Digital Camera News

August 22, 2007

Olympus Expands FE Series

Take a look at the new FE models

August 23, 2007 – Olympus today announced an update to its entry-level FE-series cameras. The 12-megapixel FE-300, 7.1-megapixel FE-290, and 8-megapixel FE-280 are designed for beginner photographers. The FE-300 and FE-280 upgrade to the latest generation of Olympus TruePic III processors and are offered in new colors. The Olympus FE-cameras will range from $199.99 to $299.99 when they are available later this month.

The three new FE cameras follow the FE-250, introduced in January. Like the 250, the 12-megapixel FE-300 and 8-megapixel FE-280 are fitted with a 3x optical zoom lens and 2.5-inch LCD screen.

The 7.1-megapixel FE-290 stands out from the bunch with its 4x optical zoom, up from the standard 3x. The older FE-240, however, still holds a longer 5x optical zoom lens at the same introductory price of just under $250. The FE-290 has a wide 28-112mm focal length, a greater focal range than offered on the other FE-cameras introduced today. The FE-290 is equipped with a 3-inch LCD screen with a 234,000 pixel resolution compared to the 2.5-inch, 230,000 pixels of the FE-250.

Olympus adds to the FE-280 and FE-300 the TruePic III image processor, previously reserved for Olympus digital SLRs. The TruePic III promises less noise, more detail, and smooth edges, according to the company press materials. 

The FE-280 and FE-300 incorporate face detection technology that automatically focuses on and exposes faces in a scene. The cameras include Shadow Adjustment Technology that captures details in low-light areas of a photo. For built-in editing, the FE-280 and FE-300 include Perfect Fix which is a combination of three in-camera editing that corrects for red-eye, lighting, and adds digital image stabilization.

A common feature among all three new cameras is the built-in Shooting Guide that includes scene and shooting menus for beginners. The three FE-cameras also possess a function call Perfect Shot Preview that displays images at various shooting settings, enabling users to set proper exposure, white balance, and metering before hitting the shutter.

The Olympus FE-300 will be priced at $299.99 and available in silver; the FE-290, priced at $249.99, comes in black; and the Stylus FE-280 will be offered in black, silver, red, and blue for $199.99.

Camera Model	FE-250	FE-280	FE-290	FE-300
Announcement Date	January 2007	August 2007	August 2007	August 2007
Introductory Price	$299.99	$199.99	$249.99	$299.99
Sensor	8.0 MP CCD	8.0 MP CCD	7.1 MP CCD	12.0 MP CCD
Lens	3x optical zoom 35-105mm	3x optical zoom 36-108mm	4x optical zoom 28-112mm	3x optical zoom 35-105mm
Monitor	2.5-inch 230,000 pixel	2.5-inch 230,000 pixel	3.0-inch, 234,000 pixel	2.5-inch, 230,000 pixel
Color Options	Silver	Silver Black Red Blue	Black	Silver
Key Features	-True Turbo - Bright Capture - Digital Image Stabilization	- TruePic III - Bright Capture - Digital Image Stabilization - DIS Edit - Face Detection - Perfect Shot Preview -Perfect Fix	- Digital Image Stabilization -Perfect Shot Preview	- TruePic III - Bright Capture - Digital Image Stabilization - DIS Edit - Face Detection - Perfect Shot Preview -Perfect Fix
News Link	Olympus Announces Four FE-Series Cameras	Olympus Expands FE Series	Olympus Expands FE Series	Olympus Expands FE Series
Review Link	Olympus FE-250 Digital Camera Review	- -	- -	- -

Spec Sheets

- Olympus FE-300 - Olympus FE-290 - Olympus FE-280