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Olympus announces 360-degree CCD sensor prototype, surveillance firms drool
Around this time last year, we got wind of CCD-based projectors and cameras from Olympus that were outfitted with a curious "axial symmetrical free curved surface lens." Now, said company is finally providing a few details about its current prototype, which essentially enables 360-degree photographs to be taken. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on perspective), the sensor isn't quite ready to be pushed out into the world, but as you can certainly imagine, it'll likely make a B-line for surveillance outfits just as soon as it's ready.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Olympus EVOLT E-520 DSLR gets purchased, sample shots abound
Hey there EVOLT E-520, we nearly forgot you ever existed! Just over a month after Olympus' latest DSLR first broke cover, one particular individual has managed to corral one from an Austrian shop and snap a few stills. Reportedly, he's planning to write up a full review, but judging by the way the initial round of shots went, we're not so sure he's going to keep it long enough for all of that. As Tam Hanna so bluntly put it, the "autofocus system of the E-520 is the worst [he had] ever seen on a digital camera." Of course, we suppose it could grow on him with time, but just look at the shots in the read link and you'll probably agree that said scenario isn't very likely.Update: Tam wrote in to inform us that this particular camera was defective. Guess that explains a lot, huh?
Olympus E420 DSLR gets reviewed
We got a little hands-on time with Olympus's tiny E420 DSLR back at CeBIT, but the cam's now shipping and the crew at LetsGoDigitial put one through its paces. As you'd expect, the E420's diminutive stature won praise for being light and compact while still fitting well in the hand, but the real accolades were saved for the new Live View feature that allows for instant focusing with supported lenses and solid image sensor that delivers images on par with the more expensive Olympus E-3. The only major negatives appears to be some noise at higher ISO settings and the lack of an IS system, but those aren't necessarily major flaws -- and if you're in the market for a DSLR, the review just beyond the read link might be well worth your time.
Toshiba's tiny IK-HD1 camera used in Olympus Synergy-HD microscope system
Time to bust open the memory vault. Aw, don't kvetch too much, we're only talkin' last month. Toshiba Imaging's diminutive IK-HD1 3CCD HDTV camera, which was showcased at NAB Show 2008, has found its way into Olympus' new Synergy-HD Microscope Imaging System. The two have partnered up in order to deliver a clinical microscope for pathology and teaching that transmits 1,920 x 1,080 resolution imagery onto a bundled 42- or 47-inch 1080p LCD monitor. Folks interested in the system can also snag an additional PC with an HD-SDI frame grabber for showing off captures in front of a group -- and making everyone in attendance unquestionably nauseous.
Olympus E-520 announced, previewed
At the end of the month Olympus will launch its E520 Four-Thirds followup to the E510. The 10 megapixel D-SLR features sensor-shifting image stabilization, the 2.7-inch LCD and AF Live View introduced on the E420, TruePic III image processing and Supersonic Wave Filter dust protection. Other features include Face Detection, Shadow Adjustment, and an optional Wireless flash control accessory when the body goes retail for about $600 Stateside. Digital Camera Resource Page already has a preview unit in house. So why not hit up the read link and take in their expert, early opinion of the latest Olympus E?[Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]
Lightroom 1.4.1 and Camera raw 4.4.1 released
Adobe has dropped updates for both Lightroom and Camera Raw. According to the Lightroom team's blog, the updates include all the changes of the previous releases, but also correct a few issues. Lightroom 1.4.1 will keep the EXIF time date field of images from being incorrectly modified, and has fixes for Olympus JPEG files and also DNG conversion. And the Camera Raw plugin update also fixes the EXIF problem as well as the Olympus JPEG features.But that's more than you wanted to know, right? All you really need to know is that you can grab the update either on Adobe's site, or by hitting "Check for updates" under the Help menu for the Lightroom update and using the Adobe Update Manager for the Raw plugin update. Happy updating![Via Ars]
Olympus Mju 1030 SW gets reviewed
Olympus' Mju 1030 SW compact digital camera got a little lost in the jumble of cameras that the company released earlier this year, but the folks at Photography Blog have now given the compact shooter its due with a full review. As you might expect, the 10-megapixel camera's main selling point (its toughness) earned it the highest marks, with its metal case proving to be decidedly studier than the competition -- not to mention shockproof and waterproof, although the site apparently didn't test those features too strenuously. It was a bit of a different story when it came to actually taking pictures, however, with the Mju turning in only "acceptable" results, and only then after some basic tweaking. The fact that you have to pay a fairly hefty premium for all that sturdiness ($399) doesn't help things either, but if you're the type that goes through cameras like nobody's business, it may not be the worst option to consider.
Olympus skins up the Mju 1020
Olympus pushed out the Mju (that's the Stylus over here) 1020 in a lackluster pre-PMA update back in January, but the company is trying to spice up the 10.1 megapixel shooter with a trio of custom skins designed by Romanian artist Matei Apostolescu. The skins are bundled with a special white-bodied 1020 and are apparently available now, but you'll have to act fast -- only 5,000 are being produced. Check the other two designs after the break.
Hands on with Olympus E-420 -- the world's smallest DSLR
There it is, the world's smallest DSLR -- the Olympus E-420 (left) -- snuggled up next to its slightly bigger E-410 bro. Note that the E-420 on display at CeBIT is a near-final, fully-functional engineering prototype. What more can we say, it feels great in hand and the space and weight savings are certainly welcome. However, without any images to compare the best we can do is ogle the gallery until the reviews roll in.%Gallery-17653%
Olympus Evolt E-420: smallest, lightest, possibly most retro DSLR
There's certainly something to be said for the Olympus E-420, which only takes up 5.1 x 3.6 x 2.1-inches and 13.4 ounces in your bag -- but that totally 80s body style is getting tired. Would it really have killed them to update the look from the E-410 and the rest of the line? Still, it's not the most expensive DSLR you've ever met, and it does have a 10 megapixel sensor with live view, 2.7-inch display, and ISO up to 1600 (meh). Come April or May (depending on where you live) expect to drop $500 for the body, $600 with an ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko lens, and $700 with an ED 25mm f/2.8 Zuiko lens.
Purported shots, specs of Olympus E-430 turn up online
You'll have to take this one with the usual grain of salt, but if a poster on Photo-Forum.net is to be believed, what you're looking at above is Olympus's yet-to-be-announced E-430 digital camera, seemingly a follow-up to the company's E-330 DSLR. According to that same poster, this one is supposedly a 12-megapixel number, and packs a live-view, flip-out 2.5-inch LCD, a wired remote option, and a slightly higher continuous shooting frame rate and larger raw buffer than its predecessor. Of course, the real stand-out feature is that design, which almost seems so out there that it has to be real, though we'd still recommend waiting for some official word before getting your hopes up too much.[Via Digital Photography Review, thanks Jesse]
Olympus pushes out DS-5000 and DS-5000iD non-fascist Dictators
Olympus, who seems to be single-handedly keeping the digital voice recorder market alive and well, has cranked out yet another duo in the sector today, and neither of 'em come cheap. The DS-5000 and DS-5000iD both offer up support for dual memory cards (SD / SDHC and microSD) and feature a backlit LCD, digital dictation software, USB connectivity, up to 28 hours of battery life and a new QP recording mode for enhanced sound quality. The latter also features an integrated fingerprint scanner for the super sleuths in the crowd, and there's even an optical barcode scanner if you're looking to really transform your voice recorder into something MacGyver would approve of. Sure, both units come with a transcription kit, USB cradle, carrying case and 512MB microSD card, but we're still a little hesitant to lay down $499.99 / $599.99 to pick either of them up.
Olympus Stylus lineup hands-on
Basic point-and-shoot digicams is what the Stylus line is all about, and the trend continues. Up here are some shots of the 840, 850SW and 1030SW. 8-megapixels on the 840 and 850SW with 5x and 3x zoom, respectively. And if you vacation includes some light snorkeling (or you like taking pics in the rain), note that the 850SW is shockproof 1.5-meters and to waterproof to 3-meters. Need more megapixels? Step on up to the 1030: 10.1-megapixels and a 3.6x zoom and waterproof to 10-meters.%Gallery-15030%
Olympus' new FE series hands-on
As the press release last week made clear, Olympus did a refresh across its lineup for PMA. We'll hit up the entry-level, ultra-compact FE series here. Across the board, the FE-310, FE-340 and FE-350 get treated to an 8-megapixel sensor and LCDs ranging from 2.5 - 3-inches. The FE-350 trades off the 5x zoom for 4x, but you get a 28-mm wide angle perspective on the world, if that's your sort of thing. And the "HyperCrystal" LCDs were certainly bright, we'll give them that. One definite theme we're seeing in digicams now is the inclusion of face detection, and the FE-series is in on the party there, too.%Gallery-15028%
Olympus SP-570 UZ ultra zoom hands-on
Fujifilm may have laid claim to "smallest 12x zoom," but Olympus' SP-570 UZ blows by that with a 20x optical zoom. In case you didn't know, the "UZ" stands for "ultra zoom." Not a bad piece of glass; f/2.8 - f/4.5 with dual image stabilization so you can actually use the 20x end of the lens. The 10-megapixel sensor and full manual control options make sense on this high-end digicam, as does the hot shoe for a flash. Not all the niceties have been sacrificed, though -- face detection is in there too, for when you hand the camera over to a "less-enthusiastic" shooter.%Gallery-15031%
Olympus rolls out high-speed Type M+ xD-Picture Cards
Believe it or not, Olympus' original Type M xD-Picture Card crashed the scene over a year ago, so it's about time its successor showed up, don'tcha think? The revamped (and ever-so-slightly renamed) M+ card promises data transfer speeds of up to 1.5 times faster than the vanilla Type M, yet somehow still supports "virtually all digital cameras with xD-Picture Card slots" -- whatever that means. Unfortunately, these speedsters still cap out at 2GB, and while pricing deets remain undisclosed, they should be landing sometime in April for all to see.
Olympus releases nine new cameras, none blow our minds
Basically just pre-PMA upgrades to existing models all around, Olympus just loosed nine new shooters. Almost all feature "HyperCrystal" or "HyperCrystal II" displays (not to be confused with hypercolor, dudes), facial recognition, OIS, high ISO modes, and a bunch of other stuff that every other camera company does now. Here's the quick rundown.FE series (February) FE-310 - 8 megapixel, 5x zoom, 2.5-inch LCD FE-340 - 8 megapixel, 5x zoom, 2.7-inch LCD FE-350 - 8 megapixel, 4x zoom, 28mm wide angle lens, 3-inch LCD Mju / Stylus series (February) Mju 840 - 8 megapixel, 5x optical, 2.7-inch LCD Mju 850 SW - 8 megapixel, 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, waterproof to 3m Mju 1010 - 10.1 megapixel, 7x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD Mju 1020 - 10.1 megapixel, 7x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD Mju 1030 - 10.1 megapixel, 3.6x zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, waterproof to 10m SP series (March) SP-570 UZ - 10 megapixel, 20x wide angle zoom, OIS, 2.7-inch LCD %Gallery-14384%
Olympus' E-3 DSLR gets reviewed
As seems to be the case with most new DSLRs these days (regardless of manufacturer), there was quite a bit of buzz behind the E-3. On paper, Olympus' latest big boy was fairly impressive, but we all know it's the real-world results that matter. Thankfully, the kind folks over at PhotographyBLOG grabbed hold of the admittedly hefty shooter and put it through a few paces to see how it stacked up. Design wise, it was deemed a "chunky monkey," and if too many buttons have a tendency to overwhelm you, we'd suggest stopping here and looking elsewhere. Performance wise, however, the E-3 seemed to be a winner. The built-in image stabilization, Supersonic Wave Filter and general speed of operation were all highly praised, and the "true-to-nature" image results were also smiled upon. Overall, we'd say the 4.5 out of 5 star rating pretty much sums it up, but we noticed enough quirks to recommend that you still give the read link a look before buying blind.
Olympus LS-10 portable hi-fi recorder
Most portable recording devices leave quite a bit to be desired in the sound quality department, but that's exactly where the Olympus LS-10 is meant to shine. The little aluminum unit records uncompressed 24 bit / 96kHz audio straight to your SD or SDHC card of choice, or the built-in 2GB of internal storage, in your choice of WAV, MP3 or WMA formats. Similar to Sony's PCM-D1, the LS-10 features stereo microphones for giving your bootleg recordings that added touch of realism, and there are built-in stereo speakers for previewing your audio. There's also a 1.8-inch LCD for shuffling through the options and the unit promises 12 hours of recording battery life. The recorder should be out this month, and retails for about $399.[Thanks, Colin]
Olympus FE-300 gets reviewed
While its smile-detection feature alone may be enough to entice some buyers, the folks at PhotographyBLOG decided to dig a little deeper into Olympus' new FE-300, and they've now churned out a full review of the camera. That feature aside, however, it seems that the camera is a decidedly unimpressive affair, with it boasting some decent specs on paper that unfortunately don't all add up to a top-notch camera. On the upside, the camera is apparently easy to use for novices, and it's said to be "reasonably swift" in operation, but its overall image quality seems to leave quite a bit to be desired. As is often the case, things get particularly bad when you start to move up the ISO settings, with camera shake posing some problems as well. So, unless you're really having trouble capturing the slightest of smiles on your subjects, it seems that you can likely do better elsewhere.
