Holding the "Top of the line" spot in Olympus' "SP" series (as of January 2007), the SP-510 Ultra Zoom offers a 7-megapixel imager mated with a powerful Olympus 10x ED optical zoom lens, a 2.5-inch color LCD, eye-level color EVF (Electronic ViewFinder), focus-assist lamp, and VGA (640x480) movie mode. While it does share many features with its sibling, the SP-500 we reviewed last year, the SP-510 includes increased ISO capabilities as well as the addition of another user-friendly Scene mode.

With a total of 28 exposure modes, the SP-510 will appeal to any user. For beginners you have 21 "Scene" modes, full Auto as well as the unique Shooting Guide. Novice and advanced users have as much control over the exposure process as needed with Aperture and Shutter speed priority as well as full Manual. There's also four My Mode settings that allow you to create your own "Scene" mode tailored to fit your shooting style.

Ergonomics were OK for this somewhat compact "super-zoom" model measuring 4.2" x 2.9" x 2.8". You need to use some sort of camera bag (or a very large purse) unless you don't mind it dangling from your neck, this is not a pocket size camera. The enlarged handgrip and well placed controls offered a nice comfortable feel in my hands. While the menu system was logically organized and easy to navigate, I was a bit discouraged to find that you can only view the "main" menu on the LCD. This model also features an EVF (Electronic ViewFinder), that is basically just a tiny LCD screen in the eyepiece. When you are using this to frame your pictures, and press the MENU button, the display switches back to the LCD. Typically with cameras that feature both an EVF and LCD, camera information and menus can be displayed on either screen. When using the 2.5-inch LCD to frame outdoors, I found many angles which reflected the sun, making it difficult to use at times. Luckily, the EVF's eyepiece is deep enough to block out most ambient light, making the clear for what to use while framing in bright conditions. In marginal lighting, both screens "gain up" nicely to help in framing the subject.

Shooting performance was also OK. Power up until the first image is captured was just under 3 seconds. The all important shutter lag (the time between pressing the shutter release and actually capturing the image) measured 1/10 of a second when pre-focused and 4/10 of a second including autofocus. The shot to shot delay when using single exposure mode was 1.8 seconds without the flash and 2 - 4 seconds with the flash (depending on the distance of the subject and battery life.)

I was a bit disappointed with the burst performance. While there are three continuous capture modes to choose from (Normal, HI and AF), It seems the buffer fills in only 2 - 3 shots. With normal mode, I captured 3 images in 2.3 seconds before the buffer was filled. HI speed mode captured 2 frames in approx. 5/10 of a second. Once the buffer is filled it takes 8 - 10 seconds to clear and then you may continue shooting. AF mode is similar to normal mode, however the camera focuses on the subject before it captures an image, where the other modes lock focus once in a series. Both the LCD and EVF are all together unusable during any of these modes; this is when an optical viewfinder would come in handy. Our tests were done using a standard 512MB (High-Speed) xD-Picture Card, Program mode, SHQ quality, preview off, flash off, and all other settings at default unless specified otherwise. Times may vary depending on camera settings, lighting conditions, media, etc.

The quality of the SP-510's SHQ images is on par with many 7-megapixel consumer models. Our outdoor shots were sharp with good overall exposure and color saturation. While some may see the extended ISO capabilities of this model appealing, I found image noise was pretty bad in the higher sensitivity settings. ISO 400 and below look very nice with typical traces of image noise. However, ISO 800 and above look very rough. You can see for yourself by taking a look at some examples on our samples page. With the noise issue aside, I was pleased with our portrait (people) photos. Both indoors and out, the SP-510 captures images with natural skin tones, and as long as you are within the limits of its powerful built-in flash (approx. 14.8 ft. at wide angle).

The telephoto capabilities of its 10x lens add tremendously to the overall versatility of the camera. This lens covers a 35mm equivalent range of 38 - 380mm. While favoring the telephoto end, the 38mm wide angle extreme still offers a field of view sufficient for large group shots and landscapes. While the 380mm end of the zoom range will please the nature or sports enthusiast, bringing those far off subjects up close and personal. Moderate barrel distortion is exhibited at wide angle, as well as slight pincushioning at the telephoto extreme.

The SP-510 also allows you to capture uncompressed RAW .ORF image files. These need to be later converted into JPEG format either in-camera or in an image editor that supports Olympus' RAW format. Like more advanced cameras, you can also choose to shoot RAW + JPEG. I used this function and then converted the RAW file in-camera into an SHQ image. You can see them side by side on the samples page. Overall, I don't think this function will be used by the average user who will purchase this model. However, it does add some appeal to the model, and I'm sure some of the more advanced users will appreciate this feature.

Olympus has joined the rest of the players by adding a VGA sized movie mode. You can record video at 640x480 or 320x240 with either 30fps or 15fps frame rates. Sound can be recorded, however you have to make sure you enable this option in the menu. When recording movies with sound, the optical zoom may not be used during recording, but can be preset beforehand. However, you can use the zoom while recording if the sound is turned off. Thanks to the DIS or Digital Image Stabilization feature, you can capture handheld movies that are "less shaky". However, I would still recommend using some sort of camera support, like a monopod, when recording sporting events or whenever you need to pan to follow fast moving subjects. Overall, our movie samples were good with typical amounts of compression noise. Just remember, the SHQ (640x480, 30fps) mode consumes about 1.75MB per second, so be sure you have a large capacity (512MB - 1GB) xD card.

The SP-510 uses four standard AA-type cells, this means you can use a variety of different batteries. We highly recommend the use of NiMH cells or one-use lithiums if you are in a bind. Alkalines offer terrible battery life and will more than likely end up in your area's local landfill. In the press release for this model, Olympus claimed you could take "up to 630 shots from standard alkaline batteries." I find that hard to believe considering I used a set of 2500 mAh NiHM cells, and only captured about 110 images and 15 short movie clips as well as concluded many of our other tests before swapping in a fresh set. However, that is a pretty good battery life for a model that doesn't feature an optical viewfinder and is constantly powering an LCD screen.

Bottom line - While the SP-510 UZ offers good image quality and OK shooting performance, I still feel Olympus needs to revamp their storage media (xD.) Even the new H (High-speed) xD cards, like the one we used for our tests, are extremely slow when compared to he average "fast" SD card sold today. Think of the first 1x or 2x CD burner you ever purchased and compare it to your latest 8x or 16x burner you use now. But, with an MSRP of about US$329, I feel it still offers a good value for such a versatile and affordable "super-zoom" model, as long as you don't need the fastest camera on the market.