Olympus America (516/844-5000, https://www.olympus.com ) has finally done its popular D-600L digital camera one better by introducing the D-620L, a $1,199 single-lens reflex model that can capture images about as rapidly as you can snap them. Olympus has also unveiled the D-400 Zoom, a $799 point-and-shoot camera. Both are scheduled to ship by the time you read this.
Filmless Photography Olympus touts its D-620L as a “filmless photography” product that happens to use digital technology. Like its predecessor, it’s a single-lens reflex camera that features 3[infinity] zoom and a 1,280-by-1,024-pixel progressive-scan CCD. But thanks to a new memory buffer, there’s almost no waiting as you capture images. You can snap them one at a time or use a burst mode that takes up to five pictures at 3.3 frames per second.
The D-620L also features three prefocus settings (close-up, medium-range, and long-range) and a synchronization connector for external flash in addition to its four built-in flash modes, which include backlight and fill flash. The camera is bundled with an 8MB SmartMedia card, four rechargeable nickel-metal-hydride batteries, and a charger. Bundled software includes Adobe PhotoDeluxe 2.0 for image editing and Enroute QuickStitch for creating panoramic images. For the first 90 days, Olympus will also offer an extra 8MB SmartMedia card. Olympus says it will still offer the D-600L for $899.
Point and Shoot The D-400 Zoom offers 1,280-by-960-pixel resolution and a 3[infinity] zoom in a compact form factor resembling conventional point-and-shoot cameras. The LCD lets you zoom in on stored images to see details that would otherwise be lost. The price includes an 8MB SmartMedia card and a FlashPath adapter, which lets you transfer images through the Mac’s floppy drive. Bundled software includes PhotoDeluxe and QuickStitch. Both cameras connect to Olympus’s P300 photo printer.