chill rhizome: Olympus unveils Stylus XZ-10 with f/1.8-2.7 zoom, smartphone sharing app

Olympus is carrying on the recent compact camera trend of fast-ish zoom lenses and wireless sharing capability with the launch of the 12-megapixel Stylus XZ-10. The new model follows in the footsteps of the company's top compact dog XZ-2 model, sporting a slightly smaller 1/2.3-inch sensor and a wider range 5x optical zoom with a similar f/1.8-2.7 iris. Otherwise, it's aimed more at the casual carry-around crowd with a 40 percent smaller body, touch-screen focus selection, control ring exposure adjustment, a 3-inch 920k dot TFT LCD, art filters (in the smartphone app), image (or film) stabilization and 1080P 30 fps HD video. Olympus is also trumpeting its smartphone OI.Share capability, allowing images to be sent wirelessly to an iOS or Android device and edited with the included app -- provided you have the optional Toshiba FlashAir card. It'll be arriving in March in black, brown or white at a rather steep-sounding £349, which equates to $550, though exact US pricing hasn't been revealed yet. See the PR after the break for more nitty-gritty.

Gallery: Olympus XZ-10 Press Gallery

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Announcing the OLYMPUS STYLUS XZ-10 compact digital camera, equipped with the new PHOTO STORY function for new photographic possibilities

Olympus Imaging (Haruo Ogawa, president) is proud to announce the OLYMPUS STYLUS XZ-10, on sale from Late February, 2013. This model packs a high speed, high-quality i.ZUIKO DIGITAL 5x optical zoom lens, and versatile functions such as the new PHOTO STORY for expanding photographic expression, all in a lightweight and compact camera body.

Main Features

With the 26mm - 130mm (35mm film camera equivalent) f/1.8 - 2.7, high speed 5x optical, high-quality i.ZUIKO DIGITAL lens, and the inclusion of iHS Technology, high-quality images with beautifully defocused backgrounds and shots under dim light are possible.

The OLYMPUS STYLUS X series is a lineup of compact digital cameras that offer superb image quality and expressive power, and is the first compact digital camera equipped with a lens bearing the ZUIKO name. The ZUIKO lens was first included on the Semi Olympus I; the first-ever Olympus camera in 1936. The ZUIKO has been used for the past 77 years, continuing its tradition as a high-performance lens. In January 2011, the OLYMPUS XZ-1 was announced as the first model in the X series, and in September 2012, the STYLUS XZ-2 was announced as the X series flagship model. Both models are equipped with a high speed f/1.8-2.5 lens which is bright from wide-angle to telephoto, achieving acclaim as capturing high-quality images that rival SLR cameras.

The STYLUS XZ-10 brings the superb image quality of the X series to a high-end compact that can be enjoyed on a daily basis due to its advanced portability, functionality, and performance. A refined, solid design is used for the slim camera body with the pursuit of a compact, and lightweight form. The control ring and Touch AF Shutter made popular on the XZ-2 are still available on the XZ-10, providing spectacular performance and the ability to capture every photo opportunity. For those who want to capture everyday scenes as special memories, rich in personality, PHOTO STORY has been added to Art Filters. This function captures multiple viewpoints in a single image and puts them together for an artistic creation. With the OI.Share smartphone application, users can quickly and easily share images and post them to social networking services. Keeping up with the times, Olympus has crammed new ways to enjoy photos into a small package.
Main Functions - Details

1-1. 26mm-130mm Focal Length (conversion) f/1.8-2.5 iZUIKO Zoom Lens
The lens on the STYLUS XZ-10 is a 5x optical zoom that covers a focal range from 26-130mm (35mm film camera equivalent). The XZ-10 boasts an f/1.8-2.7, high speed lens, with the brightest aperture value in its class at f/2.7 on the telephoto end over 100mm, making beautifully defocused images and high-quality images under dim light condition possible at telephoto settings. This bright lens is also perfect for capturing moving subjects. This lens is a combination of Olympus's superb lens technology, and the spare-no-expense design process by including DSA (Dual Super Aspherical) and EDA (Extra-low Dispersion Aspherical) lenses in the lens group, for the high depictive quality equal to that of Olympus interchangeable SLR ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses. Additionally, to thoroughly eliminate ghosting and lens flares, reflectivity was kept to half of the previous value at a wavelength of 450 to 650 nm, thanks to the lens surface treated with the Olympus-original ZERO (ZUIKO Extra-low Reflection Optical) coating. These measures ensure highly clear depictive performance with a sense of transparency, even in backlit or other unfavorable conditions.

1-2. iHS Technology
iHS stands for "intelligence", "high-speed", and "high-sensitivity". With a 1/2.3 type, 12.0 megapixel,*2 high-speed, high-sensitivity, back-illuminated CMOS sensor, and the TruePic image processing engine designed for the OLYMPUS PEN, users will always be able to capture the subject they want, beautifully, and without missing a shot. In addition, the XZ-10 also inherits Fast AF from the OLYMPUS PEN.

2. Compact, Lightweight Body and Slim, Solid Design
When compared to the XZ-2, the XZ-10 is slimmer with a 40% smaller volume. With this smaller design, high-quality images can be enjoyed in a camera with high mobility. A built-in lens barrier and fixed grip have been included in answer to many requests, improving portability and operability. With three colors to choose from including black, white, and brown, users can select one that best fits their lifestyle.

3-1. New Function: PHOTO STORY
The new function, PHOTO STORY, is included on the XZ-10 to bring out users' artistic abilities and powers of expression when shooting. By capturing a scene from multiple viewpoints and then combining them into a single image, everyday scenes and memorable scenes can be recorded in various ways. Users simply turn the mode dial to PHOTO STORY, choose a favorite theme (Standard, Speed, Zoom In/Out, Fun Frame), and touch inside the frame to use Touch AF Shutter and easily complete their artistic shots. At the same time, it is easy to create images with style and personality by combining the type, effect, frame aspect ratio, and number of images according to the selected theme. The finished image can be checked in Live View and users can continue shooting various types of images. Because multiple viewpoints are included in a single image, recreating the story of the scene is possible, making it easier to put yourself in that captured scene.
Selectable PHOTO STORY Themes (4 types)
Standard: Simple type with split images
Speed: Slide a finger to shoot continuously (Finger can be slid to split multiple images)
Zoom In/Out: Combines both close-up and pull-back effects
Fun Frame: Film formats or Instant camera formats where the date can be added

3-2. Art Filter
With 11 Art Filters and 5 Art Effects, users can create more stand-out pictures for users to enjoy.

4-1. Touch AF Shutter
The Touch AF Shutter function allows users to instantly select the exact location they want to focus on simply by touching the screen on the rear of the camera. By including the FAST AF system, which is the crystallization of years of Olympus AF technology, and the easy controls of the touch screen, subjects throughout the screen can easily be focused on, whether in the center, background, or edges, allowing users to snap the shutter at just the right moment. Touch screen operations also include Live Guide settings, AF position selection, magnified playback, and browsing of images. With these features, a truly comfortable photo experience is achieved.

4-2. Control Ring
Just as with the XZ-2, a function can be selected for each shooting mode and assigned to the control ring. Because settings such as the aperture value or exposure compensation can be quickly adjusted with a twist of the control ring, users can capture photos exactly the way they want without missing a shot. These features realize an optimum control scheme for artistic expression.

4-3. Fn (Function) Button
The Fn (Function) button has been placed on the back of the camera for assigning frequently used functions. Users can choose multiple functions out of 16 options to assign based on their shooting style or convenience. Users can easily call up or switch between functions assigned to the Fn (Function) button and control ring and change setting values as needed, allowing them to quickly set up their preferred style.

5. Smartphone Application: OI.Share
OI.Share is a free iPhone and Android smartphone application used for easily sharing high-quality images. When used together with a Toshiba-brand FlashAirTM*1 card (equipped with an internal wireless LAN), images can easily be sent using a smartphone. Because communication settings can be made from within a dedicated menu on the camera, by connecting to a smartphone, it is easy to send images without ever using a computer. After importing images, OI.Share can be used to apply Art Filters or link to social networking apps to share photos and communicate through images. A one-time password can also be issued for connecting to multiple smartphones simultaneously to share images with friends and family on the spot.

Effective number of pixels: 12 million*2
Zoom factor: 5x optical zoom, 10x super resolution zoom
Wide: 26mm wide-angle (35mm film camera equivalent)
Image stabilization: DUAL IS
(CMOS shift type & high-sensitivity shooting, Multi-motion Movie IS)
Rear display 3.0 type, 920,000 dots, TFT color LCD
Movie shooting: Full High-definition movies (MOV/H.264)
Other Features

Handheld Night shooting mode with the flash can be used to beautifully capture night scenes and people
Advanced iAUTO function with 29 automatically detectable scenes
Dual IS - Cutting-edge image stabilization technology for reducing subject blur
Multi Motion image stabilization support for movies compensates for slow, strong camera shake that occurs when breathing or walking
High-Speed Movie for slow-motion playback of quickly moving subjects
Electric auto pop-up flash
Intuitive GUI linked with the control ring
Equipped with an ND filter for controlling exposure in 3 steps, for beautifully defocused shots even in bright condition
Super Macro shooting for distances up to a minimum of 1 cm
4 aspect ratios for matching the framing needs of any subject
Supported media: Memory cards, (SD, SDHC, SDXC, UHS-1 compatible), Eye-Fi cards, FlashAirTM

Filed under: Cameras