Olympus SP-820UZ

Olympus SP-820UZ is Olympus's Small Sensor Superzoom digital camera originally released on August of 2012. The camera includes a 14MP, CMOS 1/2.3" size sensor with a full resolution of 4288 x 3216.

Olympus launched this model as a way to replace the older Olympus SP-820UZ (Read Full Comparison) & subsequently released the newer Olympus SP-820UZ (Read Full Comparison) as a way to update this model.

The SP-820UZ stands at #213 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras & over-all #947 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. Please look at our Smart camera filter to get camera listings based on your personalized criteria.

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

The Olympus SP-820UZ has a history of related digital cameras. Underneath, you can see all past and newer models along with important features.

You can look at the SP-820UZ from several angles in the gallery here.

Here is a selection of good and bad points of the Olympus SP-820UZ based on aspects which are typically regarded as important in a digital camera.

The sensor size on the Olympus SP-820UZ is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can capture 4288 x 3216 pixels using aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9.

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The CMOS sensor has 14MP and features a standard ISO range of 80 to 6400. Unfortunately, RAW photos are not saved so you have less margin for error.

The picture underneath displays the SP-820UZ's sensor size when compared to other popular sizes. The SP-820UZ sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is showcased in green.

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To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Olympus SP-820UZ weighs in at 1.07 lbs (485 gr or 17.11 ounces) & has external proportions of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7"). The weight of average Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 gr and the Olympus SP-820UZ is weightier as compared with other competitors.

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Underneath is a shot of the Olympus SP-820UZ besides a soda to help you to get a feel for its size.

The top view just below will illustrate the button layout on the SP-820UZ.

The SP-820UZ offers an inbuilt lens having a focal range of 22-896mm giving it a 40.7 x zoom which is huge and will enable you to zoom all the way in.

At it's widest 22mm, it has an aperture of f3.4 which is really sluggish and not the best for low light events and you might find it hard to get a shallow depth of field. You could also need to up your ISO resulting in noisy images. For the long end, 896mm is excellent zoom and comes with f5.7 making it very sluggish and you might have to choose slower shutter speeds.

The SP-820UZ has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes

Digital cameras that feature NFC or Bluetooth support are able to be controlled wirelessly with smartphones. You can easily send images and at times change camera settings without the hassle of connecting physically with the camera.

Several apps also stream a Liveview and release the shutter when you are not close to the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI port, it can easily be connected to an external screen. Many cameras enable you to charge the battery pack with the USB port.

The highest possible video quality on the Olympus SP-820UZ is 1920 x 1080 and you can record in MPEG-4 and H.264 file format. 1080p quality delivers a great balance in video quality versus file size but 1080p won't give you any room to crop. The body does not offer a microphone or headphone jack so you have absolutely no control over the audio. It is probably best to consider a different model if you require good audio for your videos.

There is no environment proofing on the Olympus SP-820UZ so you have to be careful in wet and dusty conditions.

The Olympus SP-820UZ includes a 3" fixed display screen having a resolution of 460k dots.

Unfortunately the display screen isn't a touch screen.

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The ViewFinder details for Olympus SP-820UZ are the following:

• ViewFinder None

For sunny outdoor conditions that make the camera displays washed out and tricky to see, viewfinders are very useful.

Olympus SP-820UZ continuous shooting rate is 2.0 fps. The maximum shutter speed is 1/2000 seconds.

Olympus SP-820UZ has just inbuilt flash with missing external flash support.

Olympus SP-820UZ has only Contrast Detect Autofocus & does not have Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection autofocusing is more snappier and precise as compared with Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera includes Face detection which can be useful for people photography.

Olympus SP-820UZ does not have manual focus. Manual focus mode can be good in low light conditions or you want to have more accurate focus control.

The average Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR features the best (600) battery life in this class of cameras.

Here is a list of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras which have the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
SP-820UZ vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
SP-820UZ vs B500600 nonoyes

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Nikon L840
SP-820UZ vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
SP-820UZ vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
SP-820UZ vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following illustration displays a outline of the Olympus SP-820UZ for specific kinds of photography. To view more, browse to the specific section underneath.

The Olympus SP-820UZ has a score of 34 which is awful, meaning that it is just not suitable for portrait photography. Shooting portrait images favors heavily to sensor resolution, RAW support & option to work with external flash.

Coming in at a awful points total of 37, the Olympus SP-820UZ is just not suitable for street photography. A decent street photography camera features a perfect balance of image quality and portability.

A awful sports photography points tally of 33 means the Olympus SP-820UZ is just not suitable for taking pictures of sports. A camera must have excellent focusing and shutter speeds for sports photography.

Weight is pretty critical in picking a travel camera. On the whole, the Olympus SP-820UZ gets a reasonable 55 for a travelling camera which makes it reasonably adequate for your trips.

If you're planning to pick a digital camera for landscape photography, the most vital factor will be image quality. The Olympus SP-820UZ at it's awful grade of 35 for a landscape camera is just not suitable among its competition.

A camera for vlogging ought to offer a moving screen, mic input and if possible IBIS. Taking everything in to account, the Olympus SP-820UZ is just not suitable as a vlog camera as it gets a awful rating of 25.

If you are interested in replacements to the SP-820UZ, below is a range of the highest rated cameras which fall in to the category of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The chart here will give you a summary of the SP-820UZ versus it's highest ranking competitors mentioned earlier.

These are various other cameras you might see as alternative options. To look at a comprehensive comparison, simply click the "compare" link.