Olympus rolled out a bunch of new cams at the CP+ show, headlined by the SZ-10 that’s now positioned at the top of their super zoom cam line. As such, it packs a pretty good zoom range for a compact: the SZ-10 features an 18X optical zoom (28-505mm equivalent), a 14MP sensor and a fairly large 3-inch LCD display. The specs are pretty current, with 720p video recording capabilities for creating—or at least trying to create—quality home movies, dual image stabilization, in-cam stitching for combining three images, and the usual set of shot optimizers such as face detection and AF tracking. The cam also offers a 3D photo mode too. It doesn’t have dual lens for creating actual 3D images, but it makes do by capturing to shots and combining them into one.
The premium compact camera niche that’s been dominated by Panasonic’s LX line and Nikon’s P7000 looks like it’s going to get a little bit crowded by the time CES rolls around. All we have from Olympus is a photo of their XZ-1 right now, but it does say a lot. Like a bright f1.8 lens, and HD video recording capabilities, apparently, plus a pop-up flash and hot shoe for adding an external flash. Word is also out that Panasonic’s getting ready to intro the LX5. No details for that one has been released yet, but it’s expected to feature ISO 12,800 sensitivity for low-light shooting and 720p HD videos recording. [via CrunchGear, Electronista]
Before anything else, let’s establish something: the retro-styled Olympus E-P2 that was first launched late last year already came in black, but the accessories usually came in silver. Let’s just say that the color combo just didn’t work, and it certainly spoiled the E-P2’s old school style. In case that was all that prevented you from picking up this Micro Four-Thirds cam—an awesome snapper to pack if you’re into more than just pointing-and-shooting, by the way—Olympus just announced a couple of all-black kits for the E-P2, which basically packs the cam along with matching black accessories.
Earlier this month, Olympus launched the PEN E-PL1, a 12.3-megapixel Micro Four Thirds compact that should be more affordable than their other Micro Four Thirds cameras. It was expected to ship next month, but for whatever reason, they’re available on Amazon now.
