Three New Cameras in the Olympus FE Series

Additionally Olympus unveiled three new entries in their FE line of compact cameras. All featuring 12MP, wide-angle zoom, and loads of in camera features and filters. They are slated for September 2009 release.

Premium Looks Without Premium Prices: New Olympus FE Series Cameras Pack More Features Into Super-Slim Bodies

12 Megapixels, Wide-Angle Zoom Lenses, Auto-Focus Tracking and Creative Magic Filters Inside Stylish Compact Cameras

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., July 22, 2009 – Whether you’re enjoying a wedding or a fun weekend afternoon, the new Olympus FE series (FE-5020, FE-4000 and FE-46) digital compact cameras will consistently capture extraordinary, in-focus pictures of your family and friends. Inside their new premium crystal shell finish, the three stylish FE series cameras pack 12 megapixels, creative in-camera Magic Filters like Pop Art and Pin Hole that make your images stand out, and new AF Tracking that keeps kids, pets, tossed wedding bouquets and other fast-moving objects in focus. The FE-5020 and FE-4000 also have wide-angle zoom lenses inside their new super-slim bodies, so you’ll be able to capture even more friends in one memorable image.

“Life’s great moments happen in an instant, so these new FE cameras ensure that you won’t miss a shot thanks to AF Tracking,” said Jennifer Schmell, product manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “Intelligent Auto takes the guesswork out of photography by automatically choosing the right mode for your subject, and Perfect Fix In-Camera Editing will enable you to crop and adjust your photos on the fly.”

Always Stay Focused
The new AF Tracking technology locks your subject in focus, and continuously adjusts focus and brightness whether you or your subject are moving. This mode can remember the subject if it moves out of the frame. This enables you to keep fast-moving and unpredictable subjects like small children in focus for the perfect shot. There’s even a specially designed AF Tracking “Pet Mode” for animal lovers.

Express Your Inner Artist with Magic Filters
In-camera Creative Features recently debuted on Olympus E-System DSLR (digital single lens reflex) cameras. Similar in-camera Magic Filters have been developed for the new FE cameras. The new Magic Filters enable the user to enhance and customize images as they’re being captured. This translates into more fun and flexibility as customization is no longer limited to using expensive and time-consuming computer software. The new Magic Filters include:

Pop Art – Enhance and saturate colors to create vivid, high-impact pictures that express the joyful, lighthearted feeling of the Pop Art style of the 1960s;
Pin Hole – Reduce the peripheral brightness of an image as though it were shot through a pin hole, connecting the viewer intimately with the subject at the center;
Fish-Eye – Available on the FE-5020, this filter emulates the wide-angle of a fish-eye lens by taking extremely wide, hemispherical images and magnifying the center of the frame; and
Wedding – The FE-4000 and FE-46 also offer this in-camera filter, which encloses the foreground of an image in gentle, pastel colors with a soft, elegant focus; similar to effects achieved in a studio.
Capture More of the Photo You Want
Shooting in small spaces where you’re unable to back away from your subject has always been a challenge. Now, thanks to the cameras’ new wide-angle zoom lenses, it’s easy to capture everything and everyone – including group shots at weddings, family reunions and dinner parties. The FE-4000 versatile lens starts extremely wide and goes to 4x (26mm – 105mm equivalent in 35mm photography), and the FE-5020 provides an impressive wide-angle 5x zoom lens (24mm – 120mm equivalent). The new lenses almost seem to defy the laws of physics as they fit into the slim, ultra-compact bodies of the new FE cameras. Of course, you’ll love how they easily fit into a pocket or evening clutch.

Take Pictures In Style
The three new FE cameras are as high-fashion as they are easy to use. Their sleek new double-layered crystal shell utilizes silk printing and a pearlized mirror finish to give the camera an elegant, transparent feel. Get this great look with any color body that you choose, including:

FE-5020 in Wine Red, Dark Gray and Royal Blue;
FE-4000 in Dark Gray, Pearl White and Magenta; and
FE-46 in Light Blue, Light Pink, Pearl Black and Pearl White.
Intelligent Auto Thinks For You
Tired of changing the settings on your camera every time you’re shooting something different? The new cameras’ Intelligent Auto Mode automatically identifies what you are shooting (Portrait, Landscape, Night + Portrait, Macro, Sports) and adjusts settings to capture the best quality results depending on the situation. First-time users will enjoy this quick and hassle-free feature, which does the thinking for them and produces incredible images like a pro.

In Sunshine or Shadows, Never Miss a Detail
Photographers know that shooting scenes with both highlights and shadows can be tricky because of the extreme contrast between dark and bright areas. When using Intelligent Auto on any of the three new FE cameras, Shadow Adjustment Technology is automatically activated to address this challenge. It adjusts for extreme light variations and maintains visible detail in both the shadow and highlight areas of the scene.

Always Find a Face in the Crowd
The new camera’s Advanced Face Detection reduces the chance of blurred subjects in photography by distinguishing between people’s faces and the background. It tracks up to 16 faces within the image area, even if people are moving, and automatically focuses and optimizes exposure for sharp, brilliant portrait pictures (ideal for large family or group photos).

Perfect Fix In-Camera Editing
All three new FE cameras offer Red-Eye Fix, Lighting Fix, Resizing and Cropping so photographers can edit images right in the camera without the need for any editing software.

Versatile Memory
The new FE cameras offer the flexibility to use either xD-Picture Card or microSD memory cards, which is just one more advantage of Olympus point-and-shoot cameras.

Easy Operation and Help Guides
The new FE cameras feature enhanced In-Camera Help Guides that make digital photography simple and fun for users of all ages and skill levels. In addition to the Help Guide that displays a brief description of camera settings and features on the LCD, all three cameras allow consumers to easily adjust ISO and white balance settings using the Program Auto mode. Additionally, Exposure Compensation enables users to preview and select various exposure effects on a live, multi-frame window on the LCD before snapping the shot. This smart feature allows users to see precisely what the image will look like when adjustments are made, ensuring they are capturing the exact image desired. Program Auto and Exposure Compensation are great modes that enable novice users to get results like the pros while learning about the effects of different photography techniques. Menus are available in 39 languages for convenient operation.

TruePic™ III Image Processor
The FE-5020 features Olympus’ exclusive TruePic III Image Processor, which was developed for the demanding performance of professional Digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras. Olympus’ enhanced TruePic III Image Processor produces crystal-clear photos using all the pixel information for each image to deliver superior picture quality with more accurate colors, true-to-life flesh tones and faster processing speeds. TruePic III also captures crisp, clear images at high ISO settings.

OLYMPUS Master 2 Software
Use the included OLYMPUS Master™ 2 software (Mac and PC) to easily download images from the camera or other external device, such as a USB drive, and automatically organize them into albums, edit and print. Update camera and lens firmware through the software and download additional menu languages. A direct link makes uploading your images and videos to YouTube™ easier than ever.

Availability
All three new FE cameras will be available in September 2009. The FE-5020 and FE-4000 cameras include an LI-42B Rechargeable Battery and Charger, and the FE-46 includes two AA alkaline batteries. All three cameras also include a USB Cable, Audio/Video Cable, MASD-1 (microSD Adapter), Wrist Strap, Quick-Start Guide, CD-ROM Manual, OLYMPUS Master 2 Software and Warranty Card.

U.S. Pricing
FE-5020 Estimated Street Price: $159.99 (U.S.)
FE-4000 Estimated Street Price: $149.99 (U.S.)
FE-46 Estimated Street Price: $99.99 (U.S.)