OM SYSTEMOlympus SP-820UZ iHS Digital Camera (Black) (Old Model)

I recently purchased the Olympus SP-820-UZ digital camera here as I needed a decently priced high-powered zoom "point & shoot" digital camera to replace a troublesome Nikon P-500 digital camera I recently had and it died on me and was plagued with a lot of problems. Anyways, I needed a lower-priced, decent and easy to use "point & shoot" digital camera with decent zoom, equal or near equal to my prior Nikon P-500 digital camera. This Olympus SP-820-UZ digital camera I spotted here recently, it seemed too good to pass up since it was on sale and it had just about what I needed on my next digital camera.Pros: It's pretty easy to use, easy to use menu, very little shutter lag, excellent 40X optical zoom lens, decent-sized LCD rear viewfinder panel, uses 4 "AA" batteries, long battery life, uses "SD" card and takes excellent photos.Cons: No optical viewfinder, seems a bit cheaply built and the macro is hard to locate.I have had several other long-zoom "super zoom" digital cameras over the past few years and this Olympus digital camera is about the best I have ever had! I had disasters with prior Olympus digital cameras...but this camera has been superior and I have had no troubles with this camera so far. I am shocked on just how easy it is to use and constantly takes a great photo in all conditions. As I mentioned before, the pros are plentiful and the cons are minor....but the lack of an optical viewfinder puzzles me on this digital camera because there is room for an optical viewfinder on this camera. The other cons are minor and despite the lack of optical viewfinder on this camera, I have got photos on this camera nearly equal in quality to my Nikon DSLR digital camera in some cases! You can use this camera in full Auto mode or manual modes also. Manually controlled/operated flash in low-light situations and indoor plus outdoor photos so far for me has mostly been extremely good. Video quality is decent and easy to use....equal to my basic compact Canon digital camera I got...a huge plus for me!!It has 40X Optical wide zoom & decent megapixels. This digital camera accepts the commonly-used "SD" photo cards and is powered by 4 "AA" batteries....which kind of surprised me as I prefer to use "AA" powered digital cameras as those batteries [rechargeables] in the long run seem cheaper than specialized rechargeable batteries found on most other larger digital cameras. Battery life for outdoor photos seems pretty decent at about 400 to 480 photos per 4 "AA" batteries mostly not using flash. With flash used somewhat...of course...I got less photos per batteries, but still over 300 photos...not bad for me.If you need a decent-priced "super-zoom" digital camera that is fairly straight-forward and easy to use or figure out and get great photos and decent videos and has a long 40X optical zoom... this camera seems to fill that bill quite nicely....in my case it does. I ordered another one of these digital cameras as a spare as I take a lot of photos and would hate to be without this camera for too long!

Olympus baut kompakte leistungsfähige Kameras seit vielen Jahren. Die Pen EE war 1965 legendär. Die Leute wissen, was für den durchschnittlichen Fotoamateur wichtig ist und was verzichtbar. Um eine einigermaßen gute Optik mit ungewöhnlichem Zoomumfang haben sie eine kleine, leichte Plastikkamera mit gutem HD Video gebaut, deren Bedienung weitgehend menüorientiert ist. Bleiben ganze 6 Knöpfe und ein Einstellrad. Nichts für das Auge eines Technikfreaks aber, mal ehrlich, mehr ist nicht nötig. Die 820 UZ ist eine ausgereifte, preiswerte point and shoot Kamera. Sie hat alles, was den nicht ambitionierten Amateur glücklich machen wird, paßt auch mal in eine Jackentasche ohne allzu schwer zu sein und läuft zur Not auf Billigbatterien. Technische Raffinesse sucht man (abgesehen vom Objektiv) vergeblich Manuelle Einstellung, RAW Speicherung, optischen Sucher usw. Fehlanzeige. Fazit: Ausgezeichnete Kamera, wenn man ihre Grenzen akzeptiert.

Pop the batteries in, follow the on screen setup, just set for auto mode and shoot away*. So much for the easy stuff.* Used the enclosed alkaline batteries, get a feel for how long they last.Now for the difficult stuff:1.- Getting high powered rechargeable batteries... recommended 2500ma or higher - you will need two sets - one in the camera and one to replace those that are spent.2.- Memory chip (SDHC) a good 32 GB** and at least a class 10 ... is a perfect fit for HD movies and max megapixel pictures.3.- Load the software and read the manual (with camera in hand.)4.- Install Picasa (Google free picture, movie tool.)** shop around there is not much difference in the price for a 16GB and 32 GB... Buy a back up chip also.Now for the down sides (you can live with these and adapt or adjust):1.- the viewing screen washes out in bright sun light (so do most all other digital point and shoot with out a view finder.2.- at high magnification above 30x (and it can go to 80x) you will need someway to support the camera... the antishake can not handle this very well.3.- at high magnifications ... focusing (and/or finding) the subject takes a lot of practice. Easier to start at low magnification and zoom in....My learning curve (I am a very experience digital camera user) was about an hour for many features. I have used about 85% of this camera features, and except for the "focusing" problem, I am impressed with the images and the quality of the pictures. This camera's versatility, will fill all your picture needs. Buy a light weight / sturdy tripod and watch those 40x to 80x images impress others. If you do not want to READ the manual , DO NOT buy this camera. This is a semi-pro point and shoot.It is hoped and I have commented to Olympus.... they should develop some type of hood(ed) screen that can be attached to the viewing screen. If you looked on line, there are several hoods available for DSLR's and some point and shoots.This is a do all camera (still trying to figure out how to shoot the International Space Station - hd movie or 80x still.)

ich bin voll zufrieden mit der Kamera liegt gut in der Hand, blitzschnell startbereit, super Fotos, toller Zoom, starker Blitz

Update: I found I could use a remote switch on this using the un-described "Multi-Connector" next to the hdmi port which is great. I used an Opteka OPLX-01 I had purchased for another camera. (end of update) I got this to replace an older Olympus that my cat broke. It uses an SD card and AA batteries (rather than an expensive battery pack like Sony does). So I use Energizer rechargeable batteries. I use a 16 gb class 10 SD card for faster transfer of files. I do miss the lack of an external mic jack and external flash shoe, which are limitations. A major reason I have gone through a series of 5 plus Olympus cameras is the quality of the internal user interface software - it is easy to use and intuitive. This model has a separate manual setting on the mode dial for panorama shots and they are very easy. Another plus is the separate button to instantly start a video, thus I can use it for videos also. However, the videos only roll for 30 minutes then it shuts off, so you have to plan for longer events. (I use a separate Sony Cam for most videos). This is also a WIDE angle lens, which I always look for. I have never used the provided picture editing software. If you are taking a video, you can also click to take a picture, which is useful. The camera does NOT come with any cover for the viewer screen, so you need to get one. It does include a lens cover, which works well, and the camera tells you if the cover is on before you try taking a picture.