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We can only hope that with its excellent image quality and convincing optical performance, the SP-550 UZ is also a herald of a new class of bridge cameras that will place a strong emphasis on image quality and overall capabilities, and which will, in turn, offer many people with an alternative to bulkier digital SLR cameras."

..the SP-550UZ remains a very impressive camera which can delight in many respects. The build quality's great, the stabilization effective and the zoom range extremely seductive. So long as you're willing to accept the caveats above - and the lack of a flip-out screen - the SP-550UZ comes recommended."

...The Olympus SP-550 UZ manages to put Olympus back up there with the other ultra zoom cameras, but goes one step further with the world's biggest 18x optical zoom lens! If you want a wide-angle ultra zoom digital camera, then the Olympus SP-550UZ is Recommended, it has numerous benefits and a few little problems, but the benefits definitely outweigh the negatives."

To start on a positive note, although a lot of noise is introduced in low light, its anti shake mechanism works pretty well in avoiding image blur at the extreme telephoto end of the zoom – indeed much better than expected given my initial impression that Olympus was perhaps over-reaching itself here. ..."

Overall, I found that the SP-550 UZ's images displayed a very nice dynamic range and good contrast - just strong enough without having the shadows swallow up the details. Flash coverage was even and powerful enough to provide proper illumination without blowing out highlights. And you can make the strobe stronger or weaker, which is a nice touch. ..."

Olympus has a long history of ultra-zoom compact cameras and the SP-550 sets a new standard with its 18x optical zoom (28 to 504 mm). A big zoom lens extends from a very solid body. It is made of polycarbonate, but because of its surface structure, matte gray back and matte rubber front, it looks very durable.

Although the two cameras have almost similar specifications, they do differ. The SP-550 is better built with very good ergonomics and many features. The FZ8, though, is faster and has a slight advantage in image quality with less distortion, color noise, chromatic aberration and workable RAW..."

Photo quality was very good for the most part. The SP-550 takes well-exposed photos, with accurate colors, pleasing sharpness, and relatively little purple fringing. The one exception in the color accuracy department comes when you're using custom white balance -- as my test photos hopefully illustrated. Noise levels on the camera are low at ISO 50 and 100, and reasonable at ISO 200 and 400. I would save ISO 800 for desperation only. The photo quality at ISO 1600, 3200, and 5000 isn't what I'd consider acceptable. ..."

While I had a little trouble focusing on subjects that wouldn't sit still, the Olympus SP-550 UZ let me shoot things I couldn't even see without looking through its lens. And I found that a lot of fun. A whole new world of birds, fish and buffalo, in fact. But the Olympus SP-550 UZ was just as capable taking shots at wide angle and in Macro mode. ..."

Overall, the Olympus SP-550UZ is a very capable camera, especially at lower ISOs with the sensor-shift image stabilization activated. The reach of this lens is record-breaking, and it covers that long distance while keeping distortion mostly contained, except at the extreme wide angle setting, which is typical for this camera class..."

My personal take is that the Olympus SP-550 UZ is a well designed and very good ultra zoom digital camera, is enjoyable to use, and the 18x wide-angle optical zoom blows past all its ultra zoom competitors. If you must have that much zoom power (and the wonderful wide-angle), no other ultra zoom can match it. Just don't expect to be able to track and follow fast moving action at that long focal length. ..."