Olympus unveils new PEN E-PL1, two lenses
Olympus PEN E-PL1 with 14-42mm lens
Olympus America Inc., Center Valley, Pa., today unveiled the Olympus PEN E-PL1, a third-generation PEN-style camera features a simple design and interface, but it is still packed with features, including pop-up flash and a 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor.
“Many of today’s consumers want a camera with the professional still image quality of a DSLR and HD video in a compact body that’s as easy to use as a point-and-shoot,” said John Knaur, senior marketing manager, Digital SLR, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “Thanks in part to an image sensor that’s approximately eight times larger in size than what’s inside the average point-and-shoot camera, the E-PL1 delivers outstanding high-quality images. Add the flexibility of high-quality interchangeable lenses, the convenience of a built-in pop-up flash, in-camera creative features and technology designed to produce images effortlessly, and the E-PL1 is the total consumer-friendly, multimedia package.”
Among the cameras features is a new direct button for HD movies, allowing for easier access to this function. The E-PL1’s new Live Guide interface simplifies great photography and gets the results you desire at the touch of a button. Want more vivid or muted color in your shot? Want warmer or cooler color? Want a brighter or darker subject, or a sharper or softer background? The user simply selects Live Guide and press the up and down arrows on the back of the camera to slide through numerous photographic effects. Make adjustments and watch the LCD as the effects are made live – before the image is captured.
The E-PL1 features 19 scene-select modes, including Fireworks, Sunset, Children, Macro and Panorama, to name a few; Intelligent Auto (iAuto) Mode identifies what is being photographed and adjusts the settings; Face Detection; In-Camera Panoram; iEnhance; and HDMI connection for TV viewing.
The E-PL1 is the first camera in the Olympus PEN series with a built-in pop-up flash that makes it easy to illuminate low-light subjects, reduce red-eye and fill in dark areas. The camera is also compatible with a range of optional external flashes, including the Olympus FL-36R and FL-50R, which can be controlled wirelessly by the E-PL1 so you can dynamically control lighting as your photography skills grow.
The Olympus E-PL1 will be available in March 2010. It includes the E-PL1 Body, M. ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zoom, USB Cable, Video Cable, Li-Ion Battery Pack (BLS-1), Li-Ion Battery Charger (BCS-1), Shoulder Strap, OLYMPUS [ib] software CD-ROM, Manuals and Registration card. The E-PL1 Body with M. ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zoom Lens will be $599.99.
Olympus also added two new Micro-Four Thirds system lenses: the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 9-18mm F4.0-5.6 (35mm equivalent 18–36mm) and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-150mm F4.0-5.6 (35mm equivalent 28–300mm). The new lenses, made with ED (extra-low dispersion) glass for superior image quality, complement the design of the PEN cameras, the company says.
The M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 9–18mm F4.0–5.6 will be available in early May with an estimated street price of $699.99, and the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14–150mm F4.0–5.6 will be available in early June 2010, with an estimated street price of $599.99.
