Olympus SP-590 UZ Reviews: Digital Hybrid Camera

  • Photo of Olympus SP-590 UZ Digital Camera
  • Photo of Olympus SP-590 UZ Digital Camera
  • Photo of Olympus SP-590 UZ Digital Camera
Photo of Olympus SP-590 UZ Digital Camera
Score: 9.2/10

77 Real Customer Reviews - In Summary

+ This digital camera scores high on features. - It has no outstanding negative points. “I love the feel of it and the compactness. the zoom is great not to heavy” Iris, Andover View all 77 real customer reviews

Available via Reevoo.com from £225 – £386 at 11 retailers

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Product Details

2.7" Screen, 26x optical zoom, XD Card storage More »

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Real customer reviews

77 verified purchasers have reviewed this product.
95% of people recommend it.

Show scores of…
All purchasers (77)
Build Quality9.0
Ease of use8.8
Features9.1
Image quality9.2
Value for money (at time of purchase)9.5
Overall rating9.2
Keen amateur (20)
Point & shoot (8)
Experienced amateur (5)
Professional photographer (2)
Other (42)
 

*not all purchasers provided a score or review

Iris, Andover , “Other”

Score 10.0/10

+ I love the feel of it and the compactness.
The zoom is great
Not to heavy

- Reviewer left no comment

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25 of 26 people found this review helpful

purchased 01 Apr 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 9.0/10

+ easy to use, lots of features including bird watching setting. battery life is reasonable.

- needs tripod or monopod at maximum zoom. Movie recording not to good on play back.

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22 of 24 people found this review helpful

purchased 24 Jun 2009

Andy, Hereford

Score 9.0/10

+ The amazing zoom range from wide angle to 26x makes composing all types of shots easy. The zoom is quick and auto focus works well except when zooming in low light. Picture quality is impressive and colours very true.

- The zoom is not as smooth as I would like.

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14 of 14 people found this review helpful

purchased 05 Jul 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser , “Point & shoot” More like this »

Score 9.0/10

+ Particularly like the 26x zoom.

- Haven't discovered any yet!

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15 of 18 people found this review helpful

purchased 23 Jun 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 10.0/10

+ had a 550 before this is an upgrade. much better everything is quicker cant fault it but am only an ametuer so i dont see the faults the self proclaimed experts see.?

- non.!! dont understand the expert critcs faults bit i am not making a living out of it

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13 of 15 people found this review helpful

purchased 01 Jul 2009

TERRY, HAVERHILL SUFFOLK , “Point & shoot” More like this »

Score 10.0/10

+ GREAT PICTURES AND RANGE. EASY TO CHANGE TO DIFFERENT PICTURE MODES, GREAT RESULTS

- NONE YET

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12 of 13 people found this review helpful

purchased 08 Jul 2009

Ray, Dundee , “Keen amateur” More like this »

Score 9.0/10

+ wanted a camera with greater zoom than existing compact, absolutely fabulous results to date, easy to use ( after good read through instructions), colour is probobly the most accurate i have found in any camera over 40 years keen amateur, very good scene modes, used fast shutter setting at Leucars air show last week, fantastic, overall very pleased, well done olympus i think this is the best bridge camera available and boy did i do some research before buying.

- zoom very quick, would prefer to be able to have more control over it for setting up shot but getting used to it.
Lens cover easily knocked off, could be a tighter fit.
Battery indicator goes from full to flat no indication of running down, always carry spare set and this ceases to be a problem but other camera shows running down which i would prefer.

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11 of 11 people found this review helpful

purchased 21 Aug 2009

Andy, Yeovil , “Experienced amateur” More like this »

Score 9.0/10

+ Light weight and excellent performance

- Sometimes difficult to get the autofocus to work on a plain subject (a wall for instance, when you're trying to photograph a crack in the wall

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12 of 15 people found this review helpful

purchased 30 Jun 2009

Anthony , London , “Point & shoot” More like this »

Score 10.0/10

+ The camera is well built, is very easy to use, is intuitive it has more features than I'll ever use. Picture quality is superb unless I guess you're a professional photographer. And for the price there's nothing close to it in my opinion.

- None I've seen.

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9 of 9 people found this review helpful

purchased 16 Jul 2009

Kenneth, Dartford , “Keen amateur” More like this »

Score 9.0/10

+ 26 x zoom, burst feature

- I have not got my head around all the features.

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8 of 9 people found this review helpful

purchased 06 Jul 2009

Clive, London , “Keen amateur” More like this »

Score 9.0/10

+ A camera with an extensive range of features and unbelievable zoom 26x. Easy to use and give good photos. Doesn't weigh too much, so easy to carry for long periods.

- Some of the settings are not intuitive and need to be remembered.

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7 of 7 people found this review helpful

purchased 27 Jul 2009

Roger, Broadway, Worcestershire

Score 10.0/10

+ Good overall general purpose camera. Saves carrying around all the different lenses but so far without a loss of quality. Light and reasonably compact for all that it does. Good intermediate camera for both amature and professional.

- Slightly awkward to grip untill you get used to it. Case suplied with is OK as a dust cover but nothing else.

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6 of 6 people found this review helpful

purchased 10 Aug 2009

michael, louhborough , “Point & shoot” More like this »

Score 10.0/10

+ price, easy to hold, good on batteries

- can not get a card reader for the micro sd attachment

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6 of 7 people found this review helpful

purchased 13 Jul 2009

Minde, Peterborough

Score 8.0/10

+ Good zoom. Good photos outside.

- Bad photos inside without flash.Cheap bag.

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7 of 9 people found this review helpful

purchased 14 Jul 2009

Bryan, workington cumbria , “Experienced amateur” More like this »

Score 10.0/10

+ the camera its self is excellent small enough compact and of good design. the features are really good and easy to use it also has a decent size screen to view the many menus and the pictures you've taken.what makes this camera for me is the the 26x zoom lens which brings objects really close up overall this is an excellent buy and good value.

- the lens cap is too loose a fit which keeps falling off and even though there is a 26x zoom lens on the camera it still is'nt that brilliant as some saller camera's can do just as good a job yes you can buy an add on for this but at what expense

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8 of 11 people found this review helpful

purchased 14 Jul 2009

N, Bourne UK

Score 9.0/10

+ Although I have not used the camera to its full functionality it has taken amazing pictures. The best points and there are many are:
Wide angle lens, Panoramic facilities, the quick selection of scenarios

- Reviewer left no comment

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful

purchased 28 Jul 2009

D, Baldock , “Keen amateur” More like this »

Score 10.0/10

+ Will focus in from long distance without the need for extra lenses

- Reviewer left no comment

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4 of 4 people found this review helpful

purchased 31 Jul 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 9.0/10

+ Looks great, feels great, takes wonderful pictures and has inspired me to take photography to the next level.

- The lens cap is on a string so unless you hold it with your hand it hangs losely wich could damage the lens or the camera.

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4 of 4 people found this review helpful

purchased 06 Aug 2009

Philip, Alicante, Spain , “Professional photographer” More like this »

Score 10.0/10

+ Everything about the camera - the features are great and it is very light to carry around. I especially like the powerful zoom feature with automatic 'steady' that worls perfectly.

- Can't think of any!

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4 of 4 people found this review helpful

purchased 10 Aug 2009

Shaz, Dorset , “Keen amateur” More like this »

Score 10.0/10

+ This camera can be set up on a quick shot mode which takes 10 shots in one go. we took it to thorpe park and i caught a big wave going over my family it was fantastic. Very easy to use although i have always had this type of camera and the quality just keeps getting better. the wide screen is excellent as you can get more people in a shot.

- Reviewer left no comment

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4 of 4 people found this review helpful

purchased 18 Aug 2009

Paul , Darlington , “Experienced amateur” More like this »

Score 9.0/10

+ Good Zoom, Image Stab, Excellant in inside mode (no flash) picture qualityv is excellent in all modes and resolutions

- Lens cap requires a clip with cord to attach to neck strap the push on cap flaps in wind and is not easy to retain in hand taking photos
LCD screen should have antiscratch/ finger print coating as standard

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4 of 4 people found this review helpful

purchased 20 Aug 2009

TERRY, COVENTRY , “Keen amateur” More like this »

Score 10.0/10

+ 26x ZOOM, SPEED OF ZOOM

- Reviewer left no comment

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5 of 7 people found this review helpful

purchased 11 Jul 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 10.0/10

+ I only started using this camera and it producees pretty good pictures. There are lot of settings you can choose from and adjust light etc. I like it alot!

- Reviewer left no comment

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4 of 5 people found this review helpful

purchased 27 Jul 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 10.0/10

+ A very good comprehensive camera set up that is easy to use by both the amature and the professional

- Hav'nt found any yet.

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 29 Jul 2009

Björn, Tierp Sweden , “Professional photographer” More like this »

Score 8.0/10

+ The superzoom, easy to use, the dimensions and weight.

- It sounds that the lens pieces is loose.

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 08 Aug 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser , “Keen amateur” More like this »

Score 9.0/10

+ Many features and excellent zoom

- Somewhat plasticky finish

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 13 Aug 2009

uffe, Sweden

Score 10.0/10

+ Easy to use , great zoom , good pictures, can take a lot of pictures without need to switch batteries

- Reviewer left no comment

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 13 Aug 2009

Christer, Sweden , “For Amateurs and Proffessionals”

Score 10.0/10

+ Everything :) Value for the Money! :)
Great Zoom etc.
(Im still testing the camera) :)

- Nothing right now. (Im still testing the camera) :)

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 14 Aug 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 10.0/10

+ Fantastic zoom, cracking image quality and lots of gadgety features in a slimline (for what you get) package. Brilliant

- Not used the camera all that much yet. The only bad point i can think of is with video, that it doesnt record sound automatically

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 05 Aug 2009

Valerie, Stoke on trent , “Keen amateur” More like this »

Score 10.0/10

+ Really easy to use with lots of great features

- Reviewer left no comment

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 23 Aug 2009

Graham, Southampton

Score 10.0/10

+ the Camera is just what I wanted, small light and with lots of features to learn about, I have bought the telephoto lens to go with it but not tried it outside yet but it is looking good, recommended to any one who wants good telephoto without having to lug around all the massive lenses,

- the buttons are a bit small but I will get used to that

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 22 Aug 2009

Stefan, Oxford

Score 10.0/10

+ Image stabilization is fantastic. Don't think I had a poor picture from my first memory card full (600 pics).

- As I only got it a day before going on holiday I didn't realise that it wasn't naturally set to record sound in video mode so lost some good footage without sound before I changed the settings.

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4 of 5 people found this review helpful

purchased 27 Aug 2009

Roger, Huntingdon , “Keen amateur” More like this »

Score 8.0/10

+ compact package of many easy to use features.

- not sure yet but possibly the definite need to use a tripod or similar when using long zoom but this in itself 'bad'!.

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

purchased 27 Jul 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 9.0/10

+ good size, macro excellent, pro features

- steadyness at full zoom suspect, not convinced about battery life at moment

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

purchased 06 Aug 2009

Chris, Southport , “Point & shoot” More like this »

Score 9.0/10

+ Zoom is excellent

- Still can't work out panoramic

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3 of 4 people found this review helpful

purchased 11 Aug 2009

Keith, Greasby, Wirral , “Experienced amateur” More like this »

+ I find it an excellent camera and good value for maoney. I'm still finding my way round some of the features; the wide-angle & zoom is excellent! It certainly makes composing photos easier. The focus & anti-shake features are superb and at full focal length no one would expect a quality pic wthout a tripod.

- Haven't found any yet. - although the lenscap tends to keep coming off, which is more irratating than a bad point.

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

purchased 14 Sep 2009

laurence boyd, belfast

Score 9.0/10

+ the zoom. thought I have not been anywhere yet to try the camera looks good just useing about outside the house.

- I having found any yet

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3 of 5 people found this review helpful

purchased 11 Jul 2009

Clive, Leicester

Score 9.0/10

+ Zoom lens, AA batteries, Manual focus, Size, Image quality.

- Would have liked the abilty to operate remotely via PC

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2 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 30 Jul 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 9.0/10

+ a lot of camera for the money

- none

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2 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 16 Aug 2009

Tim, Maldon

Score 9.0/10

+ Incredible 26 times zoom

- No Raw image mode

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3 of 6 people found this review helpful

purchased 02 Jul 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 10.0/10

+ Everything

- No

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purchased 21 Aug 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser , “Experienced amateur” More like this »

Score 9.0/10

+ Built in menu and range of options. Optics are excellent

- Battery life has yet to be evaluated fully.

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purchased 23 Aug 2009

David, Barrow in Furness

Score 10.0/10

+ Bought this to replace my fuji s8100fd and thought it would be very simlar how wrong was I this camera way outclasses the fuji 26X Zoom and masses of features make this a far better camera in all aspects (In My Opinion of course) Brilliant bit of kit would also be a clever back up camera for all you dslr owners out there.

- Only takes XD or Micro SD cards, Fuji's take standard size SD cards which are easier to use.
Lens cap is poor anly just stays on the camera.
Dispatch was slow 7 days then delivered By Next Day Royal Mail Special Delivery why wait 7 days to dispatch ?.

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purchased 06 Sep 2009

Jean Claude, la Chevrolière 44

Score 9.0/10

+ Le gd angle, le zoom les modes flash, les variétés de mode d'utilisation.
  Dans l'ensemble excellent.

- La tirette du zoom placé devant et un peu trop rapide pour un réglage précis.

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purchased 11 Sep 2009

Margaret, Neath

Score 10.0/10

+ Light weight camera which fits into a medium size handbag. Haven't used all features yet but the zoom is excellent---which is the reason I bought this camera.

- Shutter button and zoom lever close together easy to move zoom lever whilst taking shot

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purchased 17 Sep 2009

andrew, little clacton

Score 8.0/10

+ very nice product with lots of features

- a lot of features to get your head round

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purchased 25 Sep 2009

Steve, Cramlington

Score 9.0/10

+ Easy to use. Documentation easy to understand. Menues easily understood and used.

- None encounted so far, but may need to use tripod to make best use of zoom.

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purchased 28 Sep 2009

James, letchworth garden city

Score 7.0/10

+ Compact size, loads of features.

- Eats batteries when using flash.

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purchased 02 Oct 2009

Trevor, Portree

Score 7.0/10

+ Superb zoom & good quality of build.

- Complicated to use all functions.

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purchased 09 Oct 2009

Vyvyan, Cannnington Somerset

Score 9.0/10

+ Excellent quality at a very reasonable price. Although I have not used it a great deal yet I look forward to playing with all its features.

- Really need a tripod for use at long range. With this amount of zoom any shake is exaggerated.

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purchased 20 Oct 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser , “Keen amateur” More like this »

Score 10.0/10

+ Another time

- Reviewer left no comment

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1 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 15 Aug 2009

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 3.0/10

+ Price

- Quality

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0 of 1 people found this review helpful

purchased 06 Sep 2009

Martin, Manchester , “Keen amateur” More like this »

Score 9.0/10

+ The optical zoom, The menu trees.ease of use. Picture quality is pretty good although I'm no professional. Digital viewfinder. I hate trying to shoot using the backscreen. Sorry I can't provide more information but I haven't used it as much as I would have liked to since I purchased it.

- Not come across any yet, but my experience of using this camera is fairly similar to other cameras I've used so I got into it very quickly, but I thought to myself new users of this technology may struggle. That's just an observation not a fact, I may be completely wrong.

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0 of 2 people found this review helpful

purchased 11 Sep 2009

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Expert reviews for Olympus SP-590 UZ

PC Advisor expert review - by Neil Bennett

Boasting a lengthy zoom capacity, with a focal length of 26-676mm, the Olympus SP-590UZ is a quality compact/DSLR bridge camera.

This Olympus SP-590 UZ review continued on PC Advisor

reviewed 02 Jun 2009

Product Features

Camera Type Hybrid
resolution (Megapixel) 12
Optical Zoom Ratio 26
Screen Size in Inches 2.7
Digital Zoom Ratio 5
Face Recognition Yes
Image Stabilisation Yes
Colour Black
Memory Card Slot Yes
Media Format XD Card
Media Format microSD Card
PictBridge Yes
Macro Mode Yes
Video Recorder Yes
Manual Focus No
Timer Yes
Under Water No
Dimensions (mm) 89.7x110.1x91
Weight (g) 435
Flash Yes
Resolution (Pixels) 3968x2976
Shortest Shutter Speed 1/2000
Longest Shutter Speed 480"
Max. Aperture Lens 1 f2.8-5
USB Port Yes

Also known as: SP-590 UZ, Olympus SP-590UZ

Digital Cameras Buyers' Guide  

Photos taken with this camera

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Manufacturer's Description

The SP series is an ultrazoom legend and with the new SP-590UZ Olympus improved its zoom competence once more: due to the built-in 26x ultrazoom it is now nearly impossible to escape the SP-590UZ. The Dual Image Stabilisation prevents blurry images, even when using the 26x optical zoom, and with Advanced Face Detection Technology your camera detects up to 16 faces and sets the optimal focus and exposure. The camera offers of a high speed 10fps sequence shooting and P/A/S/M exposure mode for creative freedom. And thanks to the High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI™) you can admire your razorsharp photos on a High Definition Television.

  • Most powerful optical performance in minimum size: 26x wide optical zoom (26-676mm*) – from extreme close-ups to the action as well as stunning scenes
  • Avoids blur thanks to Dual Image Stabilisation
  • Don’t miss the moment with high-speed 10fps sequence shooting**
  • P/A/S/M exposure modes for creative freedom
  • High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI™) technology incorporated for viewing images in high definition quality on HDMI compatible HD TVs.
  • 12 Megapixels to make poster-size prints
  • Advanced Face Detection of up to 16 persons for perfectly focused and exposed faces plus correct exposure of other image areas
  • 6.9cm/2.7" HyperCrystal II LCD for excellent preview even in brilliant sunlight
  • Built-in flash and wireless flash control from the camera body
  • Liven up your memories with movie recording with sound
  • xD-Picture Card and microSD Card compatible

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