NEWS • AUGUST 25, 2000
Olympus Debuts 4 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera
New dye-sublimation printer also introduced

by David Nagel
Executive Producer
dnagel@digitalmedianet.com

Olympus today introduced two new digital cameras to its lineup, as well as a dye-sublimation printer designed for printing photographs. The first new camera, the Camedia E-10, is a 4 megapixel digital SLR still camera featuring new lens technology specifically designed to focus light evenly across the entire CCD surface. The attached 4x professional f2.0 to f2.4, 9 mm to 36 mm zoom lens (equivalent to 35 mm to 140 mm in 35 mm photography) is manufactured with Extra Dispersion (ED) Glass and features fully multicoated elements with dual aspherical glass elements to reduce chromatic aberrations.

Other features include:

• Manual focusing ring on the lens barrel;
• Manual zoom ring and traditional-style focusing screen;
• Dual Autofocus with an Olympus-patented IR-active focus system for initial focus and a TTL passive focus for fine, accurate focus;
• Hot-shoe and PC flash connectivity;
• Dedicated buttons to control shooting modes, flash, white balance and media card settings;
• Aperture and shutter controls set using dials;
• Selected settings can be viewed and reviewed on the adjustable high-resolution TFT LCD display;
• NTSC video out for viewing the photos on a television or capturing on a VCR;
• Support for both SmartMedia and CompactFlash Type I/II media;
• 32 MB SD-RAM Buffer, with a three frame per second burst mode for four photos;
• 1.2 second shot to shot speed for unlimited number of photographs;
• 100 ms shutter lag time;
• Uncompressed TIFF, DCF-JPEG (2.7:1, 4:1 or 8:1 compression) and a 48-bit RAW mode (16 bits per color);
• Optional devices include USB port connectivity, FlashPath floppy disk adapter and PCMCIA adapter card.

It ships with a 32 MB Olympus SmartMedia memory card, two LB-01 (CR-3V) Lithium batteries, Olympus Camedia Master 2.5 Utility Software for downloading images from the camera, Adobe Photoshop 5.0 LE image manipulation and creation software, Olympus Photoshop plugin for RAW files, instruction manual, QuickStart Guide, lens cap and strap. Optional accessories include a fitted semi-hard camera case, Olympus NiMH batteries, AC adapter and additional extension lenses from 28 mm equivalent to 420 mm equivalent. All accessories will be available in October, 2000.

Olympus also announced a 1.5 megapixel still camera that it touts as the fastest still camera on the market, capable of capturing three to 15 frames per second, depending on resolution settings. It uses a 10x optical zoom lens (35 mm to 380 mm equivalent in a 35 mm camera) and a 2.7x digital telephoto lens, which extends the camera's range out to more than 1,000 mm. It also offers a VGA QuickTime movie mode with sound capture capability; an Electronic Viewfinder SLR design; and a dual media slot for using both SmartMedia and CompactFlash Type I and II memory cards.

Other features include:

• Pre-Capture mode, which allows the camera to capture one to five images before the shutter is fully depressed, eliminating shutter lag times;
• 28 MHz CCD and high-speed image processor/ASIC;
• S-Program for Landscape, Portrait, Sports and Night Scene modes; Program Automatic, Aperture Priority; Shutter Priority and full manual controls;
• In Playback mode, new scene rotation controls allow for the display of vertical photographs on a horizontal screen without having to rotate the camera or video monitor;
• Color and black-and-white image capture modes;
• New iESP multi-pattern full-automatic TTL White Balance system;
• 10x all-glass aspherical zoom lens with image stabilization.

Finally, the company also announced a dye-sublimation printer, the Camedia P-200, designed for mobility and photo-printing capabilities. The P-200 Printer produces continuous tone images at 320 dots per inch. The printer supports 128 gradation levels per color and delivers finished A-6 size prints (3" x 4" print area) in 90 seconds. The P-200 Printer employs four-pass printing technology, one each for the Cyan, Magenta and Yellow primary colors, plus a UV overcoat layer.

The Camedia E-10 sells for $1,999. The Camedia E-100 RS is expected to ship in October and will sell for $1,499. The Camedia P-200 dye-sublimation printer will be available in October and is expected to sell for $599. For more information, visit http://www.olympusamerica.com.

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