Olympus Stylus SP-500

The Olympus SP-500 is a 6 megapixel digital camera with a large 10x Optical Zoom and 2.5inch LCD. It is aimed at the more serious photographer than some of their other new cameras announced today with a number of manual controls built in.

The SP500 features xD-Picture Card, USB 2.0, 10 megabytes of internal memory and PictBridge printing connectivity.

The Olympus SP500 will retail for around $380 and should be in stores in October 2005.

Get the latest price and/or order an Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom 6MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom

Olympus SP-500 News Release:

Olympus Launches Latest Ultra Zoom Digital Camera And Demonstrates The Versatility Of New SP-series

New SP-500 UZ Ultra Zoom Offers Powerful 10X Optical Zoom, Large 2.5-Inch Premium Size LCD, 6-Megapixel CCD and Advanced Manual Controls

With the release of its eagerly awaited new ultra zoom digital camera, the SP-500 UZ, Olympus pleases advanced and amateur-level camera aficionados alike. The powerful 10x optical zoom provides users with the focal range to capture stunning close-up shots. Designed with a large, easy-to-view 2.5-inch premium size LCD, both manual and automatic settings and optional add-on accessory lenses, the SP-500 UZ is a highly versatile camera, powerful enough to satisfy the creative needs of the advanced user, and expansive enough to grow as users develop their talent.

“The SP-series cameras are designed to offer an all-in-one camera solution for photographers of all skill levels,” said John McGuire, product manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “The beauty of the SP-500 UZ ultra zoom digital camera is that it packs a wealth of manual and automatic features and an incredible focal range into a compact, light-weight body design.”

Ultra Zoom
Thanks to years of experience crafting Ultra Zoom digital cameras, Olympus is able to deliver a superior designed-to-be-digital 10x optical zoom lens (38mm – 380mm equivalent in 35mm photography) to bring the action closer. The bright, high quality optical system is comprised of eleven elements arranged in seven groups and includes two aspherical lenses, plus an extra-dispersion (ED) glass element typically found exclusively in pro-level SLR cameras.

6.0-Megapixel Image Sensor for Large-Format Prints
The 6.0-megapixel CCD image sensor delivers super high-quality images that are consistently sharp and vivid even in large-format prints.

2.5-Inch Premium Size LCD
Composing and reviewing images is far easier when you don’t have to squint. The 115,000-pixel anti-glare LCD enables you to view images in large and vivid detail. What’s more, you don’t have to download and print images each time you want to share them – you can treat your friends and family to a slide show right on the back of your camera. With the large 2.5-inch LCD, the SP-500 UZ is a veritable walking photo album!

PictBridge Enabled – No Computer Necessary!
The power of PictBridge technology enables photos to be printed directly from the SP-500 UZ to any PictBridge-enabled printer without using a computer. And the new one-touch printing button makes printing a single-step process. Printing and sharing images has never been easier!

Manual Settings for Added Creative Control
The addition of manual Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes gives users versatility and control for optimal performance in any situation. Users can express their creative vision – adjusting the f-stop for detailed portraits with softened backgrounds, or slowing the exposure speed to create the blurred effect of motion.

27 Selectable Shooting Modes
The SP-500 UZ makes it easy to capture great images in a variety of lighting situations with 21 pre-programmed scene modes, such as Night Scene, Indoor Portrait or Cuisine Mode. And with its QuickTime® Movie Mode, the SP-500 UZ can record movies of any length, limited only by the size of the internal memory or xD-Picture Card in the camera.

Accessory Lenses for Expanded Capabilities
The SP-500 UZ features a threaded barrel, which enables easy attachment of add-on wide angle or telephoto conversion lenses for even more creative control. Compatible accessory lenses include the WCON-07 and WCON-08 wide angle lenses, which enable a wider field of view for shooting skylines, landscapes or group shots, and the TCON-17 telephoto conversion lens, which extends the camera’s magnification capability to a 17x optical zoom for bringing subjects dramatically closer, great for shooting sports events, concerts or wildlife.

TruePic TURBO for High-Speed Response
Olympus’ exclusive TruePic TURBO Image Processor enhances image quality and delivers faster overall processing speeds for rapid startup, shutter release and playback. TruePic TURBOTM enables the SP-500 UZ to capture information from all 6.0 million pixels with pixel “micro-smoothing” that delivers clearer and more color-accurate photos, even at lower resolutions. The fast startup of less than one second and nearly instant shutter release time ensures a high-speed response so you are always ready to take great pictures.

High Quality Olympus Lens Elements
Olympus photos are known worldwide for sharp, vibrant image quality. This is achieved through a number of key technologies, such as Olympus’ new high-refractive-index aspherical lens elements, designed specifically for digital cameras. The lens provides the equivalent of 38 to 114mm focal length, f2.8 – f4.9 in 35mm photography, with 15x combined total zoom (3x optical and 5x digital) to bring the action closer, and a Super Macro Mode that captures details as nuanced as the iridescent petals of a flower, from as close as 2 cm.

In-camera Editing
With in-camera editing features such as Red-Eye Fix, color brightness and saturation adjustments, users can edit photos on the fly – no longer do you have to tool around with computers and editing software for simple image touch-ups!

Style and Ergonomics
With the SP-500 UZ, Olympus returns to the traditional, compact appearance of its traditional range-finder cameras. At a compact size of just 4.2“ W x 2.9” H x 2.8“ L and only 10.1 ounces, the camera tucks away easily into a pocket or backpack. The addition of an ergonomic grip makes it easy to hold with one hand, for capturing those photo ops when you are, literally, on the run.

Easy USB Auto-Connect
Connecting the SP-500 UZ to a computer is easy with the USB Auto-Connect feature, which connects directly via USB 2.0 cable and requires no software.

OLYMPUS Master Software
OLYMPUS Master software provides the ultimate in digital imaging management. An intuitive user interface makes downloading to your computer quick and simple, and images are searchable by date or keyword in the Calendar View. And with one-click editing tools, such as red-eye reduction, images can be touched up before printing or emailing. Online support, templates, firmware upgrades and other user services are just a mouse-click away.

Availability
The SP-500 UZ will be available in October 2005. It includes: Wrist Strap, Camera WIN/Mac USB Cable, Video cable, 4 AA batteries, Quick Start Guide, Basic Instruction Manual, Warranty Card, CD-ROM with OLYMPUS Master Software, and Camera Advanced manual.

U.S. Pricing
SP-500 UZ Estimated Street Price: $379.99 (U.S.)

Olympus SP-500 Reviews

Megapixel have reviewed the Olympus SP-500 and write - 'The marketplace for mid-range digital cameras is incredibly competitive, and manufacturers have to be both creative and generous while being cost conscious in order to attract consumers. If one considers its technical specifications, the Olympus SP-500 UZ, a relatively compact and light camera, is positioned at a very reasonable price point. This is a model that is clearly designed to appeal to consumers that value a powerful zoom more than the highest resolution currently available.'

Digital Camera Info reviews the Olympus SP-500 and writes - 'The Olympus SP-500 UZ has a cheap plastic body but includes a lot of nice features and manual functionality at a very reasonable $379 price. With 6 megapixels, this digital camera has a complete set of recording modes: manual, priority, automatic, movie, and an extensive list of 21 scene modes. These are complemented by the Olympus ED 10x optical zoom lens that works in the movie mode as well as the still image recording modes. '

PC World reviews the Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom and writes - 'The biggest thing about the Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom is the lens: It's an impressive 10X model that is significantly longer than those on most point-and-shoot cameras. However, it has no type of image stabilization, so this long zoom can be a mixed blessing. It lets you get close to the action, but in anything other than bright sunlight you may end up with blurry pictures because the long zoom amplifies camera shake, especially with long shutter times.'

Photoxels reviews the Olympus SP-500 UZ and writes - 'This is a full featured digital camera, and the range of settings are tremendous for someone who wants to learn and grow in photography: Program AE, Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority, full Manual, RAW+JPEG, exposure bracketing, 15 sec. long shutter speed plus Bulb, Selective AF Frame, live Histogram, etc.... The Olympus SP-500 UZ is well designed, enjoyable to use and very easy to get good pictures with. More importantly to the serious amateur photographer, the wide range of features means that this fine digital camera will take a long time to outgrow.'

DCRP reviews the Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom digital camera and writes - 'The SP-500 offers features for both the beginner and enthusiast. For the beginners there are plenty of scene modes to choose from. There's an available light mode that tries to do what Fuji's "Real Photo Technology" cameras can do, but those cameras do a better job than the SP-500. Power users will enjoy the full manual controls on the camera, white balance controls, and customizable menus and buttons. The camera supports the RAW image format, and Olympus' bundled software does a good job of working with the files. The SP-500's continuous shooting and movie modes were lacking, though....The SP-500UZ is an average camera in a sea of really good ones. While I'd say that it's "okay to buy" the SP-500, there are many other cameras in this category that offer better performance, photo quality, and features (including image stabilization).'

Steves Digicams review the Olympus SP-500 UltraZoom and write - 'with great image quality, good performance, a versatile and powerful zoom range, and a multitude of exposure modes, the Olympus SP500UZ is quite the compact "super zoom". It will make an excellent choice for any consumer in the market for a 6-megapixel digicam that has plenty of telephoto capabilities. With an average retail cost of about $379, it offers an outstanding value and is sure to be one of Olympus' more popular models this year.'

DP Review has comprehensively reviewed the Olympus SP-500UZ digital camera and gives it a rating of 'above average' writing - 'Ultimately, the SP-500UZ is a perfectly good camera, and one with some very nifty tricks up its sleeve, but unless you rarely use the long end of the zoom or are happy carrying a tripod with you at all times, the lack of image stabilization negates most of the benefits of such a big zoom range. It's not because of any really serious faults that we can't really recommend this camera, it's just that in the face of such stiff competition from so many other models it simply can't hold its own, which is a real pity given the heritage Olympus has in the 'ultra zoom' market, and how promising the SP-500UZ looks on paper.'

DigiCamReview has posted a review of the Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom in which they give it a rating of 7.5 out of 10 and write - 'The Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom is an appealing digital camera, it feels very comfortable in hand, and produces very pleasing (saturated) colours, with generally low noise. The screen and electronic viewfinder let the camera down due to the screens low resolution, and the electronic viewfinders small size. This camera is easy to use (in auto mode) especially with the built in help guide, although it offers a mixed bag with regards to camera speed. The camera offers good battery life, with very good controls and good build quality. I would recommend this camera to people who want greater creative control that normal, however I'd recommend trying out the camera and comparing with other brands before purchase, especially those with image stabilisation. If you can live without image stabilisation, and aren't interested in recording videos then this is well worth considering, especially if you find the vibrant colours, numerous features, and ease of use, appealing.'

Lets Go Digital reviews the Olympus SP-500 and writes - 'By the end of the trial period, the Olympus SP-500 UZ had made a mixed impression on me. The image quality and functionality was convincing enough, but it is just a fact that the specifications of contemporary Megazoom cameras are more extensive than ever. The Olympus SP-500 UZ misses several features found elsewhere, the worst being the lack of an optical image stabiliser. For the time being, the Olympus SP-500 UZ is an all-round digital camera, and if it is priced considerably lower that its competitors, it will be a perfect find for an experienced photographer in search of a second camera or a compact version of their digital reflex camera. Starters will be less convinced and will probably look around to see what the competition has to offer.'

Posted by Darren in our Olympus category on August 30, 2005

Comments

Olympus Camera SP-500

It appears that the design choice of the non-adjustable lens in the viewfinder/eyepiece is such that it requires the eye to focus at a distance considerably less than 25cm.
On a camera eyepiece (as with most optical instruments), it would be a much more conventional design to have the eye to focus nearer to infinity (as for normal distance vision) - ie. as with SLRs and 'SLR-like'.

The design of the SP500 viewfinder/eyepiece is more suited to the short-sighted, or for use with reading glasses - this is quite out of context for the majority of camera applications.

I'd suggest that this design philosophy rules out the purchase of SP500 for anyone with otherwise normal vision, but over 40 and therefore subject to a normal measure of presbyopia. Hence, to use the SP500, one needs to be younger than 40, be short-sighted, or use reading glasses. I believe this will rule out many potential SP500 purchasers.

Posted by: Ron Coleman at May 26, 2006 10:30 AM

I think the comment by Ron Coleman is nitpicking as the screen is large enough and bright enough to vary rarely need the viewfinder.
I have "aging" eyesight but have no problem with the viewfinder although one of my reasons for buying the camera was the size of the screen as my previous camera screen was on 1.5" and very difficult to see especially in sunlight.

The camera has an excellent zoom, fantastic definition and a plethora of different settings. The macro facility is unbelievable for such a reasonably priced camera.
Panorma facility is a plus.
It is quick to start up and very quck to save images so mutiple or sequence shots are not a problem.
I have had SLR cameras and instant cameras and this is by far superior to the instant cameras and very close to an SLR type digital camera at a very much lower price.
Would not hesitate to recomend this camera.

Posted by: Brian Willey at July 23, 2006 11:51 PM

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