Olympus SZ 30MR

24th May 2011 My Review of the OLYMPUS SZ 30 MR

Compact

The camera certainly is compact, in fact much smaller than I was expecting in comparison to the Panasonic TZ7 I'm replacing it is a little bulkier however it has an Optical Zoom of twice the size. Pocket able well they will have to be baggy coat or jacket pocket no problem.

Durable

Over all the camera is well constructed although I feel I've been spoiled a little with the aluminium bodies of the Panasonics. The switches and dials are of good quality and better than the function dial on the Panasonic which always seemed to get knocked of settings too easily when in the hands. The battery hatch feels a little flimsy and the locking switch is not spring loaded however this did not cause any problems, just an observation. The body is all constructed from good quality plastics with differing but durable finishes in the right places.

Light

Well there is no question here it is light and surprisingly so given the large lens this camera hosts. It would have to be constructed of polystyrene to be any lighter.

Good Quality Pictures

The most important part, picture quality, well I was not disappointed by the results that I have achieved so far with this camera. They are on par with my Panasonic and for family snaps more than adequate to print up to A4. As you might expect composure of shots with kids and animals is notoriously hit and miss but click away and I managed to get some great results.

The video function was equally impressive and played straight out of the camera in windows media player no problem. Again results were easily comparable to my Panasonic, with the addition of funky in camera effects and the dual picture mode.

Reliable Auto Modes

The auto modes were easy to use as you would expect and gave great results, I was very impressed with the in camera panorama feature which outputs panoramic images off the hoof. I never really got round to converting the panoramic images from my Panasonic, time is key when you have a house full of kids and animals. I have not tried the low light auto features yet as I'm usually in bed at this time of year prior to starry sky time, although indoor low light performance was good with and without the flash.

Good Manual Features

The manual features on the camera are good and are easily accessed with the cameras function buttons. The essential functions are superimposed on the screen to the left over the live image and the effects of chosen changes are shown live centrally on screen with an image either side showing the effects of the two adjacent options. So for white balance for instance you may select Auto WB and the image to the left would show Fluorescent WB and the image to the right would show Sunny Outdoor WB centrally Auto WB in the live picture would be shown. This goes the same for Exposure Compensation and ISO Speed. Flash settings, Macro and Shooting Mode and Timer are also accessible from this handy menu. Focus and picture quality settings are deeper within the camera menu system but only a few clicks away. Video has it's own dedicated button and in MR mode you still have access to the same onscreen manual adjustments as for still images which is very useful and was not an option that I recall on my Panasonic TZ7.

Fun to Use

Without a doubt I have enjoyed using this camera immensely, it has a plethora of new functions and modes previously unavailable on a compact camera, that inspired me to fiddle a play with different settings. There is plenty of scope for continued creative use of these modes in differing shooting environments with differing subjects. I was overwhelmed somewhat by the range of creative options at my disposal but was pleased with the results even though a little mixed. There is plenty of scope to develop some impressive new tricks which come straight out of the camera.

Quick Focus to Photo

The camera start up time is impressively under one second and its ready to shoot although flash pop up appears to be manual so if require you need to remember to pop it up as the camera will not do this automatically. The focus features where generally reliable with Face / iESP, Spot Focus and AF Tracking. There is also an AF assist lamp which did an admirable job in low light settings. I had mixed results with focus in iAUTO mode when trying to capture fast moving children and animals but in Manual mode the increased control gave better more reliable results. On the whole I was impressed the focus ability was at least as good as my old Panasonic.

Indoor Results

The indoor results where good although not tested in winter with incandescent lighting curtains drawn etc. The Auto WB did a pretty good job and manual functions are easily accessible, it made a reasonable job of flash free shots. Just remember to pop that flash.

Stabilisation

The stabilisation was good overall, particularly in terms of video output which despite holding the camera by had gave very good results. Equally still images turned out well even in lower light environments.

Inovative Features

Olympus scores top marks here for bringing something completely new to market prior to anyone else. The multi capture functions of this camera are not available on any other that I know of and set it in a league of its own. I might have expected say Panasonic, Samsung or maybe Sony to come up with such innovation but I'm pleased that it is Olympus for a change. Are these features genuinely useful or just a gimmick, I'd say they're useful in terms of capturing those magic moments simultaneously in different formats, provides great opportunity for further creativity out of camera. The ability to take duplicate internet friendly images with the possibility to upload directly from camera with the right SD card it's got to be good. Not so sure about the 3D results though perhaps I need a 3D enabled TV to view the results on and I do not have one of those so I cannot comment. My experience of 3D capture is that it works best with stationary object or a very still subject.

Software

There are two software suites with the camera ib & Olympus Viewer 2 both appear to do a similar job in terms of downloading images from the camera although the latter has the ability to modify and edit your images and does a pretty competent job. I tended to use the Viewer 2 software over the ib.

Instructions

There were basic get you started instructions in the box in every conceivable language. The full user manual was in PDF, I struggle with reading documents on the computer which is not that convenient. I have a tendency to print them out four pages to A4 as an easy reference guide. I guess this option saves Olympus a great deal of money in printing costs and to be honest if you are familiar with modern camera settings finding your way around the Olympus SZ 30 MR is not rocket science, it's layout is intuitive and easy to explore without the guide of a full instruction manual. But to get the best out of those new funky features I recommend that you read it anyways.

Ease of Use

For a beginner I'd say there would be no problem using many of this cameras features and settings right out of the box. The iAuto mode dose a pretty good job of sorting everything out and the function modes are easy enough to access in terms of portrait dogs sports etc. For the more advanced user there is plenty to fiddle with and keep them happy in terms of manual controls and new options to play with enhancing creativity.

Gadget Cudos

I'd be more than happy to show this camera off to everyone I know, it's the business. I'll be the envy of all when they see what this camera can do with dual capture capability.

Tabled Results Scored out of 5

Compact 4.5/5 Durable (Constuction) 3.5/5 Light 4.5/5 Pictures 4/5 Reliable Auto Modes 4/5 Good Manual Features 4/5

Fun to use 4.5/5 Focus to Photo 4/5

Indoor Results 4/5 Stabilisation 4/5 Innovative Features 5/5 Good Set of Software 4/5

Good Instructions 3.5/5 Ease of Use 4/5 Gadget Cudos 5/5

Total Score Out = 62.5/75 = 84%

Conclusion

If your in the market for a feature packed compact camera with good creative features, good manual control, good image quality. That is easy to use inspires fun and creativity, can be used by a novice and an advanced user with ease. If you don't want to spend the earth then look no further Olympus now leads the pack in innovation in style.