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“We described the Fuji S8000fd as trying to be all things to all people, but that was before we really got to grips with the Olympus SP-560UZ. The number of features and options available on the Olympus is frankly comical. You could use this camera for years without ever finding all the (often fairly pointless) things it can do, so numerous and deeply buried in menus are they. The SP-560UZ has more features than most users will ever discover, let alone want to use. This isn’t helped by the rather brief manual that glosses over much of the camera’s functionality only being included as a PDF on a CD. This kind of cost-cutting isn’t unique to Olympus but is hard to justify in a camera this feature-laden. The mysteries of “one-touch” white balance and area auto focus mode are only clarified by spending time clicking through the PDF manual.”

This autumn, Olympus introduces the ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 70-300mm 1:4.0-5.6. Designed for the specific demands of digital photography, this extreme telephoto lens delivers 4.28x zoom power – up to a phenomenal focal length of 300mm (600mm on a 35mm camera system). Despite such high-performance attributes, this ultra-compact model only weighs in at around half as much as its competition. This makes it the ideal travel lens to accompany any Four Thirds Standard digital SLR.

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It’s the camera that’s like no other – and now it has won a TIPA Award: The shock, water, crush and freezeproof Olympus µ 770 SW (Stylus 770 SW in the U.S.)*. The Technical Press Image Association (TIPA) has conferred this model the award for Best Innovative Design in Europe 2007. Each year, TIPA honours products and technologies of special distinction across a number of areas in the field of photography. The association membership currently comprises 30 publications across 12 European countries. 

Bottom line - the Stylus 770 SW is a good digicam for the active user needing a weather resistant/water proof camera,while Olympus claims it is also “Shock Proof” up to 5 feet, we opted not to test this feature. The 770’s 7-megapixel SHQ images have plenty of resolution to create high-quality prints up to 13x19 inches or larger, however we had some issues with the poor position of the lens and the below average results of its VGA movie mode. With an MSRP of $379.99, it offers a good value for a 7-megapixel underwater capable digicam. 

As a sports shooter, the SP-550 UZ is a bit of an enigma, hampered by its slow autofocus performance and poor image quality in its 2 high speed drive modes. But no other consumer digicam can come close to its high speed capture rate and the pre-capture mode that renders anticipating the decisive moment a moot point. The SP-550’s high-quality lens can’t be matched either, offering a versatile focal length range that is equally at home in tight interiors and athletic playing fields. Combine that with its very good image quality in standard drive modes, and the SP-550 UZ represents a good value at its $499 MSRP.