Olympus SP-500 UZ? Any good?

[elphin]

Hi all,

First post in this forum

Been thinking of getting a Panasonic DMC-Fz5. But when shopping for it recently at Funan/Peninsula/Simlim I was recommended the Olympus SP-500 camera by two different shops as a good alternative.

From the specs seems comparable to the Fz5 except that it's 6 MP, has manual focus and slightly bigger in size.

Price wise also looks about the same (600-700+)except that the freebie deals aren't as good as the fz5 coz it's just released.

Also coz it's new I can't seem to find many reviews/feedback on it.

Just wondering if anybody have any experience with or know anything about the Olympus camera. Or have any opinions at all on this camera?

 

[elphin]

Eek! just realised I've posted this in the wrong brand's forum :embrass:
oops...

 

[jerry2308]

there is one feature that the FZ5 has but not the olyumpus..The OIS! Which i think is very eseful in certain case..

 

[felixcat8888]

there is one feature that the FZ5 has but not the olyumpus..The OIS! Which i think is very eseful in certain case..

OIS is a good feature to have. Go for the FZ-5

 

[Martin]

OIS makes the long zoom more useable and perform better in low light.

 

[roadrunner_552]

yes OIS is gd.

 

[dts_spawn]

Been thinking of getting a Panasonic DMC-Fz5. But when shopping for it recently at Funan/Peninsula/Simlim

I suggest really doing your homework first. Shops in such places have a reputation of recommending cameras that have larger profit margin. Not all shops are bad, just the few black sheeps.

 

[elphin]

haha looks like the fz5 has a lot of fans.
not surprising though given that it is the panasonic forum after all

hmm i decided on the fz5 more from a process of elimination of its competitors (sony s2 too exp, fuji 5600 too bulky and fragile, sony h1 too heavy & exp). not sure if there is a larger profit margin on the olympus, coz it costs about the same as the fz5. anyway wasn't really pressured into buying it.

from some research i gather that the fz5's main strengths are that it is really compact n it can take good outdoor shots.. but some seem to say that the quality isn't as consistent as other cameras like say the S2 and that CA and noise appears fairly frequently. is there any truth at all to that?

I mean i've checked out many fz5 sample photos online but i'm wondering if like there were like a few hundred bad shots to those one or two decent ones (not really talking about the competency of the cameraman here but rather the reliability of the equipment).

sorry if i'm sounding negative. just curious really.

 

[dts_spawn]

but some seem to say that the quality isn't as consistent as other cameras like say the S2 and that CA and noise appears fairly frequently.

Noise is a big problem with FZ5 but from what I know, cameras in this compact 5MP class all have the same problem due to the small chip size. CA is not a problem gathered from reviews and my own exprience. hope this helps.

 

[elphin]

Hi thanks for the many replies on my post.

dts_spawn:
Saw your gallery and was impressed the kind of pictures you managed to take with the fz5. must say you have a knack for capturing life's moments, like the barber n the man in the boat in the swamp.

but prob is I also intend to take pics in low light(not a big fan of flash)
just wondering how big/bad the noise prob is with the fz5?

from what I know, cameras in this compact 5MP class all have the same problem due to the small chip size.

hmmm, any recommendations on other cameras that are better in this aspect but cost less than $900? or do they even exist?

 

[dts_spawn]

Haha.. Thanks! I'm not a big fan of flash too, esp the in cam ones. In low light situations, it depends. If the object is stationary, the it'll do ok as with the O.I.S, handshake is minimise. However, it's no miracle worker. It doesn't eliminate handshake completely esp at low shutter speed and at high zoom.

The noise at ISO 80 and 100 is not a problem but at 200 is a one and at 400 is not acceptable. However, you hardly will need 200 and 400. Mainly use 80 and 100.

As for other cameras, I don't know much but from what i've heard and read, fuji produced far superior images in terms of noise because of a technology they use in their chips. But fuji doesn't have O.I.S and their zoom range ain't as great. Hope this has been helpful

 

[Martin]

I think u can narrow to FZ5 and Fuji. Both can increase brightness without much noise by 2-3 stops.

Panasonic uses OIS. eg instead of a handheld speed of 1/60, now u can use 1/15; advan of 2 stops.

Fuji uses a more sensitive CCD. eg. increase speed of iso100 to iso 800, advan of 2 stops.

Of course, u hv to take other features into consideration.