TruePic TURBO Image Processor Takes High-Quality Images, Advanced Shooting Modes Ensure Total Control, Compact Metal Body Design Goes Anywhere

Melville, New York, March 18, 2004 – Olympus today unveiled the C-60 Zoom, a high-performance premium digital camera for amateur to advanced photographers looking for sophisticated features and functions in a stylish, ultra-compact and durable metal body that's designed to do more.

The C-60 Zoom combines a 6.1 –megapixel (effective) image sensor with the Olympus TruePic TURBO™ Image Processor for rapid startup, shutter release and playback. The result is brilliant high-resolution images in an instant. The feature set of this stylish camera is rounded out with PictBridge™ technology for printing directly from the C-60 to any PictBridge-enabled printer without connecting to a personal computer, and QuickTime ® movie mode with audio recording capability. It also incorporates other innovations like the new “semi-transmissive” LCD.

“The C-60 Zoom is one of the smallest full-featured 6.1-megapixel digital cameras on the market today,” said T.J. Dickson, product manager of digital, Olympus America Inc. “Its compact size and attractive, durable brushed-metal body allows photographers to take it with them anywhere and not feel weighed down with gear. With more megapixels, advanced shooting modes, faster image processing, and a powerful Olympus glass lens, the C-60 Zoom packs a lot of punch into a small package.”

Designed to Do More
Olympus digital cameras are known worldwide for producing vibrant, sharp and realistic photo-quality images. This is achieved with a host of key technologies including Olympus' high-quality all-glass lens (with aspherical lens elements) that's specially designed for digital cameras. The C-60 Zoom digital has a powerful seamless 12x zoom (3x optical zoom + 4x digital zoom) equivalent of 38 to 114mm, f2.8 - f8.0 in 35mm photography, to capture amazingly sharp details and vibrant colors at distances near or far.

Users of the C-60 Zoom can take full manual control of the camera with advanced settings that include controls for aperture priority, shutter priority and more. With the Macro Mode, they can take close-up photographs to capture incredibly sharp detail. Other controls include spot metering, auto white balance, and exposure compensation. Multiple flash settings on the built-in multi-mode flash provide the widest range of options. The sophisticated Dual Auto Focus System of the C-60 Zoom, also found on higher-end Olympus models like the new C-8080 Wide Zoom, assists in increasing speed and accuracy of focus. The dual AF system uses a Through-the-Lens (TTL) contrast detection system combined with a passive metering system situated outside the lens. The passive metering system first calculates the distance of the subject by the phase difference, then the TTL system fine-tunes the setting so the camera rapidly sets the optimum sharpness based on both readings.

Designed to View More
Viewing settings and composing shots is easy on the eyes, as the camera's LCD is a 1.8-inch, low-reflective and bright LCD delivering 134,000 pixels of image clarity. Moreover, the LCD on the C-60 Zoom is now “semi-transmissive” thanks to Olympus' innovation. To combat sun glare during outdoor shooting, the semi-transmissive LCD on the C-60 Zoom uses not only the available back light but also bright light from outside that hits the display's surface. With standard displays, sunlight is reflected off their surface, negatively impacting the ability to see the shot. However, the LCD of the C-60 Zoom has semi-transparent layers so sunlight is able to penetrate a few layers into the LCD panel, reflect off the underside of the liquid crystal layer and present a much brighter image on the LCD thanks to this additional “back light”. The brightness of the display even adjusts itself to ambient light conditions. Regardless of how bright it is outside, the C-60 Zoom's LCD delivers a perfect view of the image. The camera's optical real-image viewfinder may also be used as an alternative to the LCD to compose shots and extend battery life.

Designed for Excitement
The C-60 Zoom digital camera's 6.1-megapixel CCD sensor is combined with an enhanced image processor called TruePic TURBO that significantly improves image quality and delivers faster overall processing speeds for rapid startup, shutter release and playback. Because it has minimal shutter delay and a fast shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second, the C-60 Zoom is ideal for capturing fast-paced action. TruePic TURBO also allows the C-60 Zoom to capture information from all 6.1 million pixels with pixel “micro-smoothing” that delivers clearer and more color-accurate photos, even at lower resolutions. Prints are big enough to crop and print up to 11" x 14" and larger. The advanced user will appreciate that this powerhouse camera, not much bigger than a bar of soap, can produce a 7.5" x 10" image at 326 PPI. The C-60, with its extensive array of manual controls, makes a great pocket camera for serious photographers in addition to offering the advantages of point and shoot simplicity. When it's time to produce those prints, the power of PictBridge technology in the C-60 Zoom makes it simple to create a photo lab quality print at home or in the office. Users can print directly from the C-60 Zoom to any PictBridge-enabled printer, like the dye-sublimation Olympus P-10 Digital Photo Printer, via USB 2.0. The C-60 Zoom has an interface for selecting the best photos for printing border and borderless single prints, multiple prints, and index prints.

With the camera's 32MB Olympus xD-Picture Card (included), it is also possible to stitch together 10 images into a single panoramic photograph. Or shoot special 2-in-1 pictures with a split-screen view that captures different scenes together on the right and left side of the image, and takes up less memory on the card than two separate images.

Delivering Style
The C-60 Zoom's all-metal body is cool to the touch. Its ultra-compact design with a lens barrier that slides back to turn on the camera is an instant classic. Its brushed metal finish is both attractive and durable. At a mere 3.9" W x 2.22" H x 1.6" D, and 7 ounces (without battery and media card) the C-60 Zoom is ready to go anywhere.

Intelligent Design
Now with the C-60 Zoom it's possible to record QuickTime Motion JPEG video and create short movies with audio that can be sent over the Internet to friends, family and coworkers. Or take a still picture while narrating a personalized audio caption for the scene, and play images back later with sound to easily recall the names of people, places and things.

The C-60 Zoom camera offers advanced features with a point-and-shoot simplicity for flawless picture taking. For photographers who want optimum results in a wide variety of settings, 13 selectable shooting modes are easily accessed through the camera's mode dial, and include 6 scene program modes to provide fully automatic exposure adjustments for Portrait, Self-Portrait, Sports, Landscape + Portrait, Landscape, and Night Scene. The customizable MyMode setting allows users to return to the settings they use most frequently. Or for effortless shooting, choose Program Auto and let the C-60 Zoom do all the work.

The C-60 Zoom also has a histogram to illustrate range of tonal values present in the image prior to shooting and also during image playback. This feature aids the serious photographer in achieving the most accurate exposures from black to white.

Designed for You
Navigating the menu options of the C-60 Zoom is as easy as pushing arrow buttons on the back of the camera. These buttons lead to a menu structure that is intuitive to use and takes little time to memorize. The camera's Quick View button provides single-click image review.

Transferring images from the C-60 Zoom to a PC or Mac is a quick and hassle-free experience with the plug-and-play USB 2.0 High Speed Auto-Connect (that does not require software drivers with most operating systems). Simply plug the cable into the camera and the computer, and start downloading images off the camera as though it were an external hard drive. Images may also be viewed on a television with the included audio/video cable.

Availability
The C-60 Zoom Digital will be available in April 2004. It includes a 32MB xD-Picture Card™, Auto-Connect USB cable, Li-Ion rechargeable battery and charger, RM-2 Remote Control, Audio/Video Out cable, wrist strap, Olympus CAMEDIA Master Software, user manual and Quick Start guide.

U.S. Pricing
C-60 Zoom Digital Estimated Street Price: $449.00 (U.S.)

ABOUT OLYMPUS
Olympus is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering innovative solutions in healthcare and consumer electronics worldwide.

Olympus works collaboratively with its customers and its parent company, Tokyo-based Olympus Corporation, to leverage R&D investment in precision technology and manufacturing processes across diverse business lines. These include:

• Digital and film cameras, and digital voice recorders.
• Gastrointestinal endoscopes, accessories, and minimally invasive surgical products;
• Advanced clinical and research microscopes; and
• Lab automation systems, chemistry-immuno and blood bank analyzers and reagents.

In the U. S. and Canada, Olympus serves healthcare, scientific and commercial laboratory markets with integrated product solutions and financial, educational and consulting services that help customers efficiently, reliably, safely, and easily achieve superior results. Olympus is the leader in gastrointestinal endoscopy and clinical and educational microscopes. The company's market-leading consumer electronics business spans North and South America. For more information, visit www.olympusamerica.com.