Olympus SZ-30MR Review

Review posted 09/08/2011

Quick Take

Pros

Compact, yet comfortable body Captures nice 16-megapixel photos Strong built-in flash unit Awesome 24x optical zoom is extremely versatile Dual IS seems to work quite well for handheld telephoto images Dedicated video record button for shooting HD video in any shooting modes Good battery life Robust shooting performance Various Multi-Recording options

Cons

Can produce strong exposures at times outdoors in bright sunlight ISO 1600 and 3200 show a great deal of noise Scroll wheel on the back is easy to accidentally rotate, which can caused unwanted changes to settings Indoors we saw some white balance issues in iAuto mode

Bottom Line

The SZ-30MR is a very appealing digital camera with powerful features, pleasing still image and video quality, and robust shooting performance. We had very few negative things to say about the SZ-30MR during our tests. Read more in our Full Conclusion.

The second model we've seen in Olympus' new SZ series of super-zoom models, the SZ-30MR is a powerful yet compact digital camera that is packed with new features. These include a fast16-megapixel CMOS image sensor, 24x wide view optical zoom lens, 3.0-inch LCD screen, and full 1080p HD video recording.

Olympus has added some all new functionality to the SZ-30MR as well, with new their Multi-Recording (still/video) function, 3D Photo mode, and Eye-Fi compatibility. What's more is the SZ-30MR can shoot at up to 9fps at full resolution.

Olympus SZ-30MR key features:

• Compact and stylish body
  
• 16-megapixel CMOS image sensor
• 24x optical zoom lens covers 25-600mm equivalent range
• Dual-coreTruePic III+ image processor
• Dual Image stabilization (sensor-shift + digital)
• 3.0-inch LCD screen
• High sensitivity settings up to ISO 6400
• Intelligent Auto
• 8 Magic Art filters, including three new options; Watercolor, Sparkle, and Punk
• New 3D still image mode
• Full 1080p HD video capture
• SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot (Eye-Fi compatible)
• Li-ion battery pack (up to 200 shots)

The SZ-30MR is available in Black and Silver/Gray with a suggested retail price of $399.99 US. Check our buy box below for the most current online pricing from leading online retailers.

Visitors of Steves can visit the stores below for real-time pricing and availability. You can also find hot, soon to expire online offers on a variety of cameras and accessories at our very own Camera Deals page.