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The six million pixel Olympus C-60 ZOOM
Mark Peters : March 18th 2004 - 09:00 CET
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 With its CAMEDIA C-60 ZOOM, Olympus sets out to seduce design-conscious users who expect versatility to achieve exactly the results they want. The company has already shown how this very demanding target group can be won over with its C-50 ZOOM launched about a year and a half ago. Even today, interest in the camera remains particularly high. That is why this range is now being expanded with the six million pixel C-60 ZOOM, which is destined to make a big impact in the market. Firstly, it has the look. The compact, metal body of brushed aluminium and classic design are sure to turn heads. Secondly, the camera also offers the technical refinement needed to pursue almost every creative impulse.
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 And third, it delivers images that impress with their excellent quality and sharp details. The TruePic TURBO image processor plays a vital role here, optimising picture quality by enhancing colour fidelity, the signal-to-noise ratio and sharpness. It also significantly accelerates the image processing speed. Another innovative feature is the sunshine LCD, ensuring a clear view of the picture in the monitor, even in bright light. Without a doubt, the special combination of classic styling and state-of-the art technology will make the C-60 ZOOM a special highlight amongst digital cameras.
While the camera may seem like a genteel style accessory when viewed from the outside, its list of performance features tells a different story. Excellent image quality is guaranteed through the combination of a 6 million pixel resolution, high-precision, bright (f2.8) 3x zoom lens and TruePic TURBO image processor. The latter has been developed by Olympus and optimises three important aspects of the picture: colour correctness (colour range, saturation and brightness), signal-to-noise ratio (the relationship of accurate electrical signals to unwanted signals such as static disturbances creating noise), and picture sharpness. The results amaze with their clarity and detail. In addition, the TruePic TURBO optimises the image processing procedure and camera operation, so that, for example, the camera is ready significantly faster after being turned on or after taking a shot. Thanks to the PictBridge standard, direct printing is possible with compatible printers, eliminating the need for a PC.
Thanks to innovative display technology, the sunshine LCD shows bright, clear images even under dazzling spotlights at a gala or when out in the summer sun on holiday. As a result, the camera menu can always be read easily, a clear view is assured for accurate framing and the captured photo may also be checked with ease.
The C-60 ZOOM is laden with highly accurate exposure, white balance and focus metering systems. The dual AF system, which, by the way, is the one also included in the top model C-8080 WIDE ZOOM, uses a TTL contrast detection system combined with a passive metering system situated outside the lens. The latter first calculates the distance of the subject by the phase difference. Then, the TTL system fine-tunes the setting. The camera rapidly sets the optimum sharpness based on these readings.
Full manual operation ensures adventurous users the high degree of control they expect and need. Even capturing video with sound is possible. The sequence's duration depends on the memory card's capacity and recording times of over an hour are possible.
The CAMEDIA C-60 ZOOM is planned for release in April 2004.
The CAMEDIA C-60 ZOOM – main features:
• 6.1 million pixels
• Metal body
• 3x optical zoom (equiv. 38 - 114mm on 35mm camera), f2.8-4.8
• Sunshine LCD monitor
• TruePic TURBO image processor
• Programme, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Full Manual modes
• Six scene programs (Portrait, Self-Portrait, Night Scene, Sports, Landscape, Landscape with Portrait)
• Dual AF system
• Movie recording function with sound
• USB 2.0 and PictBridge compatible
• CAMEDIA Master 4.2 software provided |
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