Olympus's pocket travel-zoom of 2011 — 14MP CCD, 28-504mm 18x stabilised zoom, 720p video, SD storage
The Olympus SZ-10 was introduced in early 2011 as a pocketable travel-zoom compact, packing an 18x lens into a body small enough for a coat pocket. It launched at $249.99 and reached shops from March 2011 in black and silver, slotting beneath the SZ-20 in Olympus's travel-zoom range.
A 14-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sits behind the 28-504mm-equivalent f/3.1-4.4 18x zoom, with mechanical image stabilisation to keep the long end usable. The rear carries a 3.0-inch 460k-dot LCD, video records at 720p HD, and party tricks include in-camera panorama stitching, Magic Filters and a 3D mode that combines two photos into an MPO file. Storage is SD/SDHC/SDXC plus 59MB internal, and power comes from a rechargeable LI-50B lithium-ion battery rated around 220 shots.
The appeal is the 28-504mm range in a genuinely small body: one camera for holidays covering wide streetscapes to distant detail. Autofocus and burst speed are modest and the small CCD limits high-ISO work, so it is best treated as a daylight travel companion. The sharp 460k screen and simple auto-led interface make it approachable for beginners.
Check the LI-50B battery holds charge; it is shared with many Olympus SZ, TG and XZ models, so replacements and chargers are easy to find. SD-family storage removes any card worries. Test the long zoom extends smoothly and focuses at full telephoto, look for LCD delamination or bright spots, and confirm stabilisation works by comparing handheld shots at 504mm.