Photo Review Reviews section

Olympus SP550 UZ

8.5 Rating

A compact digicam with the longest zoom range on the market and some features to appeal to travellers and photo enthusiasts.When Olympus announced its SP550 UZ, the world’s first 18x zoom digicam, in late January it attracted considerable attention worldwide but we had to wait until mid-May to get our hands on a review unit. The zoom lens ranges from the equivalent of 28mm to 504mm on a 35mm camera and it’s partnered with a dual-action ISO boost and CCD shift image stabilisation system plus a 7.1-megapixel imager.

Olympus SP-500UZ

8.5 Rating

A compact, long-zoom camera with lots of user-adjustable controls. Some interesting scene modes plus adequate picture quality for stills and movie clips.Top model in the Olympus Ultra Zoom range, the new SP-500UZ sports a 6-megapixel CCD sensor plus a fast (f/2.8-3.7) 10x optical zoom lens and plenty of features for both enthusiast and hobbyist photographers. Unlike some other long-zoom models, the SP-500’s lens lacks in-built stabilisation but digital camera movement compensation is provided in movie mode (it crops the field of view). The SP-500UZ is chunkier than the SP-350 model but has a similar suite of controls, although the location of some buttons is different. [ia]

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM1

9 Rating

A pocketable PEN camera that comes in six fashionable colours and supports some creative shooting modes plus Full HD video recording.The PEN Mini E-PM1 is the smallest, lightest and simplest of the three interchangeable-lens mirrorless cameras announced by Olympus in June 2011. Designed for snapshooters looking for a very compact camera that’s easy to use but delivers above-average image quality, it offers most of the sophisticated functions provided by its up-market siblings.

Olympus PEN E-PL2

8.5 Rating

The latest entry-level PEN camera comes with a new kit lens, adjustable Art Filters and support for additional accessories.Announced in early January, the E-PL2 is a fourth-generation model in Olympus’s PEN family of compact interchangeable lens cameras. Featuring the same 12.3-megapixel Live MOS Sensor as the E-PL1, the new model has a redesigned user interface and larger, higher-resolution LCD monitor. A built-in flash has been added, along with a new M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II MSC kit lens that is 25% lighter than its predecessor.

Olympus PEN E-P3

8.8 Rating

A new flagship model in the PEN series of interchangeable-lens cameras provides improved functionality and support for Full HD video.The E-P3 is the flagship model of three PEN-series cameras announced by Olympus at the end of June. The 12.3-megapixel sensor from previous PEN models continues in all three cameras, which differ in body size, appearance and functionality. The E-P3 introduces a number of enhancements, among them the addition of a built-in flash and refinements to the autofocusing system, thanks largely to a new, more powerful image processor.

Nikon Coolpix P90

8 Rating

Nikon’s first ultra-zoom digicam with P, A, S and M shooting modes and time-lapse capture.Nikon has entered the competitive ultra-zoom digicam market with the Coolpix P90, which combines a 24x optical zoom lens with a 6.13 x 4.6mm CCD sensor with an effective resolution of 12.1 megapixels. It’s not the longest zoom lens on the digicam market (Olympus still commands a lead with 26x on the SP-560UZ) and the P90 is a large and chunky camera. But it has a few features to attract photographers who don’t want an SLR.

Olympus Pen E-P1

8.5 Rating

Olympus’s first Micro Four Thirds camera targets the gap between digicams and DSLRs for serious photographers and also supports HD video recording.The Olympus Pen E-P1 is the third Micro Four Thirds (MFT) camera to reach the market and is quite different from the Panasonic G-series models that preceded it. Capitalising on the heritage of the popular ‘Pen’ series cameras, which were launched 50 years ago, it comes with a Four Thirds format, 12.3-megapixel (effective) Live MOS image sensor that supports both still and HD video capture.

Nikon Coolpix P7000

8 Rating

Nikon’s latest digicam for photo enthusiasts who want a full range of controls plus support for raw files and HD video. It’s taken a while for us to get our hands on Nikon’s Coolpix P7000, although we’ve reviewed its main rivals: Canon’s PowerShot G12 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. There’s clearly a market for a competent, pocketable camera that supports raw file capture and offers P/A/S/M shooting modes. And it’s obvious the main players are watching their rivals because all three models provide similar functions.

Nikon Coolpix P100

8 Rating

A compact super-zoom digicam with support for Full HD video capture plus high-speed photo and video shooting modes.Released a year after the Coolpix P90, Nikon’s Coolpix P100 is a next-generation super-zoom model with the same SLR-like styling as its predecessor. However, it adds some features and special shooting modes to attract a wider range of potential purchasers. Although sensor resolution has been (sensibly) reduced, the zoom range is longer and the adjustable LCD monitor has higher resolution.

Nikon Coolpix 8400

Physically, the Coolpix 8400 looks like a chunky version of the 5-megapixel Coolpix 5400 but has a wider angle of view, an electronic viewfinder and larger monitor, plus an LCD data display on the top panel. The menu systems are identical in both cameras but the 8400’s flash pops up and the mode dial sits above the command wheel on the top left corner of the camera body.