Olympus SP-600 UZ

Olympus SP-600 UZ is Olympus's Small Sensor Superzoom digital camera first introduced on February of 2010. It has a 12 MegaPixel, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a peak resolution of 3968 x 2976.

Olympus launched this model in an effort to upgrade the previous Olympus SP-590 UZ (Read Full Comparison) and subsequently launched the updated Olympus SP-610UZ (Read Full Comparison) to upgrade this model.

The SP-600 UZ is scored #234 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras and all round #1077 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. You can try our Smart camera finder to get camera listings based on your personal requirements.

Here is a graph of specific criteria used in the scoring system.

The Olympus SP-600 UZ is part of a family of products. You can view the full range underneath.

You can check the SP-600 UZ from various angles in the gallery here.

Below is a selection of advantages and drawbacks of the Olympus SP-600 UZ based on features which are normally seen as useful in a digital camera.

The Olympus SP-600 UZ is powered by the TruePic III chip. The measurement of the sensor in the Olympus SP-600 UZ is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor is able to resolve 3968 x 2976 pixels .

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The CCD sensor boasts 12MP and has a standard ISO range of 100 - 1600. Unfortunately, RAW format is not supported so you have less room to maneuver in post.

The graphic underneath shows the SP-600 UZ's sensor dimensions when compared to other popular sizes. The SP-600 UZ sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.9 and is presented in green.

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

Olympus SP-600 UZ weighs in at 1.00 lb (455g / 16.05 ounces) and the measurement of the camera is 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6"). The weight of general Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387g so the Olympus SP-600 UZ is heavier when compared to other competitors.

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Here is a picture of the Olympus SP-600 UZ with a soft drink so you can have a feel for its scale.

The top view just below will highlight the button layout on the SP-600 UZ.

The SP-600 UZ comes with a built-in lens featuring a focal range of 28-420mm giving it a 15.0 x zoom which is exceptional and does let you zoom all the way in.

At the widest 28mm, the lens provides an aperture of f3.5 and that is very slow and not ideal in low light conditions and you will probably find it hard to capture good bokeh. You would also have to up the ISO setting producing noisy photos. At the tele end, 420mm is superb zoom and comes to f5.4 making it fairly sluggish and you may need to apply slower shutter speeds.

The SP-600 UZ has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes

Cameras that include NFC or Bluetooth support can easily be used wirelessly by smartphones. You are able to transfer files and sometimes change settings without connecting physically to the camera.

Some applications even provide a Liveview and press the shutter in case you aren't close to the camera. If the camera includes a HDMI out, it could be connected to an external screen. The majority of cameras enable you to charge the battery using the USB port.

The highest video resolution in the Olympus SP-600 UZ is 1280 x 720 and it can shoot in H.264 file format. 720p is terrible by today's requirements. You should target a minimum 1080p resolution for video recording. The camera doesn't include a mic or headphone port so you get little control over your audio. It is probably best to buy a different model if you need decent audio in your videos.

There is no weather proofing on the Olympus SP-600 UZ so you need to be cautious in wet or dusty situations.

The Olympus SP-600 UZ has a 2.7 inch fixed screen supporting a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Please be aware that the screen offers no touch support.

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The View Finder details regarding Olympus SP-600 UZ are as follows:

• ViewFinder None

In those sunny outdoor situations which make the camera screens washed out and difficult to view, viewfinders will be particularly helpful.

Olympus SP-600 UZ continuous shooting rate is 10.0 frames per second. The maximum shutter speed is 1/2000 sec.

Olympus SP-600 UZ has got only inbuilt flash lacking external flash ability.

Olympus SP-600 UZ has got just Contrast Detect AF and is missing Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is more quicker & exact when compared to Contrast Detect autofocusing.

The AF system has 143 focus points to choose from. It also features Tracking AF for moving subjects. Olympus SP-600 UZ has got manual focus if needed in low light scenarios or you need to have more exact control on focus.

The typical Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR offers the highest (600) battery life in this kind of cameras.

Here is a listing of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras having the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
SP-600 UZ vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
SP-600 UZ vs B500600 nonoyes

Photography Glossary

Nikon L840
SP-600 UZ vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
SP-600 UZ vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
SP-600 UZ vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following chart presents a summation of the Olympus SP-600 UZ for varying types of photography. To learn more, visit the specific paragraph underneath.

The Olympus SP-600 UZ receives a points total of 27 which is low, meaning that it is not really very good to use for portrait images. Taking portraits favors heavily to sensor specs, support for RAW files plus the capability to utilize external lighting.

Having a low points tally of 36, the Olympus SP-600 UZ is not really very good to use in street photography. A decent street photography camera features a perfect balance of picture quality and portability.

A low sports photography points tally of 31 suggests the Olympus SP-600 UZ is not really very good for taking pictures of sports. A camera should have excellent tracking plus shutter speeds for sports photography.

Weight is very crucial when buying a travel camera. In general, the Olympus SP-600 UZ gets a reasonable 51 as a travelling camera which is fairly suited for your holidays.

When you are planning to buy a digital camera for landscape photography, the biggest factor will be image quality. The Olympus SP-600 UZ with it's low grade of 29 for a landscape camera is not really very good within the current marketplace.

A camera for vlogging preferably should offer a articulating display screen, mic input and preferably IBIS. Considering all things, the Olympus SP-600 UZ is not really very good for vlogging as it gets a low score of 20.

If you are shopping for alternatives to the SP-600 UZ, below is a range of the highest ranked cameras that fall in to the category of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The graph here shows you an overview of the SP-600 UZ vs it's highest ranking rivals suggested previously.

These are some more cameras you may see as alternatives. To review a thorough comparison, visit the "compare" link.