I'm no expert in digital photography (I'm still most comfortable using my old Nikon F2), but after doing a bit of research on lower-end digital cameras, I decided to take a chance on this one. Because it was released only in the spring of this year, there are virtually no professional reviews and only a handful (albeit very positive, like the ones here) of user reviews. However, this camera is simply unbeatable on paper - I'm amazed that there are so many features crammed in.

After picking up the camera on sale at Circuit City for $190, I can say that it's lived up to Olympus' claims thus far. I love that I can choose full manual control, full auto mode, or everything in between. Picture quality appears to be good although I can't give a verdict until I really put it through its paces. Battery life (I use high-capacity NiMHs) has been pretty decent.

My only real complaint is that although the LCD is large, resolution is only acceptable at best. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase and would enthusiastically recommend this camera. Amazon doesn't offer the best deal on it, but does seem to have the best price on the 1GB xD card.

We bought this camera to take on an Alaskan cruise. It didn't take long to learn all the features and start taking great pictures. It's a nice size for traveling. I bought a 1 Gb card so I didn't have to worry about running out of disk space. I only have 2 slighly negative comments. I wish you could permanently set the picture size from the default picture size (3072 x 2304) to a smaller size (I used 1600 x 1200). That still gave me great quality but quadrupled the number of pictures I could save on the card. Reseting the image size is easy, but something you have to do everytime you turn on the camera. The other minor complaint was that I wished I had a camera with a better zoom lens. I didn't realize how important that would be for taking nature photos, but that was just bad planning on my part rather than the camera's fault. Overall--a great little camera for a great price.

My wife and I bought it because we dropped our old Olympus and they wanted $90 just to look at it. So instead we splurged and bought this for our trip next week. I've spent the last week putting it through it's paces and it seems like it is quite the camera. Very intuitive to use, makes excellent quality shots which show up on my mac just like they looked in the viewfinder. Last night I put it on the tripod and took some night shots and they turned out great. The light was beautiful. So far I'm very pleased. Now we'll see how it does in France!

--Update July 9 2006---

Just got back from France. We took approximately 725 pictures while we were there (and a couple in DC over the fourth) the camera performed wonderfully. We brought with us 6 rechargeable batteries though we only went through a pair in about a day in a half. We had a Rayovac 15 minute charger so we really only would have needed two batteries but oh well.

I was really pleased with the scene option. On this setting the camera gives you a bunch of preset settings (museum, fireworks, cuisine, scenery, indoors, etc) these are great. For example the behind glass setting turns off the flash and ups the depth of field so that worked great for shots from the train (except when a tree leapt into the picture). We took pictures of all our meals and the cuisine one takes great shots but it leaves the flash on auto so after being embarrassed in a fancy restaurant once we started turning that off too. But in general that scene setting was nice because it provides a bit more intelligence than auto but doesn't require fiddling with F stops and ISO's. Thought the camera will do all that if you want it to. Even the fireworks setting did a great job on a tripod at the Washington monument.

To sum up - this is a very powerful, portable (I kept it on my belt) easy to use camera. We are very satisfied with the purchase.

I love this camera. My fiancee and I have been arguing over what camera to buy, and this was the perfect one for both of us. I still do a lot of amateur B&W photography, and I like having control over my old 35mm Canon, so I wanted the same control in our digital camera. With this Olympus I can control everything (ISO, aperture, shutter, etc.). Granted, it's not the same as some of the digital SLR's on the market, but you still have a lot of control. My fiancee likes it because it has a very user friendly navigation and the automatic settings. Olympus has a nice Guide feature will explain most of the items within a menu (e.g., it tells you the differences between all the different shooting modes). Another thing I really like about this camera is that it has some "meat" to it. With every other camera I picked up in the store I felt like I was going to break it by just holding it. Call me old-fashioned, but some of the new cameras are just so tiny it's almost uncomfortable to shoot with. Don't take this to mean that this camera is a monster...it's not. It's still very compact and light, and it fits comfortably in my big hands. As for the automatic features, they're great (I even like using them). There are a lot of shooting modes to pick from. It has the standard Landscape, Sport, Night, Fireworks, etc. (the stuff you'll use) and a few you might not (I can't imagine using the Cuisine shooting mode, but it's there!). The image stabilization feature really works, too. I compared pictures with my old digital Nikon and the Olympus...wow. Of course, there's a difference of about 3 megapixels, but I can see a difference in how blurry the pictures are. The only hang-ups I have about this camera (which are pretty minor) are the size of the memory cards (they're about the size of a Listerine square, so I worry about losing them) and the optical zoom. The zoom works fine, I just wish it was more like 4x or 5x, but that more a money issue than anything.

The Olympus SP-320 is a dream to use. I especially like the stabilization program since I don't have a tripod. The ultra large 2.5 inch LCD is easy on the eyes. Also, the gray color of the body doesn't stand out like the silver bodies on other digital cameras. Only drawbacks are that it only comes with a wrist strap, not a neck strap, and the manual is on CD, which you load on your computer. This is an inconvenience when you need to refer to the manual and your "manual" is at home on your computer. All and all, I would rate the SP-320 *****. Much better than my HP digital camera!

This was my first camera and looking for it wasn't easy.I had went to a store and looked at some cameras.Every camera I asked him about said would be a waist of time!He said that a good camera for anyone is this one.He was right every thing about it's great all the pictures turn out perfect great sound quality and more! The only thing about this camera is that it dosen't have good battery life but you just have to get a battery charger.

The previous reviews are quite accurate regarding pros and cons. I've had my 320 for about two weeks and I'm very impressed. I'm a convert to digital photography from 35 mm (Canon Pellix) going back 40 years. My first digital was an HP Photosmart which I had for three years and was very pleased with. For the price, the 320 offers incredible value and a nice blend between automatic presets (primarily in the Scenes mode, but also in the basic Auto setup) and various manual options. Ergonomically it's superb; the designers deserve some kind of major award. If the quality control holds up over time, I'll continued to be puzzled as to why Canon and Sony digitals seem so popular, unless it's lemming psychology. I do think the printed manual is far too skimpy, and the computer version, while it's comprehensive, could be more user-friendly. Battery life is short but I got used to rechargable batteries with the HP and they are the answer.
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I gave this product a rave after a couple weeks of use, but after struggling with the manuals for a couple more months, trying to figure ways of taking fairly ordinary outdoor and indoor shots at night or under challenging lighting conditions, I have to change my rating to mediocre at best. As I indicated in the initial review, the manual is just not helpful. The camera offers way too many options that are not clearly interconnected--at least in the manual instructions--so that the user wouldn't have to spend an hour determining how to "enable this while disabling that." A classic example: why is it necessary to reset the flash mode every time the user changes a Scenes option? Or why is it so difficult to get a fast shutter speed for nighttime action photos? The blur factor in general is disappointing for an entry level camera that seems to promise so much. Options are fine, but only if accompanied by helpful advice in the manuals.

I don't know what it is about them, but Olympus cameras are the only ones that work well for me. I tried an Canon A-70, got blurry photos, gave it to my son. I tried a Nikon Coolpix L4, got blurry photos, gave it to my wife. I tried a Panasonic Lumix, got blurry photos, sent it back.

Olympus--first a C700, which I still use when I need its 10x lens, then a D540, and now an SP-320--all give me great pictures.

Overall, I'm happy, but there are 3 things I don't like about it. I knew about the first two going in, so I can't blame Olympus, but I wish the camera had been designed differently. First, it's a bit bigger than I'd like, but still small enough to carry comfortably in a case attached to my belt. Second, if it's going to be that much larger, why not let it be powered by 4 batteries so that it would require less time between shots when using the flash?

The third was a surprise that caused me to lose a bunch of pictures. Because of the way the camera is designed, it's very easy to unintentionally turn the knob on top that selects the shooting mode when removing the camera from a snug case. I'd thought I was in Auto mode, which was how I placed it in the case, but the knob often gets turned to the A or P settings when the camera goes in or out of the case. Now that I know this happens, I check the camera every time I remove it from the case, so it's no longer a problem.

I prefer to plug my camera into a USB port rather that use an xD card reader. Olympus seems to have switched over to a USB cable with a mini USB 12 pin male connector on one end. That's three Olympus cameras, three different USB cables. This is my only device with that kind of connector. Life was so much easier when the world seemed to have standardized on the mini-B.

I did a good amount of research before buying this camera. Some of the pluses include a large LCD screen, compact size, relatively easy to use. But, after using it for a few months, I am disappointed with a few things. First off, the delay when taking a picture is often terribly long... so you often lose your subject, especially when trying to photograph kids! Even in sport mode and burst mode this is an issue. Perhaps I have just not found the right setting, but the Canon I owned before this Olympus, was a cheaper camera, but when you pushed the button it took the picture with almost now delay. Another complaint is that is does not come with a battery pack.... you instead have to use AA (which seem to die in minutes) or rechargables that don't last much longer. It seems everytime I pick the camera up the batteries are dead or near dead. VERY ANNOYING. I am selling mine on Ebay.

I've read it in several other reviews and I'm repeating it - the battery life on this camera is unbelievably poor. Take away 20 of the several hundred options on this camera most people won't use and improve the battery life. I couldn't be more disappointed with this camera to be honest. Slow click to shoot times coupled with the ridiculously low battery life makes the SP 320 a great buy for those who want to drop more on batteries in the first year than the cost of the camera. Rechargeables? Go for it. Add up all the time you spend unloading and reloading the batteries and it's a nice second job. Think about it - there's a reason why a 7.1 is selling for $150-$180. Run - don't walk - away from this disgrace to digital technology.

This camera is one of the cheapest that offers image stabilization, a big plus to many people. Also, for 7.1 MP's it's a good bargain, however it can be had cheaper at $149 if you look at froogle dot com.

I have had this camera for three months with the same alkaline batteries I popped in when I got it. Granted, I've only taken about 40 pictures (30 flash) and my good battery results may be due to my occasional use. I feel this is a great point and shoot for the money. The pictures are great and downloading them via card reader or included USB cable is simple and fast. The only con for me is the manual settings are too tedious for me to deal with but every other camera I have had at this level was the same same.

just got prints back from this camera. they look much nicer than from my old 5mp camera. i have wanted to get a 7 for a while and to get one under $200 is great! i like the way you hold it. very comfortable. i'm still finding out about all the great stuff it does, but there is a manual to read, and a CD with same info if you want to use that instead, and a guide in the camera to view help. image stabilizer works great! i bought a double A battery charger to save $ from the start and so far i still haven't needed to replace the batteries and i took about 100 pictures. camera takes 2 double As. just remember to turn it off when not using and you should find comparable battery life like with any other camera.

This is my third digital camera (I wore out the first two as I use a camera on almost a daily basis shooting images for an online ebay store). I purchased this one based on the rave reviews here. However, I have not had the same experience. The positives: This camera is easy to learn to use, it is lightweight and compact, it has lots of fun different features to play with. The negatives: With my old cameras I would take 200 -300 images at a time and maybe 2-3 would not be viewable. With this SP-320 at least 1 out of every 3-4 images is useless. It has gotten to the point that I have to check the image after every picture to make sure that it is ok. When taking the picture, it will look to be in focus, the camera snaps the picture and I think it is ok. However, when I click over to view the image I get an error message. I took my original camera back to the store because I thought it was just a flaw in that camera. This one has the exact same problem. I am getting ready to take this one back to the store since all the other reviews here seem to be ok. I am hoping that my store just got a bad batch of these things and the next one will be better. Another suggestion for this camera is to also purchase a battery re-charger because a set of batteries will only last about 200 images.

I purchased this camera as one of Amazon's daily specials. After I made the transaction, I read the reviews. I'm glad I didn't read them first or I'd never have bought this camera. Either Olympus fixed the design problems people have complained about or they didn't read the instructions before operation. The shutter speed is pretty fast. And, my batteries have been in the camera for two months and still have plenty of charge. Also, the camera only uses 2 AA batteries. I'm not sure what the others mean by saying it uses too many batteries. The pictures are so good that I'm thinking of selling my other camera. Love the large viewing window and in-camera photo corrections features.

This is a great camera the pictures are wonderful.The options are so nice to have. As far as the pictures go it's right on... great pictures every time. Problem is the batteries just don't last even the rechargeable ones are drained real fast. If it weren't for this one thing I think it would have been a teriffic camera.

The SP-320 is an improved version of SP-320. It has digital image stabilization similar to Fuji cameras and an increased ISO 800 number. An interesting feature is the raw mode allowing to capture image from the CCD sensor directly without compression artifacts (very few cameras have this). The colors are good and resolution satisfactory with lens giving relatively soft images. It provides satisfactory prints. Good colors and exposure. Uses two AA batteries - rechargeable NiMH of large capacity are recommended. Many features, including manual adjustments and a histogram.

This is my second digital camera. My first was a crappy kodak C315. This camera is a thousand times better. Sure there are many better camera's out there, but I paid $119.00 at Office Depot. They had a 2 day "friends and family" sale. I am very happy with the picture quality, for the price that I paid. There are lots of options that I still have to try out.

I too did a lot of research before I chose this camera as a replacement for the sony cybershot DSCW5 (i believe) camera that went through a series of unfortunate events. I got the camera in July of last year and it has given me pretty mediocre results. I was attracted to the manual features the most, and they have come in handy. Although sometimes (based on lighting conditions) it will exclude either the lower or the higher f stops. Also, even on an ISO of 200, the pictures are still pretty noisy. The manual focus is also quite impractical unless your subject is stationary and the lighting doesn't change (because once you've selected the focus, you cannot alter the shutter speed or fstop)

I also take a lot of pictures at live shows when I can, and it seems no matter what I try, this camera seems to produce very contrast heavy images in this situation. It turns concert lighting into blocks of color with very little gradation, I think this bugs me the most.

And as the other reviewers have noted, the battery life is pretty awful, and the lag between pictures is not the best.

This would probably make for a nice point-and-shoot, but not worth it for the money. I can however appreciate the size of the screen and the fact that it has a hard shield over it.

I think I just bought the wrong camera for my needs, when really I should have saved for a digital slr.

I bought the SP-320 camera in July 2006 because I hated the shutter delay on my Canon A-80. The shutter delay is good BUT the shutter speed seems to be to slow at times causing blurry photos.
My biggest complaint is the battery life. I like shooting with the LCD screen & everytime you turn around the batteries need changing. Even the rechargables don't last very long. The only type of battery that last at all is the Durral cell PIX batteries that cost about $9 for 4. It gets pricey & agravating after while.

I've had this camera for nearly a year now. I was initially impressed with the quality of outdoor shots and really close-up portraits. It has this uncanny habit of darkening the background, but giving beautiful fleshtones and super clarity. The macro feature are also pretty cool, and I got some creepy closeup photos of some brown recluse spiders that we ran across in our basement. on the other hand, low-lighting shots are a real pain, and the only way I can get nice crisp images is to turn the flash off, leave the shutter open for a bit, and hope nothing moves during capture.

My main reason for purchasing was that I had owned an Olympus point-and-shoot for several years that ran like a tank, and this thing had so many manual features for the price. I loved my little olympus point-and-shoot (still have it, in fact). Unfortunately, my biggest complaint is that this Digital Olympus has killed 1 XD 1Gb memory card, and is now giving me the same errors with a new Fuji card that I just bought. The Olympus XD card is now totally unusable, and unreadable by anything. My new Fuji XD card is still working (for now) but the camera gives me sporadic errors at times (like trying to force me to reformat over images on the card). I had heard that only unloading from the camera (not a USB reader) can help these problems, but with the new Fuji card I am still getting the errors.

The software that comes with the camera is absolutely horrible...locks up all the time, and is extremely slow to process anything.

I emailed Olympus and they are saying that I can send it in for repair. May have to Ebay this thing if/when I get it back. XD cards are too expensive to have to replace every six months.

Do your homework and decide if the extra savings are really worth the potential problems when considering this one.

My first experience with Olympus dates back to the days when the top-end digital cameras just passed the 1 mega-pixel point, and most cameras were under 1MP. Since then, I have used countless digital cameras, and have seen them improve greatly and come down in price - yet also cheapen in quality. When shopping in this price range, the SP-320 is a breath of fresh air compared to many of it's competitors.

To have aperture and shutter priority as well as full manual operation is a major plus that I appreciate - and this camera has them. Yet for the person who needs fully automatic operation, it also has a host of presets for various conditions, including one for image stabilization. Controls work well, focus is quick and accurate, and most important of all - results are excellent time and time again. This is one camera where when I delete a shot, it's due to my fault and not bercause of the cameras inability to do it's job. Great macro capability with 2 modes that leave flash in automatic or off without also pressing the flash button.

The overall shape and feel is great, and this model still retains an optical viewfinder, which allows for battery conservation. Plus it has a power saver mode which remembers your settings. I use the lithium CRV3 batteries and am amazed at how long a battery lasts - longer than a charged set of rechargeables.

As for shortcomings, I can think of some that may or may not be annoying. The camera does not remember your previous resolution - but instead reverts to 7.1MP every time you turn it on. The xD memory cards cost a bit more than SD cards that most other cameras use, but seem to be coming down. Lastly, the image stabilization is only available as a preset scene mode and can not be turned on as an option manually. Minor 4th issue is that the battery door is blocked when using a tripod. Barrel distorton is noticeable depending on lens position, which has been a common Olympus issue I've seen before.

Yet overall, I am very pleased with this camera for everyday use. It stikes a nice compromise between simple point/shoot and a digital SLR. In fact this makes a great compliment to a DSLR as a second camera when you don't want the bulk, yet want manual operation and even RAW format.

I have been using my Olympus SP-320 for more than 6 monthes, and I am very satisfied with its performance.

If you are looking for an easy to use, compact, high resolution digital camera with advanced features then Olympus SP-320 is the best choice for you. With 30 shooting modes plus the option of using manual settings for more creative control, the SP-320 is a highly flexible camera.

No doubt, the Olympus SP-320 is powerful enough for the advanced user yet simple enough for a beginner to capture incredible images. In addition, the Olympus SP-320 is a good choice for someone looking for a camera with advanced features, but who is on a tight budget.

The Olympus SP-320 and the Olympus SP-310 are similar in being compact, rich in features; the only difference between the two is the digital image stabilization available on the Olympus SP-320. The Digital Image Stabilization Mode is very useful in capturing crisp, clear pictures--free from the blur sometimes caused by camera shake or moving subjects.

The 3x optical zoom lens on the SP-320 has a focal length range of 8mm -- 24mm (35mm equivalent of 38mm -- 114 mm).

The Olympus SP-320 is powered by 2 AA batteries, which makes it very easy to replace any time any where.

The SP-320 has also a range of amazing optional accessories, including lens converters and an underwater casing.

I know many photographers are hung up on DSLR cameras being better than compact point and shoots but in reality a good compact can create an image when enlarged to 11X14 that even a pro cannot distinguish from a high end DSLR. This camera can do that work. It is solid and well made. Buy one!

TJ

My Olympus SP-320 gives me better color than my Kodak EasyShare Z1275, but what I really love the Olympus for is its macro capability. I was just experimenting and took some shots of a small pile of salt and pepper from maybe an inch and a half to two inches away. They came out VERY nicely, quite crisp. I've also gotten some amazing shots of flowers, bugs, water droplets, etc.

The SP-320 actually has two macro settings. In regular macro mode, the zoon and flash are still operative, though you can't get as close. The zoom and flash are disabled in "super" macro mode.

I haven't noticed the "shutter lag" someone else mentioned UNLESS the batteries get low. I use rechargeables; it does tend to go through them pretty quickly.

The SP-320 is a little bigger than a lot of point-and-shoots because one end is contoured to fit a right hand. I like this because that's the hand I normally hold the camera with. Someone who prefers to do things left-handed might not be as enthused.

I like the size of the XD cards the SP-320 uses, but one drawback I've found is that a lot of computers, especially if they're a few years old, have only SP and not SP readers. This didn't affect me until I went on vacation and filled up BOTH of my XD cards. The friends I was staying with had an SP reader, but not an XP, so I had to go to Wal-Mart and have a couple CDs made so I could make some room on the cards.

Also, the zoom is digital, not optical, but when you're using all 7.1 megapixels it doesn't make THAT much difference.