Olympus SP-550 UZ Digital Camera

I decided to purchase this camera having purchased an Olympus SP310 12 months earlier, which I found to be an excellent product. However, it had weaknesses owing mainly to a large number of functions squeezed into a very small footprint. 3x zoom was rather limited.
The SP550 is a vast upgrade, having an excellent electronic viewfinder which provides almost 100% field of view. It is classified as a bridge camera, being similar in design to an SLR but more compact and much larger but with most of the benefits. The lens is quite extraordinary, with a zoom range beyond anything available with an SLR, providing 10x zoom from 50mm to 504mm, and wide angle down to 28mm without changing the lens, and the size is quite compact. Total zoom is 18x!!!
Shutter and speed priority functions are easy to use, as is manual mode. The guide function is not just an electronic manual, but sets difficult situations automatically, which is a real benefit.
The flash is quite powerful. The software - Olympus Master 2 - is an improvement on the first edition, being much easier to use.
The panorama function is also excellent, but my supplier included a Fuji XD card which does not allow this function to be used - an Olympus XD card is necessary. The video function is limited but adequate for short clips - serious video is only achieved by way of a camcorder.
Design of the camera body is a vast improvement over the SP500 and SP510. The rubberized surfaces and the right hand support profile at the rear are excellent design features.
I think this product represents excellent value for money, and I highly recommend it.