 - RAW - SHQ - HQ - SQ1
	IMAGE QUALITY 2 of 2 - SQ2 - 16:9
	RAW + JPEG 1 of 2 - OFF - SHQ - HQ - SQ1
	RAW + JPEG 2 of 2 - SQ2
	SILENT MODE - Turns off operational sound (warning beeps, shutter sounds, etc.)

	PLAYBACK MENU
	PLAYBACK MENU OPTIONS - Protect - Rotate - Voice Memo (4 sec.)
	ERASE MENU
	ERASE - ALL
	ERASE - ALL Confirm - It takes 7 button presses to earse all images

	PROGRAM - Program, 1/15 sec. shutter speed, F3.5 aperture, +0.3EV exposure compensation - Shadow Adjustment ON, 2s self-timer, Flash OFF - Image Stabilizer - One Touch WB - ISO 800, Super Macro - Sequential, xD-Picture Card - Image Quality SHQ, Image Size 3264x2448, Space left for 510 images - Frame assist displayed
	PROGRAM - Note that the info on the left side of the screen has disappeared after a few seconds
	LIVE HISTOGRAM - Cannot display both grid and histogram at the same time

The Olympus SP-560 UZ has very good build and construction, an excellent handgrip, and well spaced controls. It has lots of useful features, a very good EVF and LCD monitor that gains up very well in low-light situations. Olympus fans will also be glad to hear that the SP-560 UZ has improved the AF over the SP-550 UZ, is fast at wide-angle, a bit on the slow side at full tele in low light, but it locks precisely.