Olympus Adds to FE-Line of Digital Cameras

*Jan. 22, 2008 - *Olympus today announced four new models in its FE-line of

point-and-shoot digital cameras: the FE-310, FE-320, FE-340, and FE-350. All four offer a number of features, including an 8-megapixel, 1/2.5-inch CCD, digital image stabilization, and face detection. The FE-310 will retail for $149.99, the FE-320 for $179.99, the FE-340 for $199.99, and the FE-350 for $249.99; all are available this month.

The $149.99 FE-310, a budget-friendly model, features a 5x optical zoom lens; significantly longer than the ones found on most entry-level point-and-shoots at this price. It has a 2.5-inch, 154,000-pixel LCD, and 13 Scene modes, which cover the basics like Portrait, Landscape, and Spot. There are no preset white balance modes to be found on the FE-310; only Auto white balance is available. It also uses Olympus’ new TruePic III image processor and records movies with sound in 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 resolution at 15 frames per second (fps), and runs on two AA batteries.

The $179.99 FE-320 ups the screen to a 2.7-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD, but only has a 3x optical zoom lens. The $199.99 FE-340 offers both the extended 5x optical zoom and the 2.7-inch LCD screen. Both have sensitivity ranges of ISO 64-3200, and feature six preset white balance modes.

The FE-320 and FE-340 have 15 Scene modes, including Smile Shot, which takes three successive images when the camera detects a smile.

Both also feature Olympus’ Perfect Fix in-camera editing, which removes red-eye and automatically adjusts lighting post-capture. A new Expression Edit feature uses face detection to allow users to adjust the expressions of their subjects, such as adding a smile to a frowning portrait. Digital Image Stabilization Edit also works post-capture to sharpen blur in photos. Both record movies with sound at 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 resolution at 30 or 15 fps, and run on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The FE-340 comes in silver, red, blue, black, and pink.

The $249.99 FE-350 is the top of the line model, and features a wide-angle, 4x optical zoom lens (28-112 mm equivalent in 35mm format). It has a 3-inch, 234,044-pixel LCD and 13 Scene modes, including Portrait, Landscape, and Fireworks. It captures movies with audio in 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 at 15 fps, and features in-camera red-eye and lighting fixes for post-capture editing. It runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and comes in silver or black.

All four models feature face detection that automatically tracks moving faces on the LCD screen without having to hold the shutter button, as well as Perfect Shot Preview for viewing changes to options like white balance and ISO before capturing an image. In-camera help guides also offer explanations for the camera’s functions.