Olympus Announces Four New Compact Cameras

Olympus has announced a range of new compact digital cameras ranging from an entry-level budget model to a top-of-the-line model boasting 18x optical zoom.

Olympus will obviously be hoping to make a serious dent in the compact digital camera market currently dominated by devices such as Panasonic’s Lumix range and Sony’s Cybershot models. The Olypmus SZ-10 is the flagship model with 18x wide optical zoom lens (28-504mm), a 14 megapixel sensor, 720p HD video recording and 3D photo capability. It is obviously the zoom capability that Olympus hope will make the SZ-10 stand out from the crowd boasting that the camera can capture “the sweat on a bungee jumper’s brow.”

The SZ-10 has an ISO range from 80 to 3200, is compatible with SDHC and SDXC cards as well as Eye-Fi cards to allow you to wirelessly share your images. The cameras comes loaded with a plethora of filters and shooting modes including Magic Filter, Pet Detection Mode, Intelligent Auto Mode and Beauty Mode – if you’re not having a particularly good hair day. The SZ-10 will be available later this month in black or silver.

Olympus has also announced two mid-range cameras, the VR-320 and VR-330 which follow on from the launch in January of the VR-310. As you could have guessed the new VR models don’t stray too far from their older sibling, but do bulk up on some of the specs. Both come with a more powerful 12.5x wide 24-300mm optical zoom lens.

Both slim models measure only 19mm deep with the zoom retracted and offer 14 megapixels to shoot still images and can even capture video in 720p HD. What sets the VR-330 apart from the VR-320 is the addition of 3D image capture and an HDMI-out port to allow you to view those magnificent 3D images on a really big telly. 

Finally, Olympus has announced its bargain model, the VG-110, which completes the VG line-up, following on from the VG-120 and VG-130. The VG-110 is as simple as it gets when it comes to point-and-shoot devices. 12 megapixels, 4x optical zoom and image stabilisation combined with idiot-proof software such as i-Auto and Shadow Adjustment Technology will make this camera appealing to those who really don’t want to mess about with buttons when taking a picture.