New Olympus STYLUS® Cameras “Go The Distance” With Powerful Optical Zooms In Ultra Compact Designs

10x Wide-Angle Zoom STYLUS-9000 and 7x Zoom STYLUS-7000 Deliver 12 Megapixels, Dual Image Stabilization, Intelligent Auto, Face Detection and In-Camera Panorama

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., January 7, 2009 – Impressive zoom power that brings action incredibly close and compact bodies designed to be taken along for the ride, make the STYLUS-9000 and STYLUS-7000 two of the most powerful premium Stylus cameras ever. The 10x wide-angle optical zoom STYLUS-9000 and the 7x optical zoom STYLUS-7000 are stylish compact models with 12 megapixels of detailed resolution for capturing brilliant images, and features like Dual Image Stabilization, Intelligent Auto, Face Detection, Shadow Adjustment Technology and In-Camera Panorama that take the guesswork out of great photography.

“Olympus has proven that ultra-compact and ultra-zoom can co-exist in an attractive pocket point-and-shoot camera,” said Tomoko Matsunaga, product manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “Superior images start with superior optics, and the new cameras provide the amazing optical quality consumers have come to expect from Olympus. The Stylus cameras’ optical strength is matched by technologies that are designed to enable consumers to capture it all.”

The STYLUS-9000 is available in champagne and black, and the STYLUS-7000 is available in navy, black and silver. Both new cameras offer a unique set of features so consumers can choose the Stylus camera that best meets their needs:

STYLUS-9000

* Finally, a pocket sized portable camera with the most powerful zoom lens in the history of the Stylus family! An impressive 10x wide-angle optical zoom lens (28mm-280mm equivalent in 35mm photography) captures wide vistas, large groups of family and friends, and also zooms in on distant objects to make them appear as though they are right in front of you.
* The new HyperCrystal™ III LCD, the next generation of Olympus’ LCD technology, displays twice as bright as previous versions so that you can see the details even more clearly even under direct sunlight.

STYLUS-7000

* Its 7x optical zoom (37mm-260mm equivalent in 35mm photography) consists of an ultra-compact lens made from precision-crafted glass that fits in a portable package!
* A 3-inch HyperCrystal II LCD screen and a High-Definition (HD) output make it the ideal premium pocket camera for viewing images in the camera or on an HDTV.

12-Megapixels for Superior Image Quality
Both the STYLUS-9000 and the STYLUS-7000 offer a 12-megapixel image sensor enabling consumers to achieve consistently sharp and vivid images when producing large-format prints or cropping/enlarging a portion of an image.

Small Cameras, Large LCDs
The STYLUS-9000 features the new HyperCrystal III LCD that enhances the brightness of the display by 2x to enhance the anti-glare capability. Colors or details that tend to be washed out in direct sunlight are now displayed even more clearly and vividly. The STYLUS-7000 offers a large 3-inch HyperCrystal II LCD screen, which reproduces true colors with a dynamic contrast ratio of more than 180 percent and a color reproduction performance of more than 160 percent compared to HyperCrystal LCD.

Your Images on HDTV
Gone are the days of friends and family huddling around a camera’s LCD to see the pictures you just snapped. Now, you’ll be the hit of the party or any family function when you proudly display your brilliant images on high-definition televisions. Simply connect the camera to an HDTV with an HDMI™ cable, which can be purchased separately at any consumer electronics store.

Olympus Recommended Button
The new “OR” button makes it easy to activate the cameras’ unique features, including In-Camera Panorama, Shadow Adjustment and Perfect Shot Preview. Simply press the new OR button to easily access these commonly used features.

New Beauty Mode
Taking beautiful portraits is easy with the new Beauty Mode. It enables you to soften shadows and smooth wrinkles or blemishes on your subject’s face – all in the camera and before capture! Additionally, subtle edits can be made post-capture using the Beauty Fix mode. Choose “Clear Skin” to smooth a person’s complexion, “Dramatic Eye” to slightly emphasize the eyes, and “Sparkle Eye” to brighten and enhance the contrast of the iris and pupils. You can also apply all three edits at once. Have fun customizing your brilliant images without a PC and costly image editing software.

Versatile Memory
All Olympus digital point-and-shoot cameras accept xD-Picture CardTM media. Starting with products available in August 2008, they also accept microSD memory cards to capture images. The new Stylus cameras offer the flexibility to use either xD-Picture Card or microSD memory cards, which is just one more advantage of Olympus point-and-shoot cameras.

Blur-Free Photos Two Ways
Dual Image Stabilization combines two technologies – mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization and Digital Image Stabilization – to provide one powerful anti-blur solution for capturing great images whether the photographer or the subject is moving. Olympus' mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization keeps images sharp by adjusting the image sensor to compensate for camera movement, which often occurs in low-light conditions when shutter speeds are slower. Digital Image Stabilization freezes the action with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds that prevent blurry images often caused by a moving subject. By combining the two technologies, users of the STYLUS-9000 and STYLUS-7000 are able to take crystal clear images in any shooting situation.

Intelligent Auto Mode
Tired of changing the settings on your camera every time you’re shooting something different? The new cameras’ Intelligent Auto Mode automatically indentifies what you are shooting (Portrait, Landscape, Night + Portrait, Macro, Sports) and adjusts settings to capture the best quality results depending on the situation. First-time users will enjoy this quick and hassle-free feature, which does the thinking for them and produces incredible images like a pro.

Shadow Adjustment Technology
Shooting outdoors in bright daylight can be tricky because of the extreme contrast between dark shadowed areas and bright sunlit areas. While the human eye is capable of detecting the nuances between dark and light and all the details in between, image sensors traditionally have not been quite as sensitive. The new Stylus cameras address this challenge head-on with Shadow Adjustment Technology, which compensates for extreme contrast where the shadow areas are underexposed and lack visible detail. With this technology, users can preview and capture images with the same contrast as the naked eye.

Face Detection with Shadow Adjustment Technology
Face Detection tracks faces within the frame and automatically focuses (Face Detection AF) to optimize exposure (Face Detection AE) for sharp, brilliant portraits and group shots. Thanks to Shadow Adjustment Technology, which was adopted from Olympus’ digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, portrait shots taken in backlight situations will capture your subjects’ faces with the appropriate brightness without overexposing the background. The STYLUS-7000 also features Smile Shot, which tracks your subject’s face to detect a smile and automatically fires off three consecutive shots so you never miss that perfect smile. This feature is great for parents hoping to capture hard-to-predict baby smiles.

In-Camera Panorama
In-Camera Panorama mode captures three images and stitches them together to create one amazing panoramic picture. Simply press the shutter button and slowly pan across a panoramic scene. The second and third images will be captured automatically and stitched together with the first image – resulting in one seamless panorama. To create the ultimate panoramic picture, consumers can use the Olympus MasterTM Software 2 to stitch up to 10 images together.

Perfect Shot Preview
The new cameras feature Perfect Shot Preview, which enables users to preview and select various photographic effects on a live, multi-window screen before snapping the shot. Seeing the results before capturing the image ensures users are getting the shots they want. It is an ideal way for novice users to learn about the effects of different photography techniques, such as zoom, exposure compensation, white balance and metering.

Perfect Fix In-Camera Editing
The STYLUS-9000 and STYLUS-7000 offer Red-Eye Fix and Shadow Adjustment Edit, in-camera editing features such as resizing, cropping and saturation adjustments, enabling users to edit photos right in the camera. With the Perfect Fix function, multiple editing features can be applied at once.

TruePic™ III Image Processor
The Stylus cameras feature Olympus’ exclusive TruePic III image processor developed for the demanding performance of digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras. Olympus’ enhanced TruePic III Image Processor produces crystal clear photos using all the pixel information for each image to deliver superior picture quality with more accurate colors, true-to-life flesh tones and faster processing speeds. TruePic III also captures crisp, clear images at high ISO settings, which are traditionally associated with increasing image noise or producing grainy photos.

OLYMPUS Master 2 Software
OLYMPUS Master 2 Software provides the ultimate in digital imaging management. An intuitive user interface makes downloading to your computer quick and simple, and images are easily organized by folders or albums and searchable by date in Calendar view. A direct link makes uploading your images and videos to YouTube™ easier than ever. Additionally, with one-click editing tools, such as red-eye removal, images can be touched up before printing or e-mailing. Online support, templates, firmware upgrades and other user services are just a mouse-click away. Use the optional muvee™ Theater Pack to create professional quality slide shows and DVDs from your pictures using any of several built-in templates. Additionally, create scrapbooks, greeting cards and other fun prints using the optional ArcSoft® Print Creations plug-in.

Availability
The STYLUS-9000 and STYLUS-7000 will be available in February 2009. They include: wrist strap, camera WIN/Mac USB cable, audio/video cable, Li-Ion rechargeable battery and charger, MASD-1 (microSD Adapter), manual, warranty card and OLYMPUS Master 2 software (CD-ROM).

U.S. Pricing
STYLUS-9000 Estimated Street Price: $349.99
STYLUS-7000 Estimated Street Price: $299.99

For more information, review units, product specifications and high-resolution images of the new Stylus cameras, contact Jeff Hluchyj, Mullen Public Relations, 978-468-8939 or jeff.hluchyj@mullen.com, or Jennifer Lyons, public relations manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc., 3500 Corporate Parkway, Center Valley, PA 18034, ph: (484) 896-5350 / (800) 622-6372 or the Olympus Web site: http://www.olympusamerica.com.

Source: Olympus