Review on Olympus SP 550UZ Digital Stabilized Optical by Joseph Adaymiln

I bought two of these cameras, one for me and one for my wife. The biggest advantage was the 18x optical zoom. I sold the Canon S2 IS (which I really liked) to buy this, so my expectations were pretty high. For the most part, this camera didn't disappoint, but there are a few things Canon lacks for me. This camera shoots continuously at 15fps, but only at low resolution, and the delay between shots is fairly slow, even with an H XD-type card. Many of the preset modes are completely useless to me, but they can help a beginner. It has a built-in "lead" setting that allows the inexperienced shooter to get good exposure. The 18x zoom is great for us as we are avid bird and wildlife photographers. We'll be putting these cameras to the test during our upcoming trip to Panama in December! I'm also happy with the image quality and the wider range of resolution settings. This camera has a dedicated time-lapse feature that my S2 didn't have, and while I don't use it often, it's there when I want it. Metering seems to work a bit better on this camera than on the Canon, and I also like the individual settings for contrast, sharpness, and saturation. Focusing in low light is slow, but I had the same problem with Canon. The wide range of ISO settings is also a plus because if I can't use a flash in low light I can still get a shot, albeit a grainy one. So after a month of shooting and experimenting with local shots I'm very happy with this camera. After Panama I will find out for sure!