Not a good camera if you want to take quick pictures....., April 18, 2006
Reviewer: S. vaneck

I bought this camera because I wanted to take good quality point and shoot pictures, and still have the manual type capabilities that I was so fond of with my old Pentax K1000 (manual 35mm SLR). For me it fails on both fronts. It isn't a good point and shoot, and the manual capabilities are cumbersome.

First, let's talk about its point and shoot functioning. When I go outside on a good day and take pictures of people in AUTO mode about 75% of the pictures are out of focus. This is due to a lack of image stabilization and in my opinion a poor auto focus system. I suppose I can do better if I put the camera in SCENE mode and then select the best of "21 situation-related modes", but will the moment still be there when I am done?

Additionally, the default file compression on all of the automatic modes (either AUTO or the 21 SCENE modes) is the lower compression HQ. Anytime you turn the camera off and on or switch to or between automatic modes the camera returns to saving the pictures in HQ. HQ compresses the files to about 1.3 megs resulting in a lower quality picture. So if you actually want to get high quality pictures in any of the automatic modes from your 6 MP camera, each time you switch to one of the automatic modes you need to go into the menu system and set it to SHQ. I have called Olympus, and there is no way to avoid it. Had I known this alone I probably would not have bought the camera.

I've got two small kids. By the time I am done getting the Camera set properly the moment will probably be gone. I agree that it is capable of taking high quality pictures, and would probably be good if you were going to an event and had plenty of time to get the settings right, but it isn't a good camera for simply taking a quick picture (capturing a precious moment).

It is a very strong camera when it comes to manual capabilities, but the problem is that they aren't real easy to use. Unless you are repeatedly taking the same types of shots, expect to spend a lot of time fiddling with the menus. My old manual Pentax K1000 is far far more user friendly in this regard.

Additionally, it has one of the worst manuals (perhaps 2) I have ever seen. The basic manual does little more than explain the very basics while telling the user to figure the camera out for themselves. While the advanced manual is 190 pages long (enjoy printing that), it lacks critical pieces of information, is poorly organized, and doesn't go into detail about how the camera really operates. I'll toss out a quick example: on page 50 it tells you how to switch between the different MyMODE scene settings in the menu, and on page 113 it tells you how to set them up. On neither page does it tell you that you must first set them up before you can switch between them.

Finally, there are some good qualities to this camera. It has a good feel to it and good build quality. It is capable of taking very good quality pictures. It has excellent battery life if you simply buy some lithium ion AA batteries (use the batteries that came with it as spares). Finally, it is probably a very good camera for fixed function work. If you are going to take one type of picture regularly, you can tweak the settings exactly how you want them so that it will consistently take good pictures.

PS Probably a good idea to use the 'pixel mapping' function once after buying the camera. The manual doesn't explain what it is doing, but it is likely that it cleans up any dead pixels that the camera may have by having it duplicate a nearby pixel.
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Easy to Use Camera with Great Photos, February 26, 2006
Reviewer: Love to Travel "camera buff"
I had an Olympus 750 which I loved, but I broke it on a trip. This is a replacement camera for than one. I find the SP-500 UZ just as wonderful as the other, and easier to use in a variety of situations - inside activities, scenery, closeups, etc.
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OLYMPUS FAN, February 24, 2006
Reviewer: J. THOMAS
For the last 30 years I owned the Olympus OM1. Now I have the next generation the Olympus SP-500. Easy to use, light, and quick. I will always be a dedicated Olympus fan
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 an awesome camera, February 24, 2006
Reviewer: Sarah M. Wu
I love this camera!
It takes a little getting used to all the settings, but once you know them it s great.
The camera takes great pics, especially when using the personalized settings. I take photos for a high action band in a lot of dark night clubs, and this camera takes the most amazing pictures. I put it on the sport mode and then do the five shots per click setting and I m telling you all the pics rock.
This camera can be a little fussy if you do not set it right and it takes practice to get the pics right, but once you know what your doing I m sure you ll love it.

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