Hey! You should know that this product has been discontinued. Here are our current recommended cameras in the Extended Zoom Digital Cameras category.
Olympus SP-510
Editor's Review
The Olympus SP-510 is a nice extended zoom model, offering 10x optical zoom and full manual controls for power users. The SP-510 also features Olympus' "Bright Capture" technology, which can coax good photos out of low light conditions (albiet with some reduction in total megapixels, from 7 to 3MP).
Editor's Review
The Olympus SP-510 is a nice extended zoom model, offering 10x optical zoom and full manual controls for power users. The SP-510 also features Olympus' "Bright Capture" technology, which can coax good photos out of low light conditions (albiet with some reduction in total megapixels, from 7 to 3MP).
Specifications
- 7.1 megapixels
- 10x optical zoom / 5x digital zoom
- Digital Image Stabilization
- Auto focus, auto and manual exposure
- ISO 50-1600
- 2500 and 4000 (3MP Mode)
- 2.5-inch LCD display
- xD-Picture Card storage
- 4 AA batteries
- Release Date: Aug 28, 2006
Shop for SP-510 Accessories
Olympus SP-510 Comments & Questions (write your own!)
Shot to Shot time ... 2.2, 2.7 seconds with flash enabled.
Shutter lag .... 0.7
The camera specs sound amazing, and Olympus is known for their quality of dSLR's and new technology. Any Olympus workers out there that can shed more light? :)
**Whoops, I thought you were referring to the upcoming dSLR. My fault. The SP 510 UZ has a panorama mode, again only if using an xD card. You can read a little about how to go about using it here: steves-digicams.com/2007_re... It's probably in the manual, too.......**
Would this camera be enough for an amateur?
I'm not terribly knowledgable about Olympus, so the best answer I can give you about this particular camera is that from the reviews I've read, it performs pretty well in terms of picture quality, and that zoom is a great thing. But I do have one caution: this camera uses Digital Image Stabilization. While Digital IS is better than not having any at all, if you tend to have any camera shake (esp. likely with long zoom shots), you may want to choose something with Optical Image Stabilization instead. The difference between the two is that Digital IS manipulates your image slightly to compensate for shake (thus lowering image quality somewhat), whereas Optical IS is a physical adjustment inside the camera that compensates for the shaking lens and has better all-around results.
If you're not too worried about shake, then this isn't a factor. If you are, <a href="digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... is our full list of extended zoom cameras. If you read the profiles, most of them list the type of image stabilization they use.
If you're interested in a camera that offers a lot of control (if you want to learn more about photography) but still lets you take good photos on Auto mode, I'd suggest the Canon Powershot S3 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). Some might say it's kind of heavy duty for a point and shoot amateur, but as I said, if you want the OPTION to do a lot more with your camera, that's a great choice. That one has Optical IS as well.
I'd steer clear of the Panasonics; while great cameras, once they get over 5mp the images tend to have grain issues.
Also check out the Sony H2 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) or one of the Fujis. The Kodak Easyshare Z650 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has a tempting price, but I believe this camera doesn't have stabilization at all, so you may have issues with long zooms.
Hope some of that helps. If you need more advice deciding, let me know.
the photo below was taken with a fz7
the fz7 has 6 mega pixels
there appears to be very little grain
flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?i...
The grain problem with the Panasonics (in my experience) comes into play when light is not as strong. In outdoor shots, most cameras can perform decently regardless of the noise on the sensor, because there's enough light to cover a multitude of sins. I'm not going to link to a Canon photo or something, because unless it was taken at the same location, same time etc. as the Panasonic one, it wouldn't be a good comparison. But in my opinion the photos are still cleaner.
Although the OP is planning on shooting at the park, when she gets home (or into the lodge, or whatever) and uses the camera to take pictures indoors, I'm thinking she may be dissatisfied with the quality.
Also, at 6mp, I should say, the difference is less dramatic; the problem seems to multiply the higher the megapixels. At 6mp no camera is perfect.
Of course, there are lots of people who disagree with me on this, but after fairly extensive use of Panasonics vs. other brands, it's what I've found about its behavior, and if people are looking for all-around image quality, I make sure to mention that many users are dissatisfied with these.
thank you for your reply
I have two cameras in mind. Olympus SP 550 or Cannon S3 IS. Which is better? Olympus is 1 mega pixel more than the canon one and has 18X zoom.
However will it be good for a beginner?
However, it won't grown with you like an SLR will, so if you're planning on using this as a serious hobby, you'll be better served to look at an SLR.
But if you want a point and shoot with some muscle, I'm a fan of the SP550.
The stabilizer on the Olympus SP 510 is digital and not as good as the optical stabilizer on the Cannon S3 IS. The 510 has an enhanced brightness for low light conditions which is quite noisy and is not acceptable to me. The high 18x zoom of the 550 sounds great, but with high zooms comes blur if the stabilizer is not really good. You might need to use a tripod to get really clear pictures. See if you can rent one for a couple of days before buying.
The Cannon S3 IS is a favorite with our hiking group ( 4 people have it.)It is easy to use and has very good color reproduction. No matter which you buy, you will have a learning curve, but the Cannon would be my suggestion for a beginner. - Allan
The white background was mottle in grey and colored noise. The lettering was fuzzy.
It sounds like you had some camera shake. You either need to increase the light on the bottle, or you might look at getting a tripod ( amazon.com/SDV-20-Photo-Vid... ). It will keep the camera steady in low light situations.
Another think you might look at is adjusting to Macro mode on your camera. If you adjust the focus in that mode to 2 feet, you can get a sharper photo. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
I'm planning between
Sony H5
Sony H2
Cannon S3 IS
Olympus SP 510
please help me with this one..
Canon uses the SD cards. If you upgrade your camera in a year or three, you could still use the old SD cards that you will have with an SD camera.
The same proprietary memory scenario exists with the Olympus, although that camera uses the xD cards. In addition, the Olympus is slow and doesn't have the image stabilization.
I think the Canon S3 is the best of the bunch.
The Canon S3 is a superb camera, you can't go wrong with that one. I own 3 Canon cameras, and one Canon camcorder---and I love all of them. The Panasonic Lumix models are nice, too, not a bad choice either.
thank you
rb11@netzero.com
You need to be careful about on-line dealers. When one hangs around sites like this, one hears all kinds of horror stories about bait-and-switch, 20% 'adjustment' fees for canceling your order (even 5 minutes later), etc. And of course, they got you, or I should say, they got your credit card number, so what do you do when they start manipulating you? Typically, you cave in and those dealers laugh at you after you hang up.
WHen you see a price range for a particular camera model that goes from $200 to $350, you can probably rest assured that something is amiss with the $200 price...
According to the stats listed for the camera here ( dpreview.com/reviews/compar... ), the macro focus range of the SP-510 UZ is 3cm. This means that you can get sharp focus on objects 3cm or further away from the glass of the lens. It's a pretty good focus range--better than some, not as good as others. According to this review ( imaging-resource.com/PRODS/... ), macro shots from the SP-510 have "lively but not overly saturated color." In addition, the pcmag.com review calls the camera's macro modes "very good."
Hope this helps!
Setting at Super Macro allows you to take pictures as close as 3 cm.
while Macro setting allows you to do it at 7cm.
These figures are good enough to show that the camera can take pictures of jewelry in most cases.
I can't think of any tiny ones that this camera cannot shoot well with probable exception of individual diamonds.
And Olympus makes great cameras.
Best regards,
LK
Good Luck
Thanks!
If your budget is $500, you actually can afford a digital SLR. You might want to look at this ( amazon.com/Pentax-Digital-C... ).
If you want to avoid the SLR range, though, you're inevitably going to run into trouble with low light situations. Personally, I would just concentrate on getting the best camera for your money and not worry too much about which cameras are marketed as being good in low light. The fact of the situation is that no consumer digital camera is truly good in low light.
However, you can make the best of your situation. First, you need to choose a camera based on the various criteria you deem important. You should keep in mind, however, that you'll need a camera that lets you set various manual settings like ISO, aperture, and shutter speed--essentially, look for cameras with a full manual mode. Once you've picked the best camera fit to your needs, here's what you need to do to shoot in low light:
1. Choose the lowest aperture setting (aka f-stop... should be something like F2.8). This will allow the most possible light to hit the camera's sensor, as it opens the lens as wide as it will go.
2. Choose a higher ISO setting. The higher the ISO setting, the more light-sensitive the sensor is. You should be aware, though, that the higher the ISO setting, the more digital noise will be present in the final picture.
3. Choose a faster shutter speed. Most consumer digitals max out at something like 1/2000sec shutter speed. In low light you probably won't be able to go that fast, but the faster the better.
You'll need to complete steps #1 and #2 before you think about #3. If you don't open up the aperture and raise the ISO before you speed up the shutter, your pictures will come out totally black.
Good luck, and let me know if you need any clarification.
The K100D's antishake will of course help, but so would a tripod or monopod, which would cost significantly less. The antishake would be a great convenience, but I guess you'd have to decide if the extra $$$ are worth it to you. Right now at Amazon, for instance, $560 is the lowest price for the K100D (with lens), while $452 is the lowest for the K110D (with lens). Your call, you know?
Good luck!
* 7.1 megapixels
* 10x optical zoom / 5x digital zoom
* Digital Image Stabilization
* Auto focus, auto and manual exposure
* ISO 50-1600; 2500 and 4000 (3MP Mode)
* 2.5-inch LCD display
* xD-Picture Card storage
* 4 AA batteries
Ardi, Olympus HAS image stabilization...
I looked through some various review, and I could not find anything about the lens getting stuck. If you're comfortable with the camera, I would go for it.
Andrew
Any xD card should be compatible with your camera, but as long as they're not charging you an arm and a leg it can't hurt to go with the Olympus-branded card for maximum compatibility. Type H is the fastest kind of xD memory, so go with that if you're looking for the best speed.
Good luck!
The 3D function isn't actually executed in-card, it's done with the Olympus Master 1.4 software. With the purchase of an Olympus H-type xD card, you get an authorization code that will allow you to use the software's 3D function. I'm not entirely sure, but I think that once you have that authorization code and the right software, you should be able to use the 3D function on any image, not just those created by an Olympus camera. Good luck!
If I do understand you correctly, the Olympus Master software contains a programme for transforming a 2D image into a 3D one. Would it be correct to conclude that using this authorisation code, any image from my photo files can be transformed into 3D with Olympus Master?
That's the way I understand it. The program might have some way to check to see if the image was created by an Olympus camera, but if it does, I can't find anything about it. I think it should work with pretty much any image file.
Hope it works out for you!
who gives the points and if it's me how?
Thanx for answering anyway.
Olympus SP510 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). Looks like it is doing pretty decent- it has about 3.75 out of 5 stars from our reviewers.
So, when you bought the card, it came with a code/key. Enter that code and it unlocks the feature. If you tossed it, I'm guessing you're out of luck unless you can get Olympus ( olympusamerica.com ) to give you one, which I'm betting they would. Try Support.
Our Kodak C743 digital camera has cracks in the viewfinder. We live in Guelph Ontario,how do we get this fixed.
Thank You
I am also facing the same issue. I have bought the card but dont know how to enable it. Searched and looked into some site but they have not provided any clear steps how to enable it. I have card inserted into camera and Olympus Master software installed.
Can somebody mail the instructions to my mail id, please?
olympusamerica.com/cpg_sect... after installing and opening the plug-in it will ask for the serial number
I might takes some poking around but it will just be a matter of turning them on very simple. Sorry I can't tell you the exact menu name, but it shouldn't be buried very deep in the camera. The manual will help too.
OF the two, I have to give edge to the Olympus SP-510 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) because of it's 7.1MP resolution. However, if RAW support is your thing (uncompressed photos), then the edge goes to the SP-500UZ ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ).
Both cameras are excellent and come with 7.1 megapixels. The Olympus ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has a greater optical zoom at 10x vs 6x as well as a wider ISO setting range (better for low light settings). The Canon ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does come with movie mode and sound recording though. Given the features and the price, I would pick the Olympus ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) as well.
Andrew
The down side is, its got digital image stabilizer, optical stabilizers are much better. But at a price of the olympus I guess its the best you can get.
Canon no doubt is good, but if you're a starter and have plans to take a pro like shot in 1yr down the line, you need more than the Canon 710. Ofcourse you can upgrade later to a real SLR...but the deal for now is the Olympus 510UZ.
Most flashes are designed to only have an effective range to about 10-12 feet. So taking shots at night from a distance won't be optimal. The lights from the football field will help immensly though, as will the higher ISO settings. The 1600 to 4000 setting will allow you to take shots in a lot lower light. You might try upgrading to a Digital SLR camera ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) with a lens that has a larger aperature. This will allow you to set it at a ISO of 1600 and use the low aperature for the most light allowed while you can keep the shutter at a faster speed to capture the movement on the field accurately and without blurs.
Andrew
I noticed you haven't marked a response as "Best Answer"... are you still looking for help? If so, I recommend resubmitting your question at digitalcamera-hq.com so it has a better chance of being noticed. Lately it looks like questions are being answered within one or two days. Good luck!
An underwater housing for the Olympus SP-510 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does not seem to be available anywhere online as of right now. They are available for the SP-310.
Andrew
I am in process of researching and have no 1st hand knowledge.
Try B & H Photo web site
The batteris for the Olympus SP-510 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) last approximately 630 shots on standard AA alkaline batteries. More features can be found on the Olympus site ( olympusamerica.com/cpg_sect... ).
Andrew
[url=digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... Lumix FZ50 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )
Sony Cybershot H5 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )
I'm sure there are others too. If you want, you can go to our list of extended zoom cameras:
digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... just check each one individually for a viewfinder. But the ones I've mentioned are a good place to start.
Olympus SP510 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )
Panasonic Lumix FZ50 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )
The Canon a640 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is a bit over $300 but it really packs a punch with 10 megapixles and ease of use, it is a favorite of many users. Again weak zoom though :(
The Olympus sp510 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has both a powerful zoom and 7 megapixels.
Check each one out and see which is the best for you. These are all quality cameras though I have never used an Olympus myself so you might want to check out the reviews for that camera.
You can see prices for the Olympus C-750 on this page ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), in the upper right hand corner or by clicking the 'Buy' tab.
Now that I take a closer look, I see that the C-750 is no longer available. This means that it has probably been discontinued by Olympus and is no longer in production. You may be able to find it on eBay.
Can I help you find another camera perhaps? What are you looking for, feature-wise?
The all new Olympus SP-510 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) may be what you're looking for. It's got a 10x zoom and 7MP sensor.
You can find a lot of great extended zoom cameras here ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ).
2. I want to be able to zoom in on wild animals and bring them up close!
3. I want the photos to have perfect color, no overcast or other crap!
4. I want AA batteries. No Propriatori bats!
5. I want "Really nice photos"
5. I don't know crap about cameras. !
Good luck-
Canon has just introduced the Canon A710 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), which seems like it might fit the bill. You might also look at the Olympus SP-510 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) which is also just released; it has a 10x zoom, but is also probably a bigger camera than the A710. There are several options for AA battery cameras, but these seemed like the best bets to me.
Olympus SP-510 Reviews
Olympus SP-510 Reviews by Digital Camera-HQ Users
- 2.0 out of 5
I don't like being negative given that I have generally been please with Olympus cameras in the past. However, maybe I just had one of those glitched lemons...but it spoiled our one and only trip to disneyland. After two days it suddenly went dark and I could not get another picture out of it. Also, the day before, it spoiled a picture and caused the xd card to display "unreadable" I thought I'd lost all my pictures before i found out later via our computer that the card was fine except for that picture. I also notices some lines on some of the videos that were disappointing. Hopefully this is only with my camera and is only a glitch. Hope no one else has this problem.
- 3.0 out of 5
I bought this camera after a lot of research, but am disappointed with the quality of the photos when shot indoors.
The prints are grainy and just plain terrible. Don't buy this camera unless you belong to a nomdic tribe that only lives outdoors in extremly bright and sunny conditions!!
- 3.0 out of 5
Bought as a replacement to Olympus C-750UZ to go to Rome and I am very disappointed with the results. The pictures are just not as sharp as my old camera produces even though this is a 7 Meg camera and the old one is only 4 Meg
- 5.0 out of 5
outstanding.the most perfect camera for the price a master piece.
- 5.0 out of 5
Camera takes excellent pictures, and a lot of capability at a reasonable price.
- 5.0 out of 5
I owned a model SP 500 for about 6 months when it was stolen a day before my holiday to California. Since I quite liked the design (the body has the feel of a SLR and fits nicely in a big hand) and it produced some nice pix, I had no hesitation in purchasing the 510, since the 500 was not available anymore. This solid silver body has the same feeling grip (right handed only) and traveled with me up the mountain bike trails above Palm Desert and the hairpin roads of Griffith Park in LA and along Mulholland's pot holed shoulders. The pixs along the way were spectacular and the camera performed without any problems at all. I give it a big thumbs up for a durable, well rounded basic camera.
- 2.0 out of 5
I have yet to take a picture that was clear. This is a terrible camera. Don't buy it!!!
