The SH-2 features a 25-600mm lens backed by five-axis image stabilization and a full set of shooting options to keep your low-light photos and movies bright and clear.

Purchased this hoping for a decent pocket camera. Wasn't looking for SLR quality as I have several of those. Just looking for some zoom with quality on par with my iPhone 6. Noise is absolutely terrible. Even at iso 150 (the best this camera has) the noise removes most details.

Image Stabilization

Excessive noise; Highly Pixelated Video; Horrible Image Quality

The Olympus Stylus SH-1 was a camera that I really wanted to like. Its stylish, compact body housed a 24x zoom lens with a rock-solid 5-axis stabilization system, and its touch screen made it incredibly easy to pick a focus spot.

Sharp lens; Raw capture support; 24x zoom range; Excellent build quality; 5-axis image stabilization; Touch-screen LCD; Photo Story and Art Filter modes; 10.4fps burst shooting; Snappy focus; 1080p60 video; Wi-Fi

Waxy JPG output; Doesn't include external battery charger

The Olympus Stylus SH-1 ( at Amazon) was a camera that I really wanted to like. Its stylish, compact body housed a 24x zoom lens with a rock-solid 5-axis stabilization system, and its touch screen made it incredibly easy to pick a focus spot. But the camera's JPG output was a major issue, delivering images that looked waxy and devoid of texture. Its successor, the SH-2 ($399.95), still shows that issue, but the addition of Raw shooting support allows photographers to sidestep the JPG engine entirely. That makes it a solid option in this category, but not the equal of our Editors' Choice, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 ($350.00 at Amazon) . The ZS50 reaches a bit longer with a 30x zoom, also supports Raw capture, and includes an integrated electronic viewfinder, all for the same price as the SH-2. Design and FeaturesThe SH-2 ($399.99 at Adorama)  is pretty average in size when compared with others in its class, although its protruding lens adds some depth. It measures 2.5 by 4.3 by ...

The Olympus Stylus SH-2 is a stylish compact camera with a 24x zoom. It's a solid performer when shooting Raw, but its JPG output is disappointing.

Sharp lens; Raw capture support; 24x zoom range; Excellent build quality; 5-axis image stabilization; Touch-screen LCD; Photo Story and Art Filter modes; 10.4fps burst shooting; Snappy focus; 1080p60 video; Wi-Fi

Waxy JPG output; Doesn't include external battery charger

Although you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, I first have to say how stylish and smart this camera looks. It's got that old-school, hipster feel to it (and I mean that in a good way!). I love the black, leather look and silver detail to the front.

The Olympus SH-2 is a raw-capable compact camera with a 16-megapixel imager and 24x optical zoom. Other highlights include a highly effective 5-axis image stabiliser, a brand new Nightscape Mode, 11.5fps continuous shooting, 120/240fps high-speed Movie, Photo & Movie Capture, Time Lapse Movie modes...

Falling into their Premium compact camera category, the Olympus Stylus SH-2 combines quality with versatility in a compact body. Offering a slew of great features like built-in WiFi, Intelligent Auto shooting modes, Creative art filters and 5-axis image stabilization; the SH-2 is fun and easy to use...

iAuto shooting mode is accurate and easy in all situations; Dedicated Video Capture Button is always ready to record; iAuto and Program shooting modes produce excellent image quality results; Incredibly versatile 24x optical zoom lens is ready for any situation; 5-Axis image stabilization steadies...

Some images show more noise than we would like to see; Wide end of the lens shows some distortion; Pop-up flash is not very powerful; Video sound does not live up to video quality

The Olympus SH-2 is aimed at holidaying and travelling photographers, with its main selling point being a 24x optical zoom which gives you the equivalent of 25-600mm in 35mm terms. You can also boost that up to 40x using the digital zoom.

Touchscreen; Inbuilt Wi-Fi; Raw format shooting

Fixed screen; No shutter-priority or aperture-priority modes; Only two aperture settings in Manual

The Olympus SH-2 is aimed at holidaying and travelling photographers, with its main selling point being a 24x optical zoom which gives you the equivalent of 25-600mm in 35mm terms. You can also boost that up to 40x using the digital zoom.

If you're someone who is ready to give up on fixed lens cameras, either focusing on advanced DSLR models or going with the convenience of a smartphone camera, you may want to take a look at my Olympus Stylus SH-2 review before dismissing fixed lens cameras completely.