Olympus FE-100, FE-110, and FE-120 Digital Cameras Announced

By Ben Stafford, DigitalCameraReview Staff | | 2692 Reads

As part of their new product blitz, Olympus has announced it's new "FE" line of simple to use cameras. The Olympus FE-100 and FE-110 are 4 and 5 megapixel cameras, respectively, with a 1.5 inch LCD and 2.8x optical zoom lens. The FE-120 adds just a bit more, with a 6 megapixel sensor, 1.8-inch LCD, 3x optical zoom, and Olympus' TruePic Turbo imaging processor. All three models will be available in September at estimated street values of $149 for the FE-100, $199 for the FE-110, and $229 for the FE-120.

olympus FE-110

Melville, New York, August 29, 2005 -- Olympus just flattened the digital photography learning curve today with the introduction of its new easy-to-use FE Series digital cameras. The FE-100, FE-110 and FE-120 are 4.0-, 5.0- and 6.0-megapixel models that pack more than just high resolution into compact and light bodies -- they take the work out of digital photography so you can focus on having fun. The cameras feature a built-in Help Guide so you don't have to consult a manual; easy printing directly to a printer; an uncomplicated "One Touch" design with separate buttons for shooting, playing back and erasing digital images ; several scene modes to get the right effect in any setting, and more.

"Our new FE Series cameras are all about effortless picture taking," said Naoki Tai, product manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc. "Beginner photographers are searching for a way to bring subjects closer, easily print large print sizes, and get great-looking results in a range of situations without having to work hard. The FE cameras give them all of these benefits and a whole lot more."

Built-in Help Guide for Easy Operation
The cameras' simple menus incorporate a new Help Guide with images and brief descriptions of frequently used functions and shooting mode to help users determine the settings best suited to their shooting situation and purpose without having to stop to consult a printed manual.

Easy Printing without Computer
With the power of PictBridge technology, photos can be printed directly from the camera to any PictBridge-enabled printer, such as the Olympus P-11 Digital Photo Printer, without using a computer. Printing and sharing images has never been easier, and the P-11's photo lab-quality dye-sublimation printing produces archival-quality prints in rich color.

One Touch Design -- Quick and Easy Access with Individual Buttons
The FE Series cameras feature an easy-to-use "One Touch" design with individual buttons for shooting, reviewing and deleting images conveniently located on the body of the cameras so that frequently used functions can be easily accessed. Macro mode, Flash mode and a self-timer are located on an arrow pad at your fingertips for quick use while setting up the perfect composition.

Pre-Set Shooting Modes Makes It Easy to Capture Great Images
The inclusion of shooting modes accessed via a rotating dial and menu button on the back of the camera, makes it easy to capture great images in a variety of lighting situations, such as Sunset, Portrait, and Night Scene. A QuickTime Movie mode enables users to create short movies of events that can be emailed to family and friends. And a new frame integration function enables users to select various colorful, decorative borders for favorite pictures to print or email to friends.

Superior Picture Quality with No Effort
The 2.8x optical zoom lens of the FE-100 and FE-110 cameras is a 6.2 -- 17.4mm (38 -- 106mm equivalent in 35mm photography) that combines with a 4x digital zoom to deliver a total 11x zoom, so virtually no photo opportunity is out of reach. The high-resolution CCD image sensors of the FE Series cameras capture your images in all their detail, and then enable you to print them without loss of clarity. The cameras produce high-quality prints that can be cropped and enlarged to 11 x 14 inches and larger.

Simple Connection to PC
Connecting any FE Series camera to a computer is easy with the USB Auto Connect feature, which connects the camera directly via USB 2.0 cable and requires no software.

OLYMPUS Master Software Makes It Simple to Arrange Your Pictures.
OLYMPUS Master software provides the ultimate in digital imaging management. An intuitive user interface makes downloading to your computer quick and simple, and images are searchable by date or keyword in the Calendar View. With one-click editing tools, such as red-eye reduction, images can be touched up before printing or emailing. Online support, templates and other user services are just a mouse-click away.

Get Even More Features with FE-120
For those who want the same key features of the FE-100 and FE-110 as described above, plus a little bit more, Olympus has built the FE-120 with higher resolution, Olympus' exclusive TruePic TURBO Image Processor that enhances image quality and delivers faster overall processing speeds for rapid startup, shutter release and playback, plus 19 scene modes, the ability to add special frames to prints, a 1.8-inch LCD, and a 3x optical zoom lens (38-114mm equivalent in 35mm photography f2.8 -- f4.9 ) that combines with a 4x digital zoom to deliver a total 12x zoom.

Availability
The FE-100, 110 and 120 will be available in September 2005.

The FE-100/110 include: 16MB xD-Picture Card (FE-110 only), (2) AA Alkaline Batteries, USB Cable (Win/Mac) , Video Cable, Wrist Strap, Quick Start Guide, Basic Instruction Manual, CD-ROM with OLYMPUS Master Software and Advanced Instruction Manual, Warranty Card.

The FE-120 includes: 32MB xD-Picture Card, (2) AA Alkaline Batteries, USB Cable (Win/Mac) , Wrist Strap, Quick Start Guide, Quick Reference Guide , Basic Instruction Manual, CD-ROM with OLYMPUS Master Software and Advanced Instruction Manual, Warranty Card.

U.S. Pricing
FE-100 Estimated Street Price: $149.99 (U.S.)
FE-110 Estimated Street Price: $199.99 (U.S.)
FE-120 Estimated Street Price: $229.99 (U.S.)