Olympus SZ-30MR Review

By:

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.

Additional Photos:

olympus_SZ30MR_black_Front_550.jpg`





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.