Introduction

Ease of Use

Like most bridge cameras, the Olympus SP-100EE (also called the Stylus SP-100) looks a lot like an entry-level DSLR, despite having a much smaller sensor. The front of the SP-100EE is dominated by the large-diameter lens and the ergonomically sculpted, rubberised hand-grip, which also houses the battery that powers the camera. The new 50x zoom lens goes from an ultra-wide 24mm equivalent to an almost incredible (if no longer unique) 1200mm at the telephoto end. Considering that with an SLR camera, you would need at least 3-4 lenses to cover the same focal range, the single, fixed-mount lens of the Olympus SP-100EE can be described as remarkably compact, even if it does extend quite a bit when zoomed to full telephoto. Super-zooms have always had a reputation for offering a high "fun factor", and the SP-100EE is no different. The ability to quickly go from wide angle to ultra-telephoto is something that has to be experienced in order to be fully appreciated.

Olympus has included an image stabilisation system to help prevent image blurring resulting from camera-shake, allowing you to get away with shutter speeds that would otherwise be critically slow for the focal length used. If you intend to use this function on a frequent basis, you can assign it to the camera's Function button to avoid having to delve into the menu system every time you want to turn the image stabiliser on or off. When turned on, the IS system can be configured to work continuously (helpful for framing) or only when the shutter release is fully depressed. In practice we found that the IS system makes a noticeable difference to the sharpness of the images, as shown in the examples on the Image Quality page.

As the latest model in the Olympus SP series of ultra-zoom cameras, the Olympus SP-100EE sees the return of a few key features that were missing from some of the recent models in the range, such as the SP-820UZ. These include an eye-level electronic viewfinder, manual and semi-manual exposure modes, a customisable Function button and a dedicated control wheel. The real novelty, however, is its Dot-sight Framing Assist system, which enables the user to keep the subject within the image frame when using the camera's 24-1200mm equivalent lens at or near the telephoto end of its vast zoom range.

Front	Rear

Activated via a sliding switch on the left side of the viewfinder housing (when viewed from behind), the Dot-sight Framing Assist window has a simple red reticle in its centre, which makes it easier and quicker for the user to aim the camera at a faraway subject and keep it within the frame when using the lens at the telephoto end. While this may not sound necessary, anyone who has ever used a really long telephoto lens can attest that finding your subject via the viewfinder or rear screen isn't always trivial to start with – and keeping it in the frame as it moves can be even more challenging. With other ultra-zoom cameras, losing your subject usually entails having to zoom out to find it again, and  zoom back in, which can be frustrating and might lead to missing the shot altogether. The Dot-sight Framing Assist feature is an ingenious solution to this problem, and works exceedingly well. The only thing to keep in mind is that it's an aiming and framing tool – it helps with keeping your subject within the frame but does not guarantee that it will be in focus too.

Speaking of focusing, it begs to be mentioned that the Olympus SP-100EE has a pretty fast AF system for a bridge camera. At the wide-angle end, the SP-100EE usually achieves a focus lock in the blink of an eye; somewhere around 0.2 seconds. At the telephoto end, focusing can take a little longer – about 0.7-0.8 seconds –, which isn't a huge problem with stationary or slow-moving subjects, but can make it difficult to focus on a fast-moving one, such as a bird in flight.

To help with this, Olympus has included an AFL / Focus Limit button. One press of this button will lock the auto-focus at the current distance, while holding it down brings up a menu screen that allows you to engage the camera's focus limiter to avoid excessive focus hunting. Sticking with our bird-in-flight example, you will probably want to limit focusing to faraway subjects (Distant-area AF), whereas with close-up shooting, you would be wise to choose the “Close-area AF” option. Manual focusing is also available  – via a combination of the Function button and the top-mounted control wheel –, should you ever feel a need to use it.

Dot-sight Framing Assist	Pop-up Flash

For precise framing, Olympus has included an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 920,000 dots. While this isn't quite as great as the large and ultra-high-res EVF in the pricey OM-D E-M1 compact system camera, it's still a huge step up from the Olympus SP-590UZ – not to mention the later SP series models that had no eye-level viewfinders at all. The only fly in the ointment is the lack of an eye proximity sensor, which means you have to press a button every time you want to toggle between the EVF and the rear screen.

Said screen is a 3-inch affair with a resolution of 460,000 dots – far from being extraordinary but perfectly adequate in most situations. Unfortunately, it's a fixed display that won't tilt, swivel or rotate to make low-level or above-the-head shots easier to frame. Like most LCDs, it's a bit hard to see outdoors in bright light but that's exactly what the EVF is there for.

The Olympus SP-100EE has a traditional mode dial on its top plate, to the right of the viewfinder housing, when viewed from behind. In addition to the usual iAuto and Programmed Auto modes, it also features a Manual exposure mode as well as Aperture and Shutter Priority modes, which is great news for advanced users. Additionally, you can also access the camera's Panorama mode, Scene modes and Art filters via this dial.

Top	Side

Next to the mode dial is an unmarked control wheel, which can be used to adjust a number of settings including shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, focus, white balance, ISO speed, Picture mode and white balance. In some cases, the control wheel works in combination with the customisable Function button, which can also be programmed to perform a variety of tasks ranging from metering mode selection to one-touch white balance specification.

The Olympus SP-100EE's large and tactile shutter release sits atop the chunky hand-grip, and is encircled by a traditional zoom rocker. This allows users to go from wide-angle to the telephoto end fairly quickly (relative to the huge zoom range, of course). A second zoom control, located on the lens barrel, allows for smoother and somewhat slower zooming, ideal for movies. Video recording is initiated with a dedicated movie record button located on the camera's rear plate. As noted, the optical zoom can be used while filming, which is great news for video enthusiasts.

Sound is recorded via the camera's built-in stereo microphones – there is no external microphone input. The camera has a wind cut filter to improve audio quality when filming outdoors, and the image stabilisation system can also be engaged while recording a movie. In addition to the regular image stabiliser, the SP-100EE has a special hybrid IS mode that compensates for large-amplitude shake, such as the slow kind which occurs if you record a movie while walking. Regular videos can be recorded at Full HD (at 30 or 60 frames per second), 720p or VGA resolution. High-speed movie recording is also possible, at 120 or 240fps, for slow-motion playback.  For HS movies, the recording time is limited to 20 seconds.

Memory Card Slot	Battery Compartment

The camera is powered by a proprietary 1350mAh Lithium-ion battery, which enables users to shoot approximately 300 photos on a single charge, as per CIPA standards. The battery can be charged in-camera, with the help of a dedicated AC adapter. You can also use a UC-90 external charger, but that's an optional extra. Photos and videos are recorded on SD / SDHC / SDXC memory cards – and while the SP-100EE does not feature on-board Wi-Fi, it does at least support Eye-Fi and FlashAir cards for wireless image transfer.

Overall, the Olympus SP-100EE is a decently built bridge camera with a nicely textured hand-grip and rubberised lens barrel, well-specified electronic viewfinder and a good range of manual adjustments. Starting up at well under a second and capable of shooting full-resolution stills at up to 7fps, the SP-100EE is a highly responsive camera whose usefulness is further enhanced by the unique Dot-sight Framing Assist tool that really helps with keeping faraway subjects within the image frame. But how does its image quality stack up? Read on to find out...

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 7Mb.

A camera with a tiny, pixel-packed sensor and a huge zoom ratio will always be a set of compromises and the Olympus SP-100EE is no exception. Viewed at 1:1 magnification, the images look a little over-processed with smeared details – a tell-tale sign of over-zealous noise reduction. That being said, the SP-100EE turns out more natural-looking photos than some other Olympus compacts (such as the Olympus SH-1). As far as the other aspects of image quality are concerned, the colours are vibrant without being garish, the dynamic range is pretty decent for a 1/2.3” sensor (and there's an HDR mode to fall back on when shooting in really contrasty light), chromatic aberrations seldom raise their ugly head, red-eye issues are essentially non-existent, and the camera is capable of producing some truly impressive close-up shots. Video quality is remarkably high when shooting in 1080/60p mode, and the various high-speed options add a good deal of versatility to the Olympus SP-100EE as a movie making tool.

Noise

The Olympus SP-100EE has 7 sensitivity settings ranging from ISO 125/22° to ISO 6400/39°. Noise reduction is quite aggressive even at base ISO, and gets stronger as you move up the sensitivity ladder, which takes its toll on fine detail. Having said that, ISO 1600 is still good enough for on-screen viewing and small prints.

ISO 125 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)
ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

Focal Range

The Olympus SP-100EE's 50x zoom lens has an extremely versatile focal range, as demonstrated by the examples below.

24mm	1200mm

Sharpening

To counteract the effects of over-aggressive noise reduction, the Olympus SP-100EE applies a pretty high dose of sharpening to its images. That being said, applying some extra sharpening in post does seem to bring out a little more detail, as you can see in these 100% crops.

Original (100% Crop)	Sharpened (100% Crop)

File Quality

The Olympus SP-100EE does not shoot raw. The available JPEG settings are Fine and Normal.

14M Fine (5.48Mb) (100% Crop)	14M Normal (2.64Mb) (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations

For an ultra-zoom camera, the Olympus SP-100EE produces remarkably little purple fringing – but you can spot some chromatic aberrations in certain extreme situations, as shown in the crops below.

Chromatic Aberrations 1 (100% Crop)	Chromatic Aberrations 2 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Olympus SP-100EE has a Super Macro mode, which enables it to focus as close as 1cm. The example below shows how close you can get to the subject; in this case, a Secure Digital memory card.

Macro	Macro (100% Crop)

Flash

The Olympus SP-100EE has no hot-shoe but there is a pop-up flash that can be raised with the help of a dedicated switch on the side of the viewfinder housing. The available settings are auto, fill in, redeye-reduction and off. These shots of a white ceiling were taken at a subject distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (24mm)	Flash On - Wide Angle (24mm)
Flash Off - Telephoto (1200mm)	Flash On - Telephoto (1200mm)

And here are some flash portraits. As you can see the flash did not produce a noticeable red-eye effect.

Flash On	Flash On (100% Crop)
Red Eye Reduction	Red Eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Olympus SP-100EE has a minimum shutter speed of 30 seconds in Manual exposure mode, which is fairly good news for those seriously interested in night photography. The photo below was taken at a shutter speed of 4 second, aperture of f/3.8 at ISO 125. We've included a 100% crop to show you what the quality is like.

Night	Night (100% Crop)

Image Stabilisation

The Olympus SP-100EE has an image stabilisation system, which enables hand-held shooting at shutter speeds that would otherwise be too slow for the focal length used. These 100% crops are from two photos taken at a 35mm equivalent focal length of 169mm, shutter speed of 1/13s, with and without IS.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length	Image Stabilisation On (100% Crop)	Image Stabilisation Off (100% Crop)
1/13th / 169mm

HDR

The Olympus SP-100EE has an HDR exposure blending mode, which takes advantage of its fast sequential shooting capability to capture two exposures in rapid succession. These are then blended into a single image with improved highlight and shadow detail. Although Olympus calls it a 'Backlight HDR' mode, it can be applied to shooting any high-contrast scene, as the examples below demonstrate.

HDR Off	HDR On

Aspect Ratios

The sensor of the Olympus SP-100EE has a native aspect ratio of 4:3 but you can also record images in 16:9, 3:2 and square formats. These are all cropped from the full recording area.

4:3	16:9
3:2	1:1

Art Filters

The Olympus SP-100EE offers 7 'art filters': Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale&Light Color, Dramatic Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole and Diorama.

Pop Art	Soft Focus
Pale&Light Color	Dramatic Tone
Grainy Film	Pin Hole
Diorama

Picture Modes

The Olympus SP-100EE has 7 so-called Picture Modes including Vivid, Natural, Muted, Fish Eye, Sparkle, Reflection and Fragmented.

Vivid	Natural
Muted	Fish Eye
Sparkle	Reflection
Fragmented

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Olympus SP-100EE camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

Product Images

Front of the Olympus SP-100EE

Side of the Olympus SP-100EE

Side of the Olympus SP-100EE

Side of the Olympus SP-100EE / Pop-up Flash

Side of the Olympus SP-100EE / Dot Framing Assist

Rear of the Olympus SP-100EE

Rear of the Olympus SP-100EE / Dot Framing Assist

Top of the Olympus SP-100EE

Bottom of the Olympus SP-100EE

Rear of the Olympus SP-100EE / Turned On

Side of the Olympus SP-100EE

Side of the Olympus SP-100EE

Side of the Olympus SP-100EE

Memory Card Slot

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Olympus SP-100EE is a very decently built bridge camera with a nicely textured hand-grip and rubberised lens barrel, a well-specified electronic viewfinder and a good range of manual adjustments. Starting up at well under a second and capable of shooting full-resolution stills at up to 7fps (for 6 consecutive shots, or 2.5fps for up to 200 frames), the SP-100EE is a highly responsive camera whose usefulness is further enhanced by the unique Dot-sight Framing Assist tool that really helps with keeping faraway subjects within the image frame. With other ultra-zoom cameras, losing your subject usually entails having to zoom out to find it again, and zoom back in, which can be frustrating and might lead to missing the shot altogether. The Dot-sight Framing Assist feature is an ingenious solution to this problem, and works exceedingly well. Additionally, Olympus SP-100EE has a pretty fast auto focus system with some nifty features such as AF-Lock and a useful and pretty well-implemented focus limiter.

Image quality is something of an Achilles heel for any camera with a small and pixel-packed sensor, and the Olympus SP-100EE is no exception. Viewed at 100% magnification, the images look a little over-processed with smudged details – a tell-tale sign of over-zealous noise reduction. Having said that, the SP-100EE does manage to turn out more natural-looking photos than some other Olympus compacts. The images hold enough detail for small to medium-sized prints and most computer screens, the colours are vibrant without being garish, the dynamic range is pretty decent for a 1/2.3” sensor (and there's an HDR mode to fall back on when shooting in really contrasty light), chromatic aberrations seldom raise their ugly head, red-eye issues are essentially non-existent, and the camera is capable of producing some truly impressive close-up shots. Video quality is remarkably high when shooting in 1080/60p mode, and the various high-speed options add a good deal of versatility to the Olympus SP-100EE as a movie making tool.

Granted, some features are conspicuous by their absence – there is no built-in Wi-Fi (although the camera does support FlashAir and Eye-Fi cards), hot-shoe or GPS, and the camera is not capable of shooting raw. However, for a price of £299/$399, the Olympus SP-100EE still offers a good balance of functionality, responsiveness and versatility; and should definitely be on your radar if you are looking to buy an ultra-zoom camera, particularly if wildlife photography is your main interest.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4
Features	4
Ease-of-use	3.5
Image quality	3.5
Value for money	4

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Olympus SP-100EE.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Olympus SP-100EE from around the web.

Specifications

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