The Olympus SP-570UZ (Ultra Zoom) is an unusual breed in the camera lineup. Because it doesn’t have interchangeability of lenses like a SLR (single lens reflex) camera, it is technically a point-and-shoot camera. Yet it offers many features that are commonly found in more expensive digital SLR cameras. We set out to find out whether a half-breed of this type would be valuable.

The camera itself, as shown in Figure 1, is not a point-and-shoot that will fit in your shirt pocket. Although slightly smaller than most digital SLRs, it is still large and chunky.  Weighing in at almost a pound (15.7oz, 445g) without batteries or memory card, it is no feather-weight.  However, its heft and built-in hand grip give it a good, substantial, and steady feel in your hand.  For some, that will overcome the inconvenience of having to hang the camera around your neck or carry a small camera case.

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Figure 1: The Olympus SP-570UZ.

As shown in Figure 2, included in the box is the camera, USB cable, manual in both English and Spanish, audio/video cable, neck strap, lens cap with cap string, 4 – AA batteries, warranty card, and Olympus software on CD. Although the 570 has 45MB of built-in memory, you will want to leave enough in your budget to purchase an xD-Picture card to augment the storage capacity.

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Figure 2: What’s in the box.