Olympus adds four compact cameras to its lineup

Olympus today announced four new compact point-and-shoot digital cameras. The new models focus on providing ease of use at budget-friendly prices.

Big zoom in a small package

The compact Stylus-7010 ($200, available in August) packs 12 megapixels and a 7x optical zoom into a body that’s less than an inch thick. To help you get sharp photos, the camera features mechanical and digital image stabilization, as well as auto-focus tracking for moving subjects. The camera’s wide-angle zoom (28mm to 196mm equivalent) will help you capture more of the image in your shot.

The Stylus-7010 includes a number of software features for improving your shots. For example, an in-camera panorama option can capture three images and stitch them together for you. You can also apply artistic filters such as Pinhole and Fish-Eye for creative images. Beauty Fix modes give you the option of smoothing skin imperfections, emphasizing eyes, or increasing contrast between the subject’s pupil and iris. If you’re having trouble deciding which artistic filter to use, you can turn on the camera’s Perfect Shot Preview feature to see how a filter will affect your shot before you press the shutter button. For beginners, the camera’s Intelligent Auto mode attempts to identify the type of photo you’re trying to shoot (a landscape versus a portrait, for example) and then adjusts the settings for you.

New budget models

Olympus also added three new cameras to its budget FE line: the FE-5020, FE-4000, and FE-46. All three cameras offer 12-megapixel resolutions, auto-focus tracking for moving subjects, Intelligent Auto mode, face detection, and artistic filters. The FE-5020 and FE-4000 also include wide-angle zoom lenses: the FE-5020 includes a 5x zoom (24mm to 120mm equivalent) while the FE-4000 includes a 4x zoom (26mm to 105mm equivalent). The FE-46 also offers a 5x zoom (36mm to 180mm equivalent), though it’s not as wide as the FE-5020.

The new FE cameras will be available in September. The FE-46 will sell for $100, while with FE-4000 and FE-5020 go for $150 and $160, respectively.

All of the cameras support xD-Picture cards or microSD cards via an included adapter.