The SP-810UZ stands apart from most SLR-shaped ultra-zoom cameras. With no electronic viewfinder, manual exposure or manual focus and the bare minimum of physical controls, it's really just a point-and-shoot camera with a very big zoom. That's not necessarily a criticism, though, and this certainly is a big zoom – its 864mm (equivalent) telephoto focal length is the longest ever to grace an ultra-zoom camera. Meanwhile, it's reassuring that its point-and-shoot simplicity is reflected in the price.
The 720p video resolution and the fixed zoom while recording are less excusable, though, and the 3in widescreen LCD's 230,000-pixel resolution is a little coarse. The navigation pad doubles as a dial for entering settings, but it's somewhat undermined by a menu system that favours fancy visual flourishes over quick operation.
The photographic options are typical point-and-shoot fare, with white balance, ISO speed and so on plus various creative effects such as pinhole camera. However, there's a conspicuous absence of moveable spot focus. Telephoto photography creates a shallow depth of field, which is great for guiding the eye to the main subject but only if the camera focuses on the right thing. On the SP-810UZ, focus is either fixed at the centre or chosen automatically by the camera.
SP-810UZ took 2.1 seconds to switch on and shoot, and 1.7 seconds between shots. Continuous mode was barely any faster at 0.7fps, but an alternative mode captured 27 5-megapixel shots at 4.5fps. Various faster, lower-resolution options are available too.
We can't fault it for telephoto detail, but with no manual exposure controls, dialling in -2 EV exposure compensation wasn't enough to avoid over-exposing this shot - click to enlarge
Image quality under artificial lighting was dire. Colours took on a garish orange cast and noise reduction obliterated details. Outdoor photography was much more competitive, though. It couldn't match the smooth, crisp details of the best ultra-zoom cameras and the autofocus and optical stabilisation weren't hugely reliable at the full extension, but firing off a handful of shots provided a useful insurance against blur.
Photos under artificial light suffered from smeared details and strong colour casts - click to enlarge
The SP-810UZ can't compete with the likes of the
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48 , but then, it is almost £100 cheaper. It's worth spending more if you can, but if you want to take photos of faraway subjects in bright light – and spend as little as possible – it's a decent choice.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | *** |
| CCD effective megapixels | 14.0 megapixels |
| CCD size | 1/2.3in |
| Viewfinder | none |
| Viewfinder magnification, coverage | N/A |
| LCD screen size | 3.0in |
| LCD screen resolution | 230,000 pixels |
| Articulated screen | No |
| Live view | Yes |
| Optical zoom | 36.0x |
| Zoom 35mm equivalent | 24-864mm |
| Image stabilisation | optical, lens based |
| Maximum image resolution | 4,288x3,216 |
| Maximum movie resolution | 1280x720 |
| Movie frame rate at max quality | 30fps |
| File formats | JPEG; MP4 (AVC) |
Physical | |
| Memory slot | SDXC |
| Mermory supplied | 14MB internal |
| Battery type | Li-ion |
| Battery Life (tested) | 350 shots |
| Connectivity | USB, mini HDMI |
| HDMI output resolution | 1080i |
| Body material | plastic |
| Lens mount | N/A |
| Focal length multiplier | N/A |
| Kit lens model name | N/A |
| Accessories | USB cable |
| Weight | 413g |
| Size | 76x107x74mm |
Buying Information | |
| Warranty | one-year RTB |
| Price | £187 |
| Supplier | http://www.lambda-tek.com |
| Details | www.olympus.co.uk |
Camera Controls | |
| Exposure modes | auto |
| Shutter speed | auto |
| Aperture range | f/2.9 (wide), f/5.7 (tele) |
| ISO range (at full resolution) | 64 to 1600 |
| Exposure compensation | +/-2 EV |
| White balance | auto, 4 presets, manual |
| Additional image controls | shadow adjust |
| Manual focus | No |
| Closest macro focus | 5cm |
| Auto-focus modes | multi/face detect, spot, tracking |
| Metering modes | multi, centre, face detect |
| Flash | auto, forced, suppressed, red-eye reduction |
| Drive modes | single, continuous, self-timer |
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