New super-slim ultrazoom compact camera

Olympus announces the launch of the Olympus SZ-20, a super-slim ultra-zoom compact camera with a 16-megapixel backlit CMOS sensor. Featuring a 12.5x, 24-300mm wide-angle zoom lens, 3.0-inch high-resolution LCD display and 1080p HD video recording, the SZ-20 is the perfect all-in-one compact for travel, outdoor and sports enthusiasts.

Equipped with a powerful zoom lens that covers a remarkably wide shooting range from macro to landscape, the SZ-20 enables users to capture amazing holiday panoramas, fast-paced sporting events, and nature close-ups.
 
Featuring a 16 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor and TruePic™ III+ Image Processor, the SZ-20 can produce exceptional clarity with accurate colour reproduction leading to true-to-life flesh tones. The camera also offers fast processing speeds, combined with burst mode shooting and smart panorama capability.

In hand with this functionality, Olympus’ Magic Filters enable users to enhance and customise scenes as they’re being captured. These art filters can even be applied in HD movie mode, which is recorded at the touch of a dedicated button with stereo sound and in spectacular 1080P High Definition.

Feature Highlights
1.    Smart Panorama – allows automatic in-camera stitching for up to 360 degree vertical and horizontal panoramas; 
2.    High Speed Burst shooting – capture fast-moving action at up to 15 frames per second;
3.    Starlight shooting mode – capture brilliant night-scenes with low-noise and no camera shake without a tripod;
4.    Magic Filters – enhance and customise still images and movies instantly with special digital effects; and
5.    High Resolution 3.0-inch LCD – delivering 460,000 pixels of detailed resolution, this LCD is perfect for bright and easy image composition.

16 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor
This latest technology CMOS sensor features significantly improved low-light sensitivity with low picture noise. Its high-speed data processing enables superior burst mode shooting and smart panorama capability.

Wide-angle 12.5x zoom lens
Within this incredibly compact lens is a powerful zoom that starts at a super wide-angle of 24mm and zooms to a long 300mm (equivalent in 35mm film format). The SZ-20 easily captures pictures and movies ranging from breathtaking wide-vista landscapes to crisp nature close-ups, and precise images of fast-paced sport action. With incredible versatility, Olympus’ SZ-20 delivers perfect shots in all situations.

Full HD video with stereo sound
With a push of the dedicated record button, MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 recording format and built-in stereo microphones easily capture and store spectacular video in full 1080P High Definition.

Smart panorama
Automatic in-camera stitching allows up to 360 degree vertical and horizontal panoramas to be created quickly and simply with a simple sweep motion.

High speed burst shooting
Making the most of the high-speed data transfer capability of the CMOS sensor, the SZ-20 enables rapid 15 frames per second shooting at 5 megapixel resolution; or an incredible 3 frames per second at full 16 megapixel resolution

Starlight shooting mode
Starlight shooting mode allows photographers to capture brilliant night scenes easily without a tripod. This dedicated mode takes four pictures in a quick burst and synthesises them to give crisp night scene pictures with minimal noise.

Express Your Inner Artist with Magic Filters
The Olympus SZ-20 is equipped with an in-camera filter effects that enable users to enhance and customise images as they’re being captured. Enjoy creative fun without using expensive and time-consuming computer software. These impressive digital filters can even be applied to HD movie capture, giving you the ability to create truly unique movies.

3D Photo Mode
With new 3D technology, photographers can now recreate dynamic 3D scenes in any mode from macro to landscape. Simply select the 3D Photo shooting mode, release the shutter for your first shot and slowly pan until the camera automatically takes a second image from a slightly different perspective. The 3D photo is created as an .MPO file, the universal industry 3D format, for easy display on 3D televisions or laptops.

Share Images Instantly with New Eye-Fi Card Compatibility
For social media addicts, the SZ-20 is compatible with optional Eye-Fi SD cards, adding Wi-Fi capability so you can automatically upload images to your computer and social media profiles as you take them.

Large High-Resolution LCD
The Olympus SZ-20 features a bright, high-resolution 3.0-inch LCD monitor with 460,000 pixels, which is ideal for viewing, composing and sharing all your favorite images and HD videos.

Cut Out the Blur with Dual Image Stabilisation
Dual Image Stabilisation combines two technologies – Mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilisation and Digital Image Stabilisation – to provide one powerful anti-blur solution for capturing great images whether the photographer or the subject is moving. Olympus’ Mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilisation keeps images sharp by adjusting the internal image sensor to compensate for camera movement, even in low-light conditions when shutter speeds are slower. Additionally, Digital Image Stabilisation freezes the action with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds to prevent blurry images often caused by a moving subject.

Lock Onto the Action with AF Tracking
AF Tracking technology locks focus on fast-moving subjects and continuously adjusts focus and brightness. This enables you to keep children or pets in focus for the perfect shot and during movie recording.

Intelligent Auto
Intelligent Auto Mode automatically identifies what you are shooting (i.e., Portrait, Night + Portrait, Landscape, Macro or Sports) and adjusts the camera’s settings to capture the best quality results.

TruePic™ III+ Image Processor Delivers Superior Quality and Performance
Developed for the high performance demands of digital SLRs, the SZ-20 uses Olympus’ exclusive TruePic III+ Image Processor for amazing image quality. The TruePic III+ Image Processor delivers exceptional clarity with accurate colour reproduction, true-to-life flesh tones and fast processing speeds. TruePic III+ also captures crisp, clear photos at high ISO settings, which are traditionally associated with increasing noise or producing grainy photos. Using this technology, the SZ-20 enables you to achieve consistently sharp and vivid images when producing large-format prints or cropping/enlarging a portion of a photograph.

The SZ-20 is scheduled for release in Australia in late March 2011, RRP $499 and will be available in black.

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