Olympus SP-590 UZ

Olympus SP-590 UZ is Olympus's Small Sensor Superzoom camera first introduced on January of 2009. The camera includes a 12MP, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a max resolution of 3968 x 2976.

Olympus introduced the more recent Olympus SP-600 UZ (Read Full Comparison) in an effort to update this camera.

The SP-590 UZ places at #204 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras and over all #898 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. You should use our Advanced camera finder to get camera ratings based on your customized factors.

Below is a diagram of multiple factors used in the rating system.

The Olympus SP-590 UZ comes with a history of related digital cameras. Listed below, you can discover all previous and more recent models along with main specs.

You can check the SP-590 UZ from various angles in the gallery here.

Below is a shortlist of advantages and disadvantages of the Olympus SP-590 UZ based on features that are typically considered useful in a camera.

The spec of the sensor in the Olympus SP-590 UZ is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the capability to capture 3968 x 2976 pixels . The camera includes Image Stabilization (Optical). Sensor stabilization is more desirable than digital stabilization as the latter may cause cropping.

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The CCD sensor boasts 12MP and features a native ISO range of 64 - 6400. RAW photos are saved therefore the user has wider room to maneuver in post.

The graphic below shows the SP-590 UZ's sensor dimensions compared to other common sizes. The SP-590 UZ sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.9 and is highlighted in green.

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To get an understanding of various aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Olympus SP-590 UZ is 0.91 pounds (413 gr or 14.57 oz) and the measurement of the camera is 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2"). The weight of typical Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 gr so the Olympus SP-590 UZ is very much the same when compared to various competitors.

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Below is a pic of the Olympus SP-590 UZ alongside a soda so you're able to have a sense of its scale.

The top view here will highlight the button arrangement on the SP-590 UZ.

The SP-590 UZ includes a built in lens featuring a focal range of 26-676mm making it a 26.0 x zoom which is significant and is going to allow you to zoom right in.

At the widest 26mm, the lens offers an aperture of f2.8 which will be quite slow and not great in low light situations and you might find it hard to capture a shallow depth of field. You will likely also need to raise the ISO leading to noisy pictures. Towards the tele end, 676mm is great zoom and comes to f5.0 which is quite slow and you will need to use slow shutter speeds.

The SP-590 UZ has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes

Digital cameras that have NFC and Bluetooth connectivity can easily be controlled wirelessly via smartphones. You can easily transfer pictures and in some cases adjust camera settings without connecting physically to the camera.

Certain applications even give a Liveview and hit the shutter in case you are not near the camera. If the camera comes with a HDMI out, it could be connected to an external monitor. The majority of cameras will allow you to recharge the battery pack using the USB socket.

The max video quality in the Olympus SP-590 UZ is 640 x 480 and it can shoot in Motion JPEG format. 480p is low by today's standards. You really should shoot for at least FUll HD quality for good video. The camera does not have a mic and headphone socket which means that you have little control over your sound. It is perhaps best to look at a different camera if you want better sound in your video clips.

Olympus SP-590 UZ provides environment proofing which makes it a good pick to use in tough locations. This is especially helpful if you are unsure about the conditions you may face in outdoor photography.

The Olympus SP-590 UZ includes a 2.7" fixed display supporting a resolution of 230k dots.

Unfortunately the display is not a touch screen.

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The ViewFinder specs regarding Olympus SP-590 UZ are the following:

• ViewFinder Electronic

In those bright outdoor conditions which make the camera displays washed out and hard to view, viewfinders can be rather valuable.

Olympus SP-590 UZ has the capability to shoot continuously at 6.0 frames/s. The max shutter speed is 1/2000s.

Olympus SP-590 UZ includes only integrated flash without external flash support.

Olympus SP-590 UZ includes just Contrast Based Autofocus and doesn't have Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot more faster and precise when compared to Contrast Based focusing.

Olympus SP-590 UZ has the ability to use manual focusing if required in low light situations or you want to have more exact focusing control.

The usual Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR has got the maximum (600) battery life in this type of cameras.

Listed below is a listing of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras with the best battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
SP-590 UZ vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
SP-590 UZ vs B500600 nonoyes

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Nikon L840
SP-590 UZ vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
SP-590 UZ vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
SP-590 UZ vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following illustration shows a rundown of the Olympus SP-590 UZ for specific styles of photography. To learn more, browse to the specific section below.

The Olympus SP-590 UZ receives a rating of 37 which is lousy, and means the camera is not very good for portrait photography. Taking portraits favors greatly towards sensor resolution, support for RAW files & flexibility to use off-camera flash.

Getting a average rating of 60, the Olympus SP-590 UZ is fairly adequate to buy for street photography. A good street photography camera offers a good balance of picture quality plus portability.

A lousy sports photography rating of 38 indicates the Olympus SP-590 UZ is not very good for taking photos of sports. A camera really should have good focusing plus shutter speeds for sports photography.

Portability is extremely crucial in picking a camera for travel. All round, the Olympus SP-590 UZ gets a modest 58 for a travelling camera which makes it reasonably suitable to take on your journeys.

For anybody who is looking to pick a digital camera for landscape pictures, the most vital factor is going to be image quality. The Olympus SP-590 UZ at it's reasonable rating of 46 for a landscape camera is somewhat acceptable compared to its competition.

A vlogging camera should really have a moving screen, microphone port and preferably image stabilization. Considering all the details, the Olympus SP-590 UZ is not very good as a vlog camera as it receives a lousy rating of 24.

If you are in the market for replacements to the SP-590 UZ, here is a list of the highest ranked cameras that fall into the class of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The line graph down below shows you a bird's eye view of the SP-590 UZ versus it's top rated competitors listed earlier.

There are more cameras you may view as alternate options. To go through a full comparison, visit the "compare" link.