Olympus

Olympus goes back to the future with the retro-styled E-P1 digital camera

By Alan Brandon

18:05 June 19, 2009 PDT

A modern reinvention of the classic Pen camera from the 1960s and 70s, Olympus' E-P1 rolls a compact point-and-shoot form factor and full-size DSLR features together in a way that seems to defy categorization. There's something undeniably appealing about a 12.3-megapixel camera with interchangeable lens system, 720p high definition video, image stabilization and stereo audio recording that you can carry in a classic leather half-case, but the E-P1 is almost as notable for what Olympus left out. Alan Brandon zooms in for a closer look. Read More

Olympus announces lightweight E-620 Digital SLR Camera

By Noel McKeegan

04:21 February 25, 2009 PST

Olympus has extended its digital SLR range with the unveiling of the E-620. The new addition will sit in the middle of the company's SLR line-up led by the flagship E-3 and extending through to the compact E-420. The E-620 is pitched as an "all-in-one" model that combines some of the best elements of the higher end units - like the flip-out rotating screen - with a high-degree of portability. Read More

Super-Secret Spy Lens for your SLR

By Noel McKeegan

17:25 December 15, 2008 PST

Designed for capturing raw, natural images without the subject being aware that they are being photographed (and ruining that elusive photo-realism), or lets face it, for just plain snooping around, the Super-Secret Spy Lens allows you to take shots at right angles to the camera lens. Working like a periscope for your SLR, the lens adaptor also rotates through 360 degrees so you can snap subjects above and below you as well as to the left or right, all while you appear to be shooting directly in front. Read More

The Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder gets some compelling accessories

By Jack Martin

03:32 August 31, 2008 PDT

August 31, 2008 The Olympus LS-10 is a pocket-size Linear PCM compact recording device that captures audio in the highest quality. It perfect for use on the go, and enjoys a fine reputation with musicians, journalists and podcasters (gotta be a joke in there somewhere). Olympus trotted out an infrared remote control and an exceptionally effective windshield for the LS-10 at IFA this week that make it even more attractive to these oft maligned professionals. The mandatory introductory stunt at IFA was to have a guitarist record a song in a sound proof phone box (pictured) and then play it backed - it worked ... impressive sound reproduction meeting promised CD quality. Read More

Olympus reveal E-420: the world's smallest interchangeable lens digital SLR

By Kyle Sherer

18:06 March 5, 2008 PST

March 6, 2008 Olympus has again claimed the mantle of the world’s thinnest, smallest interchangeable lens digital SLR camera with the announcement of the E-420. The camera is scheduled to be released in May this year, and is the successor to the E-410 digital SLR released last April. Read More

Olympus Stylus 7x optical zoom digital compact camera

By Noel McKeegan

18:19 February 29, 2008 PST

March 1, 2008 Olympus has crammed a 7 X optical zoom lens into an ultra-compact body in the latest addition to the Stylus (or "Mju"depending on where you are in the world) line of digital cameras. Read More

Olympus announces flagship E-3 digital SLR camera

By Darren Quick

04:02 October 17, 2007 PDT

Olympus has announced the launch of the E-3, the new flagship of the company's E-system digital SLR camera range and as expected - the specs are very impressive. The 10.1 megapixel unit includes body-mounted image stabilization that works on every lens, a dual-axis flexible-angle 2.5 inch live-view LCD, high speed sequential shooting at 5 frames per second, shutter speeds of up to 1/8000 sec and an 11-Point-Full Twin Cross AF detection system that delivers what's billed as the world's fastest auto-focus to date. The camera's magnesium alloy body has been designed for harsh environments with dust and splashproof sealing of all major parts, including the built-in flash, LCD monitor, and switches, adding to its durability. That's a whole lot of functionality to explore when the E-3 becomes available - along with a new range of high-speed lenses - from November this year. Read More

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ18: 8.1 megapixel, 18x optical zoom for US$400

By Kyle Sherer

21:37 August 6, 2007 PDT

August 7, 2007 Ten years ago the release of the first digital camera to have one-megapixel resolution under US$1000 was cause for celebration. In two years time, manufacturers had comfortably doubled that resolution and by 2001, it had doubled again... and the trend continues unabated into 2007 with the latest 8.1 megapixel release from Panasonic - the LUMIX DMC-FZ18. Though not matching Fujifilm's recent 12-megapixel F50fd in resolution, the DMC-FZ18 boasts 18x optical zoom – six times the average zoom of one year ago - and has a raft of other features including face detection and image stabilization. Read More

Zoom wars - Olympus unveils 18X zoom at PMA

By Mike Hanlon

March 12, 2007 Now that we seemingly have more than enough megapixels, the digital camera manufacturers appear to have started a magnification war, with Olympus exhibiting its 18x optical zoom SP-550 UZ (Ultra Zoom) at this week’s PMA show and Sony showing its 15x optical zoom, Cyber-shot H7 and the H9 models. Indeed, down at the ultracompact end of the range, Casio crammed a 7X zoom into its Exilim EX-V7 – that’s a 7X optical zoom inside a camera just one inch thick. Extrapolate those figures back to the days of 35mm SLR photography and you’ll have cause to ponder just how far things might go in the longer term. For the miniscule Exilim, that’s the equivalent of a 35mm-266mm zoom lens in 35mm terms, and several different anti-shake technologies are employed, including a mechanical CCD-shift image stabiliser. It’s the Olympus SP-550 UZ that blows us away though – its focal length spans an amazing 28mm-504mm (in 35mm terms) and it employs double protection against camera shake with Dual Image Stabilization, combining high ISO values with a CCD-based mechanical image stabiliser, where a built-in gyro sensor detects camera movement and adjusts the CCD accordingly. On top of that, the 7.1 megapixel SP-550 UZ offers the highest burst rate (15 frames per second) of any compact digital camera., shoots 640x480 video at 30fps and hits the streets this month at US$500. Read More

Olympus unveils new Voice-Trek V-40 and V-50 Voice recorders

By Mike Hanlon

October 17, 2005 Olympus is to release a pair of handheld voice recorders later this month that are likely to become hot property for journalists, in legal offices and in other professional roles where voice recording and transcription are the primary focus. The great thing about the new Voice-Treks is that the unit clips apart exposing a USB connection that is supported under the USB Storage class so transferring files doesn’t require drivers for Mac or Windows. Both can play WMA and MP3 files and the larger unit will record 36 hours at the highest quality setting, making it an ideal voice recording tool – one AAA battery offers 11 hours of recording. Read More

New Olympus E-500 digital SLR offers flexibility and value - and no dust

By Mike Hanlon

September 28, 2005 The digital SLR camera market continued to heat up with the announcement on Monday of the Olympus E-500. The compact and lightweight E-500 has an 8-megapixel CCD, a huge 2.5 inch HyperCrystal LCD monitor and an exclusive Dust Reduction System that ensures that your image sensor is always clear of dust. Though still six weeks away from most markets, the Olympus E-500 will be available in different markets with different values kits containing the body and one or more lenses. For example, the US market will get a starter kit containing the E-500 body and ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-45mm lens for US$799 and an additional 18-180 mm lens for US$899. In the UK the starter kit will cost UKP600 and in Australia the starter kit will contain a body and17.5-45mm lens for AUD$1299 and an additional 40-150mm lens for AUD$1599. Clearly, the bang-per-buck ratio for professional digital SLRs is following the same steep curve as the PC, game platform and mobile phone. Read More

Olympus gets serious underwater

By Mike Hanlon

July 2, 2005 Maybe we’ve been leading a sheltered life but when the new PT-E01 underwater case crossed the Gizmag editorial desk, we were mightily impressed. Here was a device that enabled you to take an 8 megapixel Olympus E-300 digital SLR camera safely underwater, with a range of lens ports to enable different lenses to be used, plus an entire flash set-up. Then we started looking at the market and found that although the PT-E01 underwater case system and its parts are genuine Olympus accessories, that’s about all that’s unique – the growth of the digital photography marketplace over the last few years has seen underwater casings developed for all the major digital SLR cameras on the market and underwater cases are now available for most popular pocket digital cameras and even camera phones too. The pricing at the SLR end of the digital camera range isn’t for struggling amateurs, but complete technical control can be had, even if you’re 60 metres underwater. Read More

Olympus Mju Mini Digital

By Mike Hanlon

March 8, 2005 Olympus has announced the Mju-mini DIGITAL S, a 5-megapixel compact digital camera with an all-weather, “drop-shaped” metal body, a 1.8-inch HyperCrystal LCD screen and a 2x optical zoom lens. The Mju-mini DIGITAL S will be available in stores from April 2005 and is the ideal camera for all those people sick of looking at square me-too budget digital cameras. Read More

Olympus Introduces 7.1 Megapixel 5x Optical Zoom Digital Camera

By Mike Hanlon

The megapixel space race continues, and the 7 megapixel barrier was broken for a compact camera in Australia this week when the new Olympus C-70 ZOOM went on sale. Claiming it is the smallest 7.1-megapixel, 5x optical zoom model in the world the C-70 went on sale in Australia in September, retailing for $899 and measuring just 102mm (W) x 59mm (H) x 42mm (D).

The C-70 features a newly developed 5x optical zoom lens that is specifically designed to maximise the imaging potential of its 7.1-megapixel CCD, as well as an Olympus-developed TruePic TURBO image. Read More

Olympus limited edition Ferrari Digital Camera

By Mike Hanlon

Olympus has announced the Ferrari Digital Model 2004, the second in the Ferrari Digital Model 2004 series of Olympus cameras to be officially sanctioned by Ferrari. Based on the all-new Olympus AZ-1 compact digital camera, the aluminium body is finished in Ferrari Red and is graced with the famous 'Prancing Horse' logo. Read More

Totally new digital SLR system from Olympus

By Mike Hanlon

Friday June 27, 2003 Built from scratch with a new 5-megapixel CCD and dedicated interchangeable lenses designed specifically to match the performance requirements of digital imaging, the E-1 professional digital SLR camera from Olympus promises outstanding mobility and superb image quality. Read More

Olympus releases 512MB XD Memory Card

By Mike Hanlon

Olympus has boosted to its digital camera memory card line-up with the addition of the 512MB xD Picture Card. Double the capacity of the largest xD card currently available, the compact (1.7mm thick) 512MB xD Picture Card... Read More

Fuji and Olympus launch XD picture cards

By Mike Hanlon

A new type of ultra-compact memory media developed jointly by Olympus and Fuji has again upped the "size v capacity" stakes in the burgeoning digital photography marketplace. Read More

Olympus Eye-Trek finding myriad real-world applications

By Mike Hanlon

More than just a cinema-on-your-face, the expanding range of Olympus Eye-Trek head-mounted displays are finding a myriad of surprising 'real world' applications. Developed primarily for use with DVD and gaming consoles, the Eye-Trek - which includes the FMD-200, FMD-250W and the Sony Playstation2 compatible FMD-20P - has found its way into dentists chairs and F1 simulators as well as being used for virtual reality VR training and simulation, entertainment and educational purposes. Read More