A digital SLR camera requires carrying a large camera case with multiple lenses and dealing with sometimes inconvenient lens swapping. The SP-570 offers a wide range of features that meet those of SLRs without the necessity for extra lenses and extra costs. In fact, this camera offers a lot for its mid-range price point.

The ability to shoot in RAW and to control all of the camera’s functionality will be great when you want to do some impressive photography. But you can also use this camera as a point-and-shoot when you just want to grab a quick shot.

Extra features like the wonderful zoom, great LCD screen, electronic viewfinder, face recognition, and image stabilization, make this camera very full featured. If you are looking to go beyond the capabilities of most point-and-shoot cameras, but you don’t want the expense of an SLR and don’t want to deal with multiple lenses, this camera may be for you.

Pros:

• Great lens with 20x optical zoom
• Excellent image stabilization
• Easy to use controls
• Good movie mode
• Substantial feel in hand
• Large selection of preset screen modes
• Shoots in RAW format as well as JPEG
• Hot shoe for flash

Cons:

• xD-Picture Card provides storage only up to 2 GB
• Big and chunky
• Sound not on by default in movie mode