With the SP-570UZ, Olympus breaks another record; that of the longest optical zoom available on a bridge camera with an amazing focal range of 26 to 520 mm! This is a 20x optical zoom that was quite simply unimaginable a few years ago and which enables the SP-570UZ to have an interesting wide angle and impressive zoom.  Although the lens is the main attraction of Olympus’ new bridge, it would be sad to think of it only in this capacity.  Below is a review in more detail.

Handling

The construction of the Olympus SP-570UZ is remarkable camera inspiring an overall confidence.  The materials used seem solid and assembly is very serious.  The screen is of fine quality with rather large viewing angles.  However, we found it unfortunate that Olympus didn't adopt a moveable screen.  This is very practical on a camera of this type, for example, for macro shooting (moreover, an area in which the SP-570UZ does quite well). 

The interface is rather pleasant with a few shortcuts on the camera and classic but well organized menus.  We noticed several fine initiatives like an external flash shoe or a 13.5 imp/s burst mode.  There were also some more disconcerting ones like a RAW mode that is practically unusable (a wait of almost 10 seconds between photos) or the limitation of shutter speed to 1/2000 s.  This may not be fast enough to shooting in full sun.  Another unacceptable defect on the SP-560UZ is the autofocus which is now more reactive but still inferior to its rivals.  In full sun, it is satisfactory, but performances are significantly reduced in low lighting conditions.  Moreover, the new bridge is generally quite slow.

Quality of images

Equipped with a 10 million pixel sensor, the SP-570UZ produces nice images. The main optical defects (chromatic aberrations, distortion, etc.) are well controlled and sharpness is generally satisfactory from the wide angle to the maximum zoom, a sign of good technical mastery.  While noise is already noticeable at 200 ISO, it’s only slight up until 800 ISO.  Beyond this, images are significantly degraded. Shadow compensation technology works quite well and photos include details in darker zones in exchange for a noticeable increase in colored noise.  Colors are classic while automatic white balance is relatively efficient.  The macro mode from 1 cm produces excellent results and stabilization via movement of the sensor functions perfectly even if optical technology has higher performances.  Finally, video is very classic, of fine quality and (good things come in pairs) it’s possible to use the optical zoom.