Olympus Rolls Out New Cameras

Never timid, Olympus has introduced five new digital cameras, including a semi-rugged model and on with a 20x zoom.

Olympus has taken the wraps off five new consumer-oriented digital camera models today, including the semi-rugged 1050SW and the new SP565 UZ with a 20× zoom. The company has also unveiled a new green packaging initiative, in which it has cut out 70 to 80 percent of the plastic used to package its audio products and xD picture cards.

First up, the new semi-rugged Stylus 1050 SW sports a “shockproof, waterproof, and freezeproof” body that uses a touch-sensitive body—rather than a touch-sensitive display—to access most camera setting. The 1050Sw offers a 10.1 megapixel resolution and a “tap control” interface that lets users turn on the flash, shadow-adjustment technology, and other settings just by tapping the top, sides, and back of the camera. Even better, it’s an interface that works even while you’re, say, wearing big bulky ski gloves. The 1050 is waterproof to about 10 feet, can handle falls from as high as 5 feet, and offers current digital camera amenities like face and smile detection, in-camera editing, digital image stabilization, and a 3× optical zoom. Expect to see the Stylus 1050 SW in October for a suggested price of $299.99.

Next up, the Stylus 1040 claims to by Olympus’s thinnest Stylus camera ever, measuring just 0.65 inches dep so it’ll slide into a discrete pocket in just about any fashion-friendly outfit. The Stylus 1040 features a 2.7-inch LCD display, a 10-megapixel resolution, 3× optical zoom, and an intelligent auto model that offers hassle-free snapshots using portrait, landscape, macro, sports, and a night portrait mode. The Stylus 1040 also offers digital image stabilization, face and smile detection, shadow adjustment technology (that compensates for extreme contrast in daylight shots), and in-camera editing. Expect to see if this October for a suggested price of $199.99.

If you want to get really close to your subjects—without actually closing the gap with them—the Olympus SP-570 UZ might be just the ticket, with a 20× optical zoom. Sporting a DSLR-like body, the SP-570 UZ also offers a 10 megapixel resolution, a 2.5-inch LCD display, dual image stabilization (optical and digital), face detection (up to 16 people), shadow adjustment technology, 33 shooting modes and a wide range of manual controls so users ca adjust to get the perfect shot. The SP-570 UZ should be available in October for a suggested price of $399.99: it also uses AA batteries, which is handy when you’re away from civilization and the ability to plug in a wall charger.

Finally, Olympus has also introduced the FE-360 and FE-370 to its FE digital camera series. Designed to be affordable consumer point-and-shoot cameras, the FE-360 sports a slim (0.7-inch) body, a 3× optical zoom, a 2.5-inch display, and an 8 megapixel resolution, while the FE-370 steps up to a 5× optical zoom, packs in both digital and optical image stabilization, and a 2.7-inch display, Both should be available this month for $149.99 and $199.99, respectively.