Olympus Ultra-Zoom cameras have a legacy of being very sought after digital cameras. The new Olympus SP-550UZ boasts some of the most impressive specs of any ultra zoom out there. The 18x super telephoto zoom gets you closer to the action than any compact digital camera on the market. The 2-in-1 blur solution Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization keeps your shot steady by compensating for camera shake and freezes the action with high ISO sensitivity along with faster shutter speeds. The optical image stabilization system (based on stabilizing the CCD image sensor instead of lens elements) is quite good and performs well under different circumstances (moving car, boat, shakey hands). DCResource have posted their review of the SP-550UZ and had this to say about it-

"The Olympus SP-550 Ultra Zoom is a great example of a marketing-driven cameras. I’m just guessing here, but the marketing folks at Olympus probably got together and said "let’s make an ultra zoom camera with the biggest and baddest specs on the market", and then the engineers had to make it work. And it works, for the most part — though plenty of compromises were made. While it’s not the best ultra zoom on the market, the SP-550 is still a very good one, and certainly worth a look."

Olympus Stylus 550UZ 7.1MP Digital Camera with Dual Image Stabilized 18x Optical Zoom

DigitalCameraReview.com also have their review posted of the Olympus. Here’s what they thought-

"I really enjoyed using the Olympus SP-550 UZ. It’s comfortable to hold, has plenty of advanced features and takes great shots. Beyond that, you get the world’s first 18x optical zoom in a point and shoot digital camera. The dual image stabilization is a must for such long zoom shots and the system in the Olympus does a good job of handling blur from camera shake. While I normally wouldn’t use the 15fps sequential shooting capability very often, it is also a nice feature. The camera also has great battery life.

If you’re interested in a long zoom camera, the SP-550 UZ is a great choice. Don’t be intimidated by all of its features, plenty of in-camera help and Olympus’ built-in Guide system do a great job of helping a beginner to get comfortable with the camera."

Featuring

7.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 15 x 20-inch prints
18x super-telephoto zoom lens; 15fps high-speed sequential shooting
2.5-inch, high-resolution LCD screen
Bright Capture technology for low-light photography and image viewing
Stores images on xD Picture Cards