OLYMPUS ANNOUNCES NEW POINT & SHOOT
ZOOM FILMLESS DIGITAL CAMERA
Olympus D-450 Zoom Sets New Value Standard at $499 for a 1.3 Megapixel
Digital Zoom Camera
Olympus America Inc., Digital & Imaging Systems Group, the world leader in
film and filmless photography, today announced an addition to its
award-winning line of digital cameras, the D-450 Zoom. Housed in a stylish
champagne gold metallic compact point & shoot body, the Olympus D-450 Zoom
offers a 1.3 megapixel resolution CCD and 3X optical zoom lens at an
outstanding $499 value. New significant features include: faster
shot-to-shot performance; 2 frames per second burst mode; improved ISO
ratings; a new LCD display with easy viewing even in bright light and from
any angle; and improved flash range with slow synchronization flash.
Designed with the Consumer in Mind Performance & Ease of Use
Beautifully designed with the consumer in mind, the D-450 Zoom is
lightweight at 9.5 ounces and very compact with dimensions of 5 x 2.6 x
1.8. The protective lens barrier slides open with one hand to
simultaneously turn on the camera and extend the zoom lens. Similar to
Olympus award-winning film-based cameras, the optical zoom lens
automatically retracts into the camera when the lens barrier is closed.
The D-450 Zooms standard features include: 3X optical zoom; 2X digital
telephoto at any focal length; 5 mode pop-up intelligent flash;
through-the-lens auto focus; auto white balance with 4-step manual
override; center weighted and spot metering systems for auto exposure with
+/- 2 step exposure control in 1/2 step increments; video out for viewing
on televisions or recording to a VCR; and direct printing to the P-330
Instant Photo Printer. Designed for speed, the D-450 Zoom offers one of the
fastest start-ups in the industry coupled with fast shot-to-shot
performance capabilities. The removable 8MB SmartMedia memory card is
included with the camera and allows even greater flexibility with
connectivity. Photos can be downloaded from the D-450 Zoom via the included
serial connection or with optional accessories, including the FlashPath
floppy disk adapter and PCMCIA adapter card.
Olympus digital cameras are known for their exceptionally high-quality
images, producing photographs equal or better than many digital cameras
with higher resolutions. This is achieved by a number of factors including
the Olympus high-quality 8-element all-glass aspherical F2.8 autofocus
lens, low compression ratios (including an uncompressed mode), and other
sophisticated imaging technologies. The built-in optical viewfinder and
1.8-inch LCD allow for easy viewing in any condition. The macro capability
allows the user to get in as close as eight inches, so the D-450 Zoom can
capture the smallest details.
The D-450 Zoom includes advanced photographic controls, including four
levels of recording images (Standard Quality at 640 x 480 with standard
compression; High Quality at 1280 x 960 with standard compression; Super
High Quality mode at 1280 x 960 with minimal compression; and Uncompressed
TIFF File). Photos are saved as industry standard DCF/EXIF, JPEG, or TIFF
files, which are easily viewed in most image-editing software and browsers.
Controllable exposure and white balance give the user the photographic
controls they want. The exposure feature allows users to bracket +/- 2
steps in 1/2-step increments for lighting compensation. The D-450 Zoom even
contains both Digital ESP matrix metering as well as spot metering. It
also features a sophisticated five-mode flash with red-eye reduction,
force-fill flash, automatic low-light and back-light mode, flash-off and
slow-sync to accommodate most lighting conditions.
D-450 Zoom Recording Mode Image Size 8MB SmartMedia (included)
# of Images 16MB
SmartMedia(optional)
# of Images File Type
Standard 67kb or less 122 images
(640 x 480) 244 images
(640 x 480) JPEG
High Quality 220kb or less 36 images
(1280 x 960) 72 images
(1280 x 960) JPEG
Super High Quality 440kb or less 18 images
(1280 x 960) 36 images
(1280 x 960) JPEG
Super High Quality
Uncompressed 3690kb or less 2 images
(1280 x 960) 4 images
(1280 x 960) TIFF
New LCD Allows for Easier Viewing in Any Light at Any Angle
One defining difference between a digital and a film camera is the digital
cameras LCD display.
The D-450 Zooms new LCD now allows easier viewing so that more than one
person can see the images instantly on the LCD from any angle and in bright
light. The Image Inspection mode allows 3X magnification of images on the
LCD so the user doesnt have to download images in order to inspect small
details. This also allows magnified images to be printed directly to the
Olympus P-330 Instant Photo Printer. The newly designed LCD allows up to 16
thumbnail images to be previewed at one time.
Speed Fast Operation Means No Waiting
The D-450 Zoom offers a faster shot-to-shot performance. With the internal
high-speed D-RAM enhancement, shots can now be taken as quickly as the
image is focused, with shots being held in the buffer. This means no more
waiting between shots. The D-RAM also allows for burst mode shooting. This
mode enables users to shoot and capture up to 10 images in half-second
intervals in all quality modes: SQ, HQ and SHQ. Similar to that of advanced
film cameras, activation is easy. Once burst mode selected, simply hold the
shutter button down and the camera does all the work. Up to 10 images are
written through D-RAM (internal memory) and saved to the removable
SmartMedia card for later review.
-more-
OLYMPUS ANNOUNCES NEW POINT & SHOOT ZOOM FILMLESS DIGITAL CAMERA/pg 3
Viewing Flexibility View Digital Photos With or Without a Computer
The D-450 Zoom can be used to download photos with or without a computer.
It features a conventional video out connector for easy viewing of photos
on a TV set, in addition to individual viewing on the LCD. As a result,
several people can simultaneously view the photos without a computer.
Images can also be transferred to video-tape and sent to relatives and
business associates for easy viewing. D-450 Zoom users also have the option
of creating prints directly from the camera with the Olympus P-330 Instant
Photo Printer via its direct connect capabilities. All of these output
options expand usability for Olympus filmless digital cameras, allowing
consumers that do not even own a computer to use an Olympus digital camera.
An 8MB SmartMedia removable card is included with the camera. Additional 4,
8, 16 and 32MB SmartMedia cards can be used, so there is no restriction on
the number of photos that can be captured. Since images can be erased
thousands of times, the included Olympus 8MB SmartMedia card can be reused
over & over again.
The Olympus brand SmartMedia cards provide added benefits compared to other
SmartMedia cards. They are pre-formatted for immediate use in the camera
and include panorama mode firmware. This enables the auto exposure system
to be locked resulting in evenly exposed stitched images or panoramas. The
QuickStitch Panorama stitching software from Enroute Imaging is included
with all D-450 Zoom cameras. It allows multiple images to be joined
together for impressive panoramic views of difficult to capture subjects.
The D-450 Zoom comes standard with: 4 AA Alkaline batteries, a 8MB Olympus
SmartMedia card, strap, serial cable for Mac and PC, video connection cable
for TV or VCR, Adobe PhotoDeluxe image manipulation and creation software,
Enroute Imaging QuickStitch panorama stitching software, Olympus Camedia
Master Utility Software for downloading images from the camera, and
instruction manuals. The D-450 Zoom will be available September 1, 1999
with an expected street price of $499. All software supports both Windows
and Macintosh environments.
For more information, contact Olympus America, Digital & Imaging Systems
Group, Two Corporate Center Dr., Melville, NY 11747-3157, ph: (516)
844-5000 (800) 347-4027, Fax: (516) 844-5262 or the Olympus Web Site:
http://www.olympus.com/digital.
Olympus America distributes a wide range of products for consumer,
scientific, health care, commercial and industrial markets. These include
film and filmless cameras, Microcassette and digital voice recorders,
binoculars, film scanners, personal photo printers, medical and industrial
endoscopes, biological and metallurgical microscopes and measuring
instruments, clinical analyzers, and other high technology products.
Olympus America is responsible for sales in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean,
and Central and South America.