Olympus outs three 12MP FE-series cameras
updated 01:30 pm EDT, Wed July 22, 2009
Olympus new FE series cams
Olympus on Wednesday announced the addition of three new point and shoot digital cameras to its FE series, including the FE-5020, FE-4000 and FE-46, all with 12-megapixel sensors. The FE-5020 and FE-4000 feature ultra-wide angle lenses, with the former offering a 5x zoom lens, or the 35mm equivalent of 24mm-120mm, and the latter sporting a 4x (26mm-105mm) lens. All share the same 2.7-inch LCD screen and have enhanced tracking capabilities, including Intelligent Auto that picks the best mode for a particular environment and AF Tracking that focuses on fast-moving subjects and can remember them even when they leave the frame.
An in-camera editing mode lets users crop and adjust photos without uploading them to a PC. The same Magic Filters that debuted on Olympus DSLR cameras make its way into this threesome, creating specific creative effects. There is Pop Art which makes vivid images by enhancing and saturating colors in the image, a Pin Hole filter that reduces peripheral brightness to highlight the subject in the center of the shot, and a Fish-Eye filter that distorts the image into a hemispherical shape. Finally, a Wedding filter applies a studio-like focus and applies pastel colors to the captured image. There is also a built-in shadow compensation and a face detection mode.
Videos can be captured at up to 640x480 and 30 frames per second.
While the FE-46 and FE-4000 offer 19MB of internal storage, the FE-5020 has 48MB built in. All three cameras can accommodate either xD Picture Card or microSD memory cards. The FE-5020 and FE-4000 come with a rechargeable battery and charger, while the FE-46 relies on two AA batteries.
The FE-5020 can be had in red, gray or blue; the FE-4000 in gray, white or magenta; while the FE-46 is available in blue, pink, black and white. All three will ship in September, with the FE-5020 priced at $160, the FE-4000 at $150 and the FE-46 at $100.
Olympus FE-5020
Olympus FE-4000
Olympus FE-46
