Olympus, the industry leader in opto-digital technologies and pioneer in the digital camera market, today introduced its latest slim and stylish 5-megapixel Olympus FE-5500 digital camera that provides excellent value for consumers. At an attractive price of S$499, this new-look camera in the Olympus range offers style, mobility and high photographic performance for both digital photography beginners as well as seasoned users.

The special twisting lens, together with its trim vital statistics that measures only just 24.3mm (18.5mm at its thinnest point), provide an unmistakable appearance for the eye-catching FE-5500. It is also extremely light at 125g (without batteries/card) and users will hardly even notice carrying it – a great feature for consumers looking for an ultra-compact camera to carry along with them wherever they go.

FE-5500 owners will also be able to rest assured with the quality of their shots. Photos will come out razor-sharp thanks to a resolution of 5.0 megapixels, while a precision 3x (equivalent to 35-105mm) zoom lens lets subjects be brought in from afar, and its maximum magnification can be increased up to 12x with the help of the camera’s digital zoom.

In addition, the FE-5500 incorporates a variety of scene programmes, which are ideal for capturing sports, indoor or landscape scenes, which make shooting a cinch. Other modes such as panorama, movie recording with sound and Super Macro, ensure ease and versatility for diverse photographic needs. Images and movies can be viewed on its large 2-inch (5.1cm) LCD monitor that also doubles up as a viewfinder.

The results are saved in the 14MB internal memory, and for users with greater storage requirements, a slot for xD-Picture Cards is provided in the camera. Currently, cards of up to 1GB are available. Printing of images can also be done in a few easy steps using the Olympus P-S100 printer or any other compatible printers, as the FE-5500 adheres to the PictBridge standard.

The Olympus FE-5500 – main features:
 5.0 megapixels
 3 x zoom lens (35-105mm equivalent), 1:2.8-4.8
 2.0-inch (5.1cm) LCD monitor with 115,000 pixels
 Slim body at just 24.3mm depth (18.5mm at its thinnest point)
 Scene programmes (e.g. Portrait, Night Scene, Landscape)
 Editing functions (including Re-size, Black & White, Sepia)
 Movie recording function with sound
 PictBridge compatible
 14MB internal memory plus xD-Picture Card slot
 Multilingual menu (more languages can be downloaded using the Olympus Master software)

Availability
The Olympus FE-5500 is now immediately available at all major retailers and dealers at a recommended retail price of S$499 (inclusive of GST), and comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (Li-40B) and charger, USB cable, AV cable, camera case, strap, and Olympus Master 1.2 software for managing and editing images on the computer.

Olympus, the industry leader in opto-digital technologies and pioneer in the digital camera market, today announced a pocketable 4.0-megapixel Olympus C-170 digital camera in its CAMEDIA series.

Designed with digital photography beginners in mind, first-time digital camera buyers will enjoy the C-170 where every feature was designed for simplicity and ease-of-use. In addition, it is configured for effortless picture-taking and features a ‘One Touch’ configuration, with individual buttons for shooting, reviewing and deleting images. In fact, with the aid of the built-in help guide to explain the various functions, first-time digital camera users will be able to start shooting immediately with virtually no learning curve. Digital photography has never been easier.

With its 4.0-megapixel resolution and PictBridge technology, users can create vibrant prints by connecting the C-170 directly to any PictBridge-enabled printer. The light, compact body of the C-170 also makes it convenient to slip the camera in a pocket so that users can bring it anywhere they go.

Designed To Do More
The C-170 combines a 4.0-megapixel CCD image sensor and a 4x digital zoom lens with Olympus’ exclusive TruePic TURBO™ Image Processor, which significantly enhances image quality and delivers faster overall processing speeds for rapid startup, shutter release and playback.

TruePic TURBO also allows the C-170 to capture information from all 4.0 megapixels using pixel “micro-smoothing” that delivers clearer and more colour-accurate photos. This results in high quality prints that can be cropped and enlarged to 11 x 14 inches and larger.

The C-170 has 14MB of internal memory for immediate storing of photos. It is also xD-Picture Card compatible, allowing users to store up to 512MB of images. Not only that, the C-170 accepts readily available AA-size alkaline batteries which eliminates the hassle of charging batteries or finding the right battery on the road, while a battery-saving sleep mode helps users to maximize the life of their batteries.

Designed To Be Approachable
First-time digital camera users will appreciate the camera’s simple ‘One Touch’ operation. Individual buttons for shooting, reviewing and deleting images are strategically placed on the body of the camera such that frequently-used functions can be easily accessed. For example, macro and flash modes and the self-timer are located on an arrow pad conveniently located for quick access while setting up the perfect shoot.

The camera’s menu architecture also allows entry-level users to make their selections quickly, by incorporating a new help guide that provides a brief description of each function and shooting mode to help users determine the settings that best suit their shooting situation and purpose.

The inclusion of 10 shooting modes, accessed via a rotating dial on the back of the camera, makes it easy to capture flawless images in a variety of situations, such as Portrait, Night and Landscape. And with the QuickTime® Movie mode, users can create short movies of everyday events that can be easily emailed to family and friends.

Olympus Master software provides the ultimate in digital imaging management. An intuitive user interface makes downloading to the computer quick and simple, and images are searchable by date or keyword in the Calendar View. With one-click editing tools, such as red-eye reduction, images can be touched up before printing or emailing. Online support, templates, firmware upgrades and other user services are just a mouse-click away.

Connecting the C-170 to a computer is easy with the USB Auto Connect feature, which connects the camera directly via a USB 2.0 cable and requires no software. If a computer is unavailable, users can easily make use of PictBridge technology which enables photos to be directly printed from the camera to any PictBridge-enabled printer, such as the Olympus P-S100 printer.

Delivering Style
The C-170 has a durable, lightweight body and a built-in lens barrier. With its smooth edges and compact size of just 101 (W) x 52 (H) x 36 (D) mm and light weight (120g), the C-170 fits comfortably in the user’s hand and pocket, demonstrating that elegant design can be found at an affordable price. It also adopts a fixed lens format and uses a 1.5-inch LCD screen for composing photos and reviewing captured photos.

The Olympus C-170 – main features:
 4.0 megapixels
 4x Digital Zoom
 1.5" LCD
 10 Scene Program Modes
 Unlimited Movie Recording
 Macro Mode 20cm

Availability
The Olympus C-170 is now immediately available at all major retailers and dealers at a recommended retail price of S$299 (inclusive of GST), and the package includes two AA non-rechargeable Alkaline batteries, USB cable and Olympus Master 1.2 Software.

Olympus, the industry leader in opto-digital technologies and pioneer in the digital camera market, today unveiled the Olympus M-XD1GM xD-Picture Card, the world’s smallest 1GB storage media for digital devices which will be available in Singapore from May 2005.

The M-XD1GM is the first of the new M-series xD-Picture Cards – an advanced memory media designed predominantly for ultra-compact digital cameras. Based on the latest advances in high-capacity storage research and development, the M-series utilises Multi-Level Cell (MLC*) technology to generate higher-speed data transfer for all reading and writing processes.

In addition, this memory media doubles the previous maximum capacity of xD-Picture Cards, and provides greater versatility and addresses the storage requirement needs of the already large and growing number of photographers using ever-higher resolution digital cameras. For example, with the 7-megapixel Olympus C-7070 WIDE ZOOM, up to 50 TIFF files or about 600 HQ images can be saved on the 1GB removable media, as well as around 19 minutes of video footage in 640x480 resolution.

Naturally, apart from the giant leap in storage capacity, the 1GB media offers all the features that are so characteristic of xD-Picture Cards: the diminutive size of 20 x 25 x 1.7mm, low power consumption, durable design and compatibility with a huge variety of digital cameras. The card features extremely fast data-transfer capabilities, generating speeds of up to 4.0MB/s for reading and 2.5MB for writing.

* MLC is a technology for expanding memory capacity

Availability
The Olympus M-XD1GM xD-Picture Card is now immediately available at all major retailers and dealers at a recommended retail price of S$229 (inclusive of GST).