With the new Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ iHS camera, which will be available from Adorama, Olympus accomplished a world’s first: a superzoom camera with a widest focal length of 22.4mm (35mm equivalent), which goes a bit wider than any of its competitors. The full range, 22.4-896mm (35mm equivalent) f/3.4-5.7 lens is, at 40x, the second longest zoom range of all digital cameras currently on the market. Such a wide focal range puts a “do it all” self-contained camera in the hands of travel photographers and others who don’t want to bother with the hassle of changing lenses.
The Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ iHS has an oversized grip, which the company says will help to reduce camera shake, a curved top plate, and minimalist overall design.
The SP-820UZ has a 14MP CMOS sensor and souped-up TruePic V image processor that Olympus says delivers faster reaction times, radiant colors, and sharp images of fast-moving objects as well as low-light and backlit scenes. For low light scenes, which could easily result in camera shake and/or noise, Olympus offers Hand-Held Starlight mode, which captures several images and stitches them together into a sharp shot. Similarly, HDR Backlight Adjustment blends together images shot in quick sequence at different exposures into one image that captures a wide range from highlights to shadows.
Other features include:
- iHS (Intelligent, High-Sensitivity and High Speed) technologies
- High speed adjustable frame rate
- 1080p HD video
- 240fps high-speed video
- Photo with video clip
- Dual image stabilization
- Multi-motion movie image stabilization
- Linear PCM audio recording
- Beauty mode applies virtual eyeliner, eye shadow and blush to subject
- Smart Panorama up to 360 degrees
- Magic Art Filters (Pop Art, Pinhole, Fisheye, Drawing, Soft Focus, Punk, Sparkle, Watercolor, Reflection, Miniature, Fragmented, Dramatic)
- Eye-Fi card capability
- 3-inch, 460k dot LCD monitor
- Contrast detection AF
- Shutter speeds ¼-1/2000 sec
- ISO range 80-6400
- AA Batteries
The Olympus SP-820UZ iHS will be available from Adorama in September for $329.99.
