Feb. 17, 2005 5-Megapixel CCD, New Calendar and Album Features and Optimized Battery Technology Enhance the New Verve S Digital Camera

With the announcement of the new 5.0-megapixel Stylus Verve S, Olympus adds more choices to its line-up of sleek, ultra-compact digital cameras in the Stylus Verve series. The new Stylus Verve S packs 5 million pixels of image resolution into its compact, durable, all-weather designer body, along with new features such as a calendar, album function and a histogram for enhanced usability.

"The original Stylus Verve series was created to inspire creativity and self-expression, redefining the design of digital cameras," said Tomoko Matsunaga, product manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc. "The new Stylus Verve S builds upon that great design to offer more options while continuing the tradition of power, performance, all-weather durability, and exquisite style synonymous with the Olympus Stylus Digital series."

Designed to Do More

The Stylus Verve S combines a 5.0-megapixel CCD image sensor with Olympus' exclusive image processor, TruePic TURBO(TM), which significantly enhances image quality and delivers faster overall processing speeds for rapid startup, shutter release and playback. TruePic TURBO uses pixel "micro-smoothing" to deliver clearer, more color-accurate photos, even at lower resolutions. The result is high quality prints that can be cropped and printed to 11 x 14 inches and larger. And with a fast startup of less than one second and nearly instant shutter release time, you're always ready to take great pictures.

The bright, clear 1.8-inch HyperCrystal(TM) LCD delivers a high contrast image and 160-degree angle of view. So gather your friends around - your photos are viewable from above, from the side, and from below. And while conventional LCD screens appear dim against bright light, the HyperCrystal(TM) LCD provides excellent visibility in any light condition - on the beach, under the stars, in the rain, or on the slopes.

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The Stylus line of digital cameras is renowned for all-weather durability. The body of the Stylus Verve S is constructed of durable, lightweight metal with rubber gaskets throughout the interior to ensure that rain, sleet, snow or sand won't get in the way of great photos. Designed for active digital photographers always on the go, the Stylus Verve S also features optimized battery technology that enables users to get more shots between battery charges.

Delivering Style

Modeled after the shape of a falling water droplet, the Stylus Verve S maintains the unique body design of its predecessor, the Stylus Verve. With its smooth contoured lines and ultra-compact size of just 3.7 x 2.2 x 1.1 inches and weight of only 4.1 ounces, the Stylus Verve S fits snugly in a hip pocket or in the palm of the hand.

A new finger grip on the front of the camera further enhances the ergonomics, making it easy to snap pictures when holding the camera with one hand. The black camera body has a new high-gloss finish and is constructed of metal for all-weather durability, with a circular lens barrier that tucks away inside the camera body when on, and protects the lens from the elements with an impermeable seal when closed. The camera also delivers pizzazz in the form of programmable sound effects, such as the rev of a sports car engine or a pleasing chime upon start-up as well as three catchy shutter sounds to choose from.

Designed for Excitement

The Stylus Verve S will change the way you think about your digital camera. Now instead of simply capturing images, you can think of your camera as a portable photo album that goes wherever you go. The new Album Function makes it easy to organize photos into photo albums stored on the camera's xD-Picture Card(TM). You can create up to 12 individual albums of 100 images each, in the order you want to show them, and take your photos everywhere - your photo album will no longer be confined to your coffee table. And with the new built-in Calendar Function, images are automatically organized and recalled by date.

Intelligent Design

Olympus photos are known worldwide for sharp, vibrant image quality. This is achieved through a number of key technologies, such as Olympus' high-quality all-glass lens (with aspherical lens elements), designed specifically for digital cameras. The lens provides the equivalent of 35 to 70mm, f3.5 - f4.9 in 35mm photography, with 8x combined total zoom (2x optical and 4x digital) to bring the action closer, as well as a Super Macro Mode that captures close-up images of fine details like the wings of a butterfly.

Designed to perform during a variety of occasions, the Stylus Verve S includes 16 shooting modes that can be accessed through the camera's menu to provide fully automatic exposure adjustments for shooting Night Scenes, Landscapes, Fireworks, Cuisine and more. And the inclusion of advanced shooting functions, such as a direct histogram and white balance presets, makes it easy to capture images with perfect exposure every time. With its QuickTime(R) Movie Mode, the Stylus Verve S can record movies of any length, limited only by the size of the memory card in the camera.

Designed to be Approachable

Connecting the Stylus Verve S to a computer is easy with the USB Auto Connect feature, which connects directly via USB 2.0 cable and requires no software. Or, If you prefer, forget the computer altogether. The power of PictBridge technology enables photos to be printed directly from the Stylus Verve S to any PictBridge-enabled printer, such as the Olympus P-10 Digital Photo Printer, without using a computer. Printing and sharing images has never been easier, and the P-10's photo lab-quality dye-sublimation printing produces archival-quality prints in rich color.

OLYMPUS Master(TM) software provides the ultimate in digital imaging management. An intuitive user interface makes downloading to your computer quick and simple, and images are searchable by date or keyword in the Calendar View. And with one-click editing tools, such as red-eye reduction, images can be touched up before printing or emailing. Online support, templates, firmware upgrades and other user services are just a mouse-click away.

Availability

The Stylus Verve S will be available in April 2005. It includes a 16MB xD-Picture Card, Wrist Strap, Camera WIN/Mac USB Cable, Audio/Video cable, Li-30B Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery and Charger, Quick Start Guide, Basic Instruction Manual, Warranty Card, CD-ROM with OLYMPUS Master Software, and Camera Advanced Manual.

U.S. Pricing

Stylus Verve S Estimated Street Price: $349.99 (U.S.)

For more information, review units, product specifications and high-resolution images of the Stylus Verve S, contact Michael Bourne, Mullen Public Relations, 650-210-9857 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , or Chris Sluka, senior public relations manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc., Two Corporate Center Dr., P.O. Box 9058 Melville, NY 11747-9058, ph: (631) 844-5000 (800) 622-6372, Fax: (631) 844-5262 or the Olympus Web Site: http://www.olympusamerica.com.

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