Olympus SP-560 UZ Performance

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Olympus SP-560 UZ Performance

Timing and Performance

Good to average speed for a long zoom.

Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	2.9 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.
Shutdown	2.4 seconds	How long it takes to retract lens.
Buffer clearing time	12 seconds (after 14 large/fine JPEGs), 11 seconds after a single RAW frame	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Mode switching
Play to Record, first shot	0.8 second	Time until first shot is captured.
Record to play	1.6 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture.
Display recorded image	1.3 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time):
Full Autofocus Wide	0.77 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	0.74 seconds	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.059 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shut button.
Continuous AF	0.78 second	This mode usually shows no speed increase with our static subject; we have no way to measure performance with moving subjects.
Manual focus	0.39 second	For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused".
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG	2.15 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 14 shots.
Single Shot mode 640x480 JPEG	2.14 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode RAW	11.29 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 11 shots.
Early shutter penalty?	No	Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.
Continuous mode Large Fine JPEG	0.92 second (1.09 frames per second); 14 frames total; 12 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Continuous mode 640x480 JPEG	0.81 second (1.23 frames per second); >20 frames total; 1 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Flash recycling	9.7 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	4,560 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-770=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Olympus Type H xD-Picture card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. ISO sensitivity also affects cycle times and burst mode performance, with higher ISOs generally increasing cycle times and reducing burst performance.

The Olympus SP-560's performance is generally above average for an ultra-zoom model. Startup and shutdown speeds are above average (which means it's slower than a 3x digicam at 2.9 seconds, but faster than the average long zoom). Shutter response is above average, too, coming in at 0.77 second for full autofocus lag at wide angle, a tiny bit faster at telephoto, and a very quick 0.059 second when prefocused. Shot-to-shot cycle times and continuous-mode speeds are about average, though there are high-speed modes available at lower resolutions. The flash takes 9.7 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, which is below average, but the flash is fairly powerful. Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are very fast, so you won't feel the need an external reader. Bottom line, the Olympus SP-560 UZ is a responsive long zoom and quite an improvement over the SP-550 in autofocus lag and download speed.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Very good battery life with Alkaline AA's, probably even better with NiMH rechargeables.

Operating Mode	Battery Life
Still-image capture mode LCD on, Alkaline AA batteries	380 shots
Still-image capture mode LCD on, NiMH AA batteries	unknown

The Olympus SP-560 UZ uses a four AA-size batteries for power. Unfortunately, Olympus has not published a NiMH battery life rating for the SP-560, but 380 shots is pretty impressive for Alkaline batteries.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Olympus SP-560 UZ has about 47MB internal memory and uses xD Picture Cards, although no card is supplied with the camera.

Image Capacity with 47MB Internal Memory		Fine	Normal	RAW
3,264 x 2,448	Images	11	22	3
3,264 x 2,448	File Size	4.0 MB	2.0 MB	11.9 MB
2,560 x 1,920	Images	18	-	-
2,560 x 1,920	File Size	2.5 MB	-	-
2,304 x 1,728	Images	22	-	-
2,304 x 1,728	File Size	2.0 MB	-	-
2,048 x 1,536	Images	28	-	-
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	1.6 MB	-	-
1,600 x 1,200	Images	45	-	-
1,600 x 1,200	File Size	1.0 MB	-	-
1,280 x 960	Images	66	-	-
1,280 x 960	File Size	705 KB	-	-
1,024 x 768	Images	97	-	-
1,024 x 768	File Size	480 KB	-	-
640 x 480	Images	266	-	-
640 x 480	File Size	176 KB	-	-

The Olympus SP-560UZ stores its photos on xD memory cards or in approximately 47MB of internal memory, and no card is included with the camera. That means that out of the box, you can only capture four full resolution, low compression images, or one RAW image. We strongly recommend buying a large capacity xD Picture card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 2GB one to give yourself extra space for extended outings and videos. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)