The Goods

The Goods March 2007

Longer Than Yours

Normally, we call this class of cameras "superzooms," but we may have to rename this model a "superduperzoom." The new Olympus SP-550 Ultrazoom has an 18X zoom lens (28-504mm equivalent), and we're talking optical zoom, not digital pseudozoom. Looking a bit like a mini-DSLR, this 7.1MP cam has a relatively bright lens, at f/2.8-5.4, and can be set to ISOs up to 1600 (3200 if you shoot at 3MP). Before you panic that you'll never hold it steady when you're all zoomed-in, take note: The SP-550 has mechanical image stabilization via a shifting CCD sensor, plus a digital stabilization mode that bumps up ISOs and speeds up the shutter. Serious shooters will enjoy RAW capture, full manual exposure, and three metering options. Compose your pic by eye-level electronic viewfinder or on the 2.5-inch LCD monitor, and when you're ready for an upgrade, try the auxiliary wide-angle and tele lenses. They let you extend down and up to 20mm and 857mm, respectively, for a combined range of -- drumroll please -- 42X optical. It does 640x480 video, too. Sure, it saves to xD Picture Cards, but waddya gonna do. ($500, estimated street; www.olympusamerica.com)