Olympus SP-510 UZ - Digital camera - compact - 7.1 Mpix - optical zoom: 10 x - supported memory: xD, xD Type H, xD Type M

At first I thought I had made a mistake buying this camera. The digital view finder takes some getting used to but you do do not have to worry about parallax. What you see is what you get. The number of functions this camera has is outstanding. You can take pictures under conditions that would be impossible with a lesser camera. You have to set up the camera for the type of project you are shooting. For instance a soccer game is different than shooting a band concert. This camera is not for the beginner or a point and shoot photographer. Save your money and buy one of the cameras designed for this purpose. You can take fantastic photos with this Camera but you do need have some knowledge of photography and photographic equipment.

This camera is a solid purchase as an item for consumers that fall between amateur and professional. It has a few advanced features to adjust ISO control, indoor/outdoor light settings, use flash, and choose between viewfinder or LCD focus-framing control options. The zoom is good, even in micro mode. The Quicktime-TM video option mode works well if you set the zoom first (the zoom remains fixed in a constant position once video shoot begins). This camera also offers stand-alone basic editing options to fix "red-eye," transform color images to black & white, and crop images in the field. It has two Macro modes that adequately capture sharp images at 2.9 or 1.5-inches respectively, and it conveniently uses standard AA batteries.The Olympus automatic website updates, software, and associated firmware patches have not been the best (just my opinion). The camera is best detached and in the field, and only "plugged-in" to download movies & photographs directly to controlled areas/sites or files.

I have had the Olympus SP-510 UZ for about a year and I totally hate the camera. This is my third Olympus digital camera. My previous camera was a C-5050 which I loved, but it got a scratch on the lens so I got the SP-510.With the SP-510 you have to avoid any of the auto or program settings, because the camera has a tendency to use the higher ASA ratings to solve low light problems. When it uses ASA ratings over 100 the images look totally crappy with so much jpg noise that you will just end up deleting all of them. So you have to use aperture/shutter or manual to have a chance at a decent picture, unless you are shooting in full sunlight.The exposure is very often off, so be sure to check the images right away and bracket or reshoot the bad ones.The white balance seems unreliable, so I end up shooting RAW most of the time so I can more easily correct when the color is totally off.In short you have to be diligent to get decent pictures. If you are the least bit lazy, the camera will punish you with bad pictures.There are still two things I like about the camera. One is the supermacro setting that lets you shoot very close bug and flower pictures. Second, the camera is powered by AA batteries, so you never are without power out in the boonies.

This camera has many good features. Most of what I was loking for, and at a reasonable price. It is great for taking still pictures. The problem is that the video/movie files are recorded in the ".mov" format, unlike my old Canon Power Shot which recorded in the ".AVI" format. The .mov format is not compatible with Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker, or my NERO software. The video clips are of great quality when viewed on TV or a PC but designed to work with Quick Time on a PC (an Apple product). This severely limits my capabilities to edit and manipulate these files (e.g. write to DVD, etc.). Even the Olympus Master, Master 2, and Image Mixer software is limited in what you can do with these video files. In checking with Olympus support they confirmed that I was pretty much "up the creek" where this product was concerned and that the newer models now record in the ".AVI" format, which seems to be more popular. Sadly, it was past the latest allowable return date when I realized the problem. So you might say that my camera was outdated even before I opened the box.

This new toy has made me so happy!! I chose Olympus because I have been working in lab for a few years and the scientific microscopes we use for experiments mostly from Olympus. I also have a digital recorder from Olympus, which I love very much. I believe this brand name. The more I exlpore its functions, the more I love it. Whehter I hang out with friends at dark bars or I walked outside in the sun, this camera has allowed me to take high quality pics. I love its shaking proof feature and "capture objective in the motion" feature. It also looks cool--silver and white. Except for it is a little bit heavy.