August 26th, 1999

[2:30 PM]
Two New Digital Cameras From Olympus Hit Market
Olympus has released two new digital cameras for the midrange and high end consumer markets. These camera's bring significant new performance to the consumer market, including the first 2.5 megapixel camera to be priced under US$1499. According to Olympus:

C-2500L

Olympus America Inc. announced today the C-2500L, the world's first 2.5 megapixel (1712 X 1368) filmless digital camera in the consumer marketplace (sub $1500 retail price) featuring revolutionary "TruePic" technology for professional photographic quality. The C-2500L is Olympus' most significant filmless digital camera developed for professional digital photographers and computer power users.

August 24, 1999, Melville, NY-- Olympus America Inc., the World Leader in Film and Filmless Photography announced today the C-2500L, the world's first 2.5 megapixel (1712 X 1368) filmless digital camera in the consumer marketplace (sub $1500 retail price) featuring revolutionary "TruePic" technology for professional photographic quality. The C-2500L is Olympus' most significant filmless digital camera developed for professional digital photographers and computer power users.

Significant new features of the C-2500L include an exclusive 2.5 megapixel CCD in an all-in-one SLR camera design with a 3X 9.2 to 28mm aspheric glass zoom lens (36-110mm equivalency in 35mm photography), built-in flash, hot-shoe, full exposure control, and other professional features. As part of the C-2500L system, the FL-40 (a new Olympus dedicated flash specifically designed for digital photography) has also been announced today.

It ships with a 32MB Olympus SmartMedia memory card, 4 Olympus NiMH batteries and recharger, Camedia Master image editing and download software, Enroute QuickStitch panorama software, lens cap, strap and user manual.

D-450

Housed in a stylish champagne gold metallic compact point & shoot body, the Olympus D-450 Zoom offers a 1.3 megapixel resolution CCD and 3X optical zoom lens at an outstanding value. New significant features include: faster shot-to-shot performance; 2 frames per second burst mode; improved ISO ratings; a new LCD display with easy viewing even in bright light and from any angle; and improved flash range with slow synchronization flash.

Beautifully designed with the consumer in mind, the D-450 Zoom is lightweight at 9.5 ounces and very compact with dimensions of 5" x 2.6" x 1.8". The protective lens barrier slides open with one hand to simultaneously turn on the camera and extend the zoom lens. Similar to Olympus' award-winning film-based cameras, the optical zoom lens automatically retracts into the camera when the lens barrier is closed.

The D-450 Zoom's standard features include: 3X optical zoom; 2X digital telephoto at any focal length; 5 mode pop-up intelligent flash; through-the-lens auto focus; auto white balance with 4-step manual override; center weighted and spot metering systems for auto exposure with +/- 2 step exposure control in 1/2 step increments; video out for viewing on televisions or recording to a VCR; and direct printing to the P-330 Instant Photo Printer. Designed for speed, the D-450 Zoom offers one of the fastest start-ups in the industry coupled with fast shot-to-shot performance capabilities. The removable 8MB SmartMedia memory card is included with the camera and allows even greater flexibility with connectivity. Photos can be downloaded from the D-450 Zoom via the included serial connection or with optional accessories, including the FlashPath floppy disk adapter and PCMCIA adapter card.

The D-450 Zoom comes standard with: 4 AA Alkaline batteries, an 8MB Olympus SmartMedia card, strap, serial cable for Mac and PC, video connection cable for TV or VCR, Adobe PhotoDeluxe image manipulation and creation software, Enroute Imaging QuickStitch panorama stitching software, Olympus Camedia Master Utility Software for downloading images from the camera, and instruction manuals.

You can find more information on the C-2500L and the D-450 at the company's web site.

The D-450 Zoom is expected to ship September 1, 1999 with an expected street price of US$499. The C-2500L is expected to ship in October, 1999 with an estimated street price of US$1499.

Olympus