Olympus Imaging America Inc. on Monday introduced a variety of new digital cameras and its P-11 digital photo printer. The company’s new products have been created to appeal to beginning and experience digital photography enthusiasts alike.
The Stylus 600 is a a new compact all-weather digital camera with a 6-megapixel charged coupling device (CCD) and 2.5-inch LCD. The camera’s “Bright Capture” technology works in low light levels and features high sensitivity options (up to ISO 1600) and enhanced auto-focus. The camera features 26 selectable shooting modes and the ability to record QuickTime movies; it stores its images on xD-Picture flash media and connects to a Mac or PC using USB 2.0. Also supported is PictBridge, so the camera can work directly with a compatible printer without having to use a computer to transfer files first. The Stylus 600 also features “in-camera editing” for functions like red eye fix, adding frame and text, adjusting color brightness and saturation and more. It’s coming in September for US$299.99.
Olympus bills its new FE line of digital cameras — the FE-100, FE-110 and FE120, as “easy and fun.” The cameras are 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0-megapixel models, respectively, priced at $149.99, $199.99 and $229.99. A built-in help guide assists new digital camera users and PictBridge is supported. The FE series features “one touch” buttons for shooting, reviewing and deleting images; a variety of pre-set shooting modes are built in to help users get the most from their shot. The FE-100 and FE-110 models include a 16MB xD-Picture card; the FE-120 gets a 32MB card instead. All are coming in September.
The SP-500 UZ is a new “ultra zoom” digital camera that touts 10x optical zoom capabilities. Aimed at advanced and amateur photographers, the SP-500 UZ touts a 2.5-inch LCD viewfinder, manual and automatic settings, and 6.0-megapixel resolution. PictBridge is supported, 21 preprogrammed scene modes, Quicktime support, the ability to work with accessory lenses, USB 2.0 interface and more. It costs $379.99.
Also newly introduced is the P-11, a dye sublimation-based printer designed for digital photo output. It produces edge-to-edge prints in about 33 seconds and like all of Olympus’ new cameras, supports PictBridge to enable you to output digital photos without needing to connect to a Mac or PC first (though it certainly connects). The P-11 can print 4 x 6-inch or 3.5 x 5-inch prints. It’s also compact — the paper tray doesn’t protrude from the printer’s front, so it only occupies a 7-inch horizontal and vertical footprint on the desk. Coming in October, the P-11 costs $149.99.