Olympus SP-810UZ

Olympus SP-810UZ

Olympus' SP series aims to push the ultrazoom category further, squeezing ever-longer zoom ratios into bodies only slightly larger than a compact system camera. The SP-810UZ is the most ambitious so far, boasting an amazing 36x lens, one of the longest we've ever seen. But we know from experience that extreme focal lengths often produce worse image quality. Strong sensor performance and expert lens calibration will be required to make this intriguing model stand out. The SP-810UZ’s reproduction of color is good but not great. We recorded an error value of 3.16 in our test, and 3.00 flat is average (lower scores are better). The most inaccurate shades, unfortunately, are those found in skin. Bright yellows are too dark, while reds are too close to brown. As a result, human subjects won’t appear as flattering as they would with a more expensive, more accurate model. Blues are also a problem, with all tints darker than they should be. More on how we test color. Since the ultrazoom market is fairly crowded, we’ll be performing comparisons based mainly on price range.