The Olympus FE-5050 is a 14-megapixel compact camera featuring a 26-130mm equivalent zoom lens and six Magic Filters. Two of these - Punk and Soft Focus - are new, otherwise the camera is nearly identical to the FE-5030 we recently reviewed, with a 14-megapixel CCD imager, 5x optical zoom, TruePicIII image processor, on-board user guide and SD/SDHC support (albeit no mechanical image stabilisation). Olympus also announced the Olympus FE-5040, which is essentially the same camera with a 12-megapixel sensor. The Olympus FE-5040/5050 will go on sale later this month in Japan, and from September in Europe.

Olympus Press Release

Compact Digital camera FE-5050

Olympus Imaging Corporation (President: Masaharu Okubo) is pleased to announce the FE-5050, a compact digital camera featuring 5X optical zoom lens from ultra-wide-angle 26mm in a slim, high quality metal body, offered in stylish colors. It is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in late August, 2010.

Main Features

  1. High-quality 14-megapixel CCD*1 and 5X zoom lens from ultra-wide-angle of 26mm*2
  2. Slim and high quality metal body
  3. Six Magic Filters*3

The “Fashionable & Elegant” FE series digital cameras incorporate an impressive array of advanced functions in a slim, stylish body. User-friendly functions include easy-to-understand descriptions of camera modes and other functions on the LCD monitor and an iAUTO function that automatically optimizes the camera settings by analyzing the scene.

The new FE-5050 is equipped with TruePicIII image processing engine, which is originally developed for Interchangeable lens digital camera, delivering color fidelity and wide dynamic range. Shooting functions evolved with an expanded range of 6 Magic Filters including 2 new filters. These functions make usual scenes a quick change into exciting images filled with fun and pleasurable surprise.

Magic Filters

The FE-5050 features an expanded range of 6 Magic Filters, Pop, Pin Hole, Fisheye and Drawing inherited from the previous model, and newly added Punk and Soft Focus.

Pop
Enhances colors, making them more vivid and bright to create high-impact images.

Pin Hole
Creates images with a retro feel, reducing brightness at the periphery.

Fisheye
Makes a photo mysterious feel with the effect of shooting with a fisheye lens.

Drawing
Transforms your photos into an intriguing line drawing.

Soft Focus
Creates a surreal, dreamy, romantic atmosphere such as a wedding scene.

Punk
Makes photos like a block print in pink and black.

*1 Effective pixels
*2 35mm camera equivalent.
*3 Saved only images created with filters. In Drawing effect, image size is limited to 5 MB or less.
* Available colours : Silver, Gold, Pink, Blue and Black

Basic Performance

Effective pixels: 14 megapixels*1
Optical zoom: 5X
Wide-angle shooting: 26mm (35mm camera equivalent)
Image stabilization: High-sensitivity shooting*
LCD size: 2.7-inch, 230,000 dots
LCD type: TFT colour
Movie recording: VGA (Motion JPEG)
* The image stabilization effect varies depending on shooting conditions.

Other Features

  * Scene Modes for one-touch shooting adjustment in difficult environments as well as in standard conditions
  * Face Detection AF with which the camera detects and focuses on human faces automatically
  * iAUTO function that analyzes the current composition and optimizes camera settings automatically
  * USB battery charging enables the camera battery to be recharged from a PC
  * AF Tracking to keep a moving subject in focus by tracking it automatically
  * Perfect Fix: Backlight exposure compensation and Redeye fix
  * Compatible media: SD memory card / SDHC memory card

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