CES 2009: Olympus announced rugged and stylish cameras

Thursday, January 15, 2009, 9:06
Digital Camera
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The CES 2009 saw the manufacturers announce their products for the year 2009. With the announcement of new range of cameras, the Olympus looks well set for the current year. It seems that the renowned manufacturer has decided to play both sides of the fence: the Olympus announced two extra-rugged digital cameras to its range of waterproof/freeze-proof/drop-proof digital cameras along with three models which are aimed at the users which go for style and fashion.

The 12-megapixel Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 is an addition to the range of rugged cameras and is priced at $400. The cameras will hit the market during the February and will be available in black and silver. The camera is designed like a military tank which allows it to handle any kind of rough handling that you throw at it. The camera sports the Olympus’s Tap Control feature which allows you to control the device by simply tapping at the top and sides of the camera.

As its reviews, the Tough-8000 also sports and LED flash which enables it to take sharp pictures underwater and in low-light. As the name suggest, the camera can withstand the pressure up to 220 pounds, and 33 feet of water, and a 6.6-foot drop. The Tough-8000 sports a 28mm wide-angle which is capable of 3.6X optical zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD screen. The camera offers features like Intelligent Auto Mode face detection and optical/digital image stabilization.

Priced at $300, the Olympus Stylus Tough-6000 will hit the market in January and will be available in white, yellow, blue, and orange. The Tough-6000 offers the specs similar to Tough-8000 but it is not tough as the Tough-8000. The camera is not “crushproof”. It can withstand drop of 5 feet and is waterproof up to 10 feet. The Tough-6000 is also a 10-megapixel camera and also features the Tap Control.

If you are more inclined towards the stylish cameras then the new Olympus FE models are meat for you. All the three models are priced less than $200. The Olympus FE-5010 is priced at $190 and will hit the market in January along with the $140 Olympus FE-3000. However, the $150 Olympus FE-3010 will be available in March. The FE-3010 features the Intelligent Auto mode along with 2.7-inch-diagonal LCD.

The FE-5010 is a 12-megapixel camera which features a 36mm-180mm lens capable of 5X optical zoom. It is equipped with both mechanical and digital image stabilization. Both FE-3010 and FE-3000 features digital image stabilization along with 3X optical zoom.