Hey I was right!
OWERFULLY SIMPLE: INTRODUCING THE INCREDIBLE OLYMPUS PEN E-PL1 CAMERASimple Operation + High-Quality 12 Megapixel Images + HD Video +In-Camera Creativity + Interchangeable Lenses = Total CompactMultimedia Package
CENTER VALLEY, Pa., February 3, 2010 – The newOlympus PEN® E-PL1 is truly greater than the sum of its parts, with asurprisingly small camera body packed with technology normally found inbigger, bulkier and heavier professional Digital Single Lens Reflex(DSLR) cameras and High-Definition (HD) camcorders. Thisthird-generation PEN is built for shutterbugs who always wanted betterpictures and considered a DSLR, but were intimidated by the bulky sizeand complex interface. The new camera’s simple design and easyinterface enable consumers to easily create amazing images never dreamtpossible. It will make you wonder how Olympus managed to put all ofthese powerful features inside such a compact camera for only $599.99.
The E-PL1 equals an affordable and powerfully simple all-in-onepackage that travels with you to capture life in the high quality thatyour memories deserve.
“Many of today’s consumers want a camera with the professional stillimage quality of a DSLR and HD video in a compact body that’s as easyto use as a point-and-shoot,†said John Knaur, senior marketingmanager, Digital SLR, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “Thanks in part toan image sensor that’s approximately eight times larger in size thanwhat’s inside the average point-and-shoot camera, the E-PL1 deliversoutstanding high-quality images. Add the flexibility of high-qualityinterchangeable lenses, the convenience of a built-in pop-up flash,in-camera creative features and technology designed to produce imageseffortlessly, and the E-PL1 is the total consumer-friendly, multimediapackage.â€
EASILY PEN YOUR STORY WITH A BRAND NEW PENThis third generation of the
Olympus PENOlympusPENseries combines powerful features in an easy-to-use package that willmake capturing your life more fun. The new direct record button makestaking videos easier than ever and the new Live Guide functionalitymakes it simple to learn photography techniques without requiring theskills of a pro shooter.
New Direct Button for HD MoviesRecording HD movies with the E-PL1 is simple, thanks to aneasy-to-reach red “direct button†(red record button) on the back ofthe camera body. If you’re about to snap a photo and you realize avideo would capture the spirit of the scene even better, simply pressthe record button and instantly you’re capturing videos! Easily toggleback and forth between capturing stills and videos by using your indexfinger to press the shutter button or your thumb to press the redrecord button. Having the ability to shoot still images and videosopens up a world of imaging possibilities.
New Live Guide Sets the Scene Before You ShootThe E-PL1’s new Live Guide interface simplifies great photography andgets the results you desire at the touch of a button. Want more vividor muted color in your shot? Want warmer or cooler color? Want abrighter or darker subject, or a sharper or softer background? Or maybeyou want to capture the fast-moving action of your subject with alittle artistic blur, or perhaps freeze the action? Simply select LiveGuide and press the up and down arrows on the back of the camera toslide through numerous photographic effects. Make adjustments and watchthe LCD as the effects are made live – before the image is captured!Don’t worry about learning technical things like f-stops, shutter speedand white balance; jump right in by composing, adjusting exposure andmore before the shot is taken.
Seeing the results before snapping the image ensures you are gettingthe shots you want, and it will change the way you photograph. ShootingTips are also included with Live Guide, so you can leave the manual athome.
Automate EverythingLive Guide is just the start of automated technologies on the E-PL1designed to free you up to focus on your subjects instead of focusingon your camera’s settings.
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19 Scene-Select Modes: From portraits to sunset shots,the E-PL1 is equipped with 19 Scene-Select modes for effortless picturetaking, including Fireworks, Sunset, Children, Macro and Panorama, toname a few. Capturing beautiful portraits is easy with the ePortraitMode that enables you to smooth your subject’s complexion.
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Intelligent Auto (iAuto) Mode: When you don’t want to usethe scene-select modes, the iAuto mode automatically identifies whatyou’re shooting and adjusts settings for you to capture the best resultdepending on the situation.
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Face Detection: Reduce the chance of blurred subjects inimages by recognizing up to eight faces, tracking them within the imagearea, and automatically focusing and optimizing exposure for sharpportraits.
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In-Camera Panorama: Capture three images and stitch themtogether to create one amazing, seamless panoramic picture. Or use theincluded OLYMPUS [ib] software to stitch up to 10 images together forthe ultimate panorama.
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iEnhance: With this mode the warm yellow and orangecolors of a sunset are heightened to a dramatically lifelike colorthat’s truer to what you see with the naked eye. iEnhance can be usedin any mode, and automatically engages when using iAuto to enrich colorin any subject.
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Share: Just connect the camera to an HDTV with anoptional HDMI cable and use your TV remote to control playbackfunctions and navigate the camera’s menus from the comfort of yourpersonal front-row seat. The E-PL1 records to SDHC (Class 6recommended) media cards that can be plugged directly into many devicesand accommodate large files, including videos.
New Powerfully Simple Pop-Up FlashThe E-PL1 is the first camera in the
Olympus PENOlympusPENseries with a built-in pop-up flash that makes it easy to illuminatelow-light subjects, reduce red-eye and fill in dark areas. The camerais also compatible with a range of optional external flashes, includingthe Olympus FL-36R and FL-50R, which can be controlled wirelessly bythe E-PL1 so you can dynamically control lighting as your photographyskills grow.
PRO-QUALITY IMAGESHow do professional photographers capture the stunning images yousee in the pages of glossy magazines and coffee-table books? Talentmatters, of course, but you also need the right equipment. Rest assuredthat the E-PL1 has everything you need to produce vibrant,professional-quality images: a large image sensor, in-body ImageStabilization, Imager Autofocus, the proven Olympus Dust ReductionSystem and the TruePicâ„¢ V Image Processor.
Big Sensor, Not a Big BodyAt the heart of the E-PL1 is a large-size image sensor that’s the same sensor as the one inside the
Olympus E-30OlympusE-30 and
E-620E-620DSLR models. The only difference between this sensor and what the prosuse is that this big sensor is inside the much smaller body of theE-PL1. This high-performance 12.3-megapixel Live MOS image sensor(eight times larger than the average point-and-shoot camera sensor)delivers excellent dynamic range, accurate color fidelity, and astate-of-the-art amplifier circuit to reduce noise and capture fineimage details in both highlight and shadow areas.
Stabilize All of Your LensesInstead of selling more expensive lenses that have image stabilizationinside them, Olympus takes a different approach by having imagestabilization built right into the body of the E-PL1. This means thatany lens (
Micro Four ThirdsMicroFour Thirds™,Four Thirds and any third-party lens) attached to the E-PL1 willdeliver blur-free images thanks to three modes of In-body ImageStabilization that automatically compensate for camera shake, includingin low-light situations or when shooting without a tripod. Since thePEN cameras are the world’s smallest interchangeable-lens cameras withimage stabilization built inside the body, you can take the E-PL1 withyou and capture great images, and it won’t weigh you down.
Track Your Subjects Wherever They RoamThe E-PL1’s Continuous Autofocus (C-AF) Tracking and Autofocus (AF)Target Registration locks your subject into focus and constantlyadjusts focus and brightness whether you or your subject is moving.With this mode, a simple push of the shutter release enables you tokeep moving subjects in focus – tracking them from left to right andfrom front to back – within the frame, automatically ensuring that evenactive subjects, like kids playing sports, are captured clearly.
The E-PL1’s Imager Autofocus in Live View enables you to compose,focus and capture the shot quickly and easily without ever taking youreyes off the camera’s large, 2.7-inch full-color, high-contrastHyperCrystal LCD for an easy, seamless viewing experience when shootingstill images or videos. The LCD also provides a wide viewing angle of176 degrees, which ensures that images can be composed from even themost obscure angles.
This Camera Leaves Others in the DustIf you’re just starting out with a camera that has interchangeablelenses, you don’t have to worry about dust spots on your sensor ruiningthe perfect image every time you change lenses. Spend more timeshooting with the E-PL1 and less time worrying about dust with theproven Olympus Dust Reduction System that produces spot-free photoswith the exclusive Supersonic Wave Filter™, a patented ultrasonictechnology that vibrates to remove dust and other particles from thefront of the image sensor, capturing them on a special adhesivemembrane every time the camera is turned on.
True-to-Life ColorThe E-PL1’s Live MOS image sensor is complemented by Olympus’ TruePic™V Image Processor, which produces clear and colorful photos using allthe pixel information for each image to provide the best digital imagespossible. The image processor is noted for accurate natural color,true-to-life flesh tones, brilliant blue skies and precise tonalexpression; it also lowers image noise in photos shot at higher ISOsettings (ISO 100 to ISO 3200), enabling great results in low-lightsituations.
EASILY EXPAND YOUR CREATIVE HORIZONS WITH BUILT-IN EFFECTSExpress yourself with in-camera creative features. Professionalimages are rarely unedited images. Video and still image pros usecomputer-editing software to render their images with effects that settheir shots apart from the pack. Olympus appreciates that you may nothave hours to spend retouching your images at the computer, so theE-PL1 incorporates editing effects inside the camera to save you time.Whether you apply in-camera creative effects while shooting an image,or apply them later to images captured without the effects, all areinside the E-PL1, so you can achieve dramatic results on the go withouta computer or editing software.
The E-PL1 has six in-camera Art Filters, including a new filtercalled Gentle Sepia. This filter gives your images and videos a soft,warm sepia cast similar to historical images from the early days ofphotography. The sepia tones are softer and the blacks are a trueblack, unlike traditional sepia images. The new filter joins Pop Art,Soft Focus, Pin Hole, Grainy Film and Diorama (the filter that makeseverything look as small as the E-PL1).
With the E-PL1’s Multiple Exposure function available for stillimage capture, you are free to tell a visual story your way. The imagecapture options enable you to shoot one shot, then another and combinethem in real time, or capture both shots separately and combine themwithin the camera later. Take a shot of your significant other, andoverlay your self-portrait on top to figure out what your kids willlook like. If you have kids already, overlay your kid’s face on top ofa shot of his or her favorite cartoon character for laughs. Yourability to manipulate space and time makes this new creative multimediadevice a veritable time machine.
You often can achieve greater photographic expression by framing ascene in a unique way. The E-PL1 provides four aspect ratios that serveas masks to frame your image to the desired proportions, including thestandard 4:3 aspect ratio that is suited to an 8 x 10-inch enlargement;the 16:9 aspect ratio that will display beautifully on a widescreentelevision; and other popular aspect ratios, such as 3:2 and 6:6. TheMulti-Aspect Shooting further expresses your creative vision whencombined with in-camera Art Filters and Multiple Exposures.
With the E-PL1, you have your own living library of still images, HDvideo and audio to remix at your command. In playback mode, you canseamlessly mix stills and movies inside the camera to create amultimedia slideshow, and dub in one of three built-in dramaticbackground music options to provide a soundtrack for your cinematiccreation. With so many creative options, there’s no limit to what youcan create. Choose whether or not you want to play back just pictures,just movies or a combination; also control playing back the whole movieor just a clip.
OPEN SYSTEM EASILY GROWS WITH YOUR ABILITYWith a basic point-and-shoot camera, you get one lens built into thecamera. One lens, that’s it. And it’s likely a small lens, whichdoesn’t allow a lot of light through to hit the image sensor. So, youmay have a difficult time in low-light conditions. And without theoption of adding more lenses, you’re limited to what that onepoint-and-shoot lens can do. The E-PL1 solves these issues by acceptinga variety of lenses to maximize its functionality. Whether shootingstill images or HD video, you can add everything from an extremewide-angle fisheye lens to a super-telephoto lens for a wide range ofexpressive options.
The M. ZUIKO DIGITAL Micro Four Thirds lenses are designed to be more compact and portable like the E-PL1. Choose from the
ED 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 zoom lens (28-84mm equivalent in 35mm cameras) sold with the E-PL1, the ED
17mm f2.8 lens(34mm equivalent), the new super wide-angle zoom ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6lens (18-36mm equivalent) or the high-power wide to telephoto zoom ED14-150mm f4.0-5.6 lens (28-300mm equivalent).
If you want to have even more options, the
MMF-2 Four Thirds System Lens Adaptermakes the E-PL1 compatible with all Olympus ZUIKO Digital Specificâ„¢lenses and other Four Thirds System lenses from Sigma, Panasonic andLeica. Olympus OM film-based lenses can be attached to the E-PL1 withthe MF-2 OM Lens Adapter, and there are third-party adapters developedfor lenses from most other manufacturers.
SOFTWARE AND ACCESSORY OPTIONS WHEN YOU’RE READYThe E-PL1 incorporates an accessory port for connecting the optional
VF-2 live-finder, a detachable electronic viewfinder, or the new optional
SEMA-1 external microphoneSEMA-1external microphoneadapter set (which includes the EMA-1 adapter, the ME-51S stereomicrophone and a cord) for those who want to capture enhanced audiowith any microphone that has a 3.5mm plug. These optional accessorieseasily slide into the camera’s accessory port and hot shoe.
Consumers who wish to hold the E-PL1 up to their eye rather than usethe LCD will appreciate that the optional VF-2, which provides 1.15xmagnification and a 100 percent field of view with sharp resolution,brightness and contrast. The viewfinder refreshes quickly to minimizeimage ghosting on fast-moving subjects. It also rotates up to 90degrees to enable photographers to look down into it, which is usefulwhen shooting subjects from challenging angles. The built-in diopteradjustment and high magnification offer easy viewing with and withoutglasses.
The E-PL1 offers OLYMPUS [ib] software that includes photographyworkflow, browsing, editing and unique photo-organizing functions. Youcan organize your photos by person with automatic face-recognitiontechnology, by location with a Geotagging function or by event. You caneasily view photos on an HDTV or on the camera’s LCD with the PhotoSurfing or Slideshow functions. The name [ib] stands for imagebridging, image browsing and image brightening. The software will beavailable for Windows operating systems only.
Underwater Housing for Aquatic AdventuresThe new camera’s compact design makes it the perfect companion for all of your dive trips. The
PT-EP01PT-EP01underwater case has been specially customized for the Olympus E-PL1 andis waterproof to a depth of 40 meters (approximately 130 feet). Withits durable, high-quality polycarbonate construction, this Olympushousing protects the camera from water while also cushioning it fromknocks and bumps on land. The housing enables viewing from either thecamera’s LCD screen or an optional electronic viewfinder. The flashconnectors allow optional use of up to two UFL-2 underwater flash unitsvia fiber optic cable. A nonremovable front lens port accommodatesmultiple Micro Four Thirds lenses.
New Exterior Design, Same PEN DNAThe E-PL1 streamlines the Olympus Micro Four Thirds PEN series form andis available in three new body colors, including Black, Champagne Goldand Slate Blue. Thanks to its compact size (4.51″ W x 2.84″ H x 1.63″ Dexcluding protrusions) and light 10.4-ounce body, the E-PL1 won’t weighyou down when you’re on the go.
AVAILABILITYThe Olympus E-PL1 will be available in March 2010. It includes theE-PL1 Body, M. ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zoom, USB Cable, VideoCable, Li-Ion Battery Pack (BLS-1), Li-Ion Battery Charger (BCS-1),Shoulder Strap, OLYMPUS [ib] software CD-ROM, Manuals and Registrationcard.
U.S. Pricing / Product Configurations
E-PL1 Body with M. ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zoom Lens
Estimated Street Price: $599.99
August 12, 2009, 11:07:41 PM