By Matthew Henry
SYDNEY: Olympus conducted a worldwide simultaneous launch of its new digital camera range yesterday, vowing to offer consumers ‘all the proof you need’ to purchase a personalised camera for Christmas.
At the event, Olympus released seven new digital cameras and unveiled a new approach to product marketing which focuses on easy-to-understand technology messages.
The new ‘all the proof you need’ marketing catch-phrase highlights the company’s key technologies across its range, including waterproof, splashproof and shockproof housings, nightproof shooting mode and shakeproof image stabilisation technology.
With this new approach, Olympus has sought to appeal to consumers by making technology applicable to real-life situations.
“With a maturing digital compact camera market, users are bombarded with similar offerings on megapixels and optical zoom, making it very difficult to choose the right camera for their needs,” said Olympus Imaging Australia group product manager, Lisa Forrest.
“Olympus promises to eliminate consumer confusion, offering a range of accessible technologies with practical benefits, relevant to the lifestyles that our customers lead.”
Forrest said Olympus is the fastest growing digital still camera brand in the market, having launched in Australia five years ago.
The new range will be available in October and includes the follow-up to the shockproof and waterproof Tough 720 – the Tough 725 (RRP $599), which now features up to five metres underwater capability and 7.1 megapixels.
“If you are buying a digital camera this Christmas, we believe Olympus offers all the proof you need,” said Forrest at the launch.
Olympus also launched two models it claims are the world’s smallest and lightest digital cameras with a 5x optical zoom – Mju 740 (RRP $499) and Mju 750 (RRP $599). Both models feature the Nightproof shooting mode, which like other digital cameras in the market uses an ISO setting of 3200 for greater sensitivity in low light, allowing blur-free images and higher shutter speeds in night shooting.
The new entry-level model is the 6.0 megapixel FE200 (RRP $399), which features 5x optical zoom and a 28mm wide-angle lens.
In its top of the range compact model, the 10 megapixel Mju 1000 (RRP $649), Olympus has introduced the Perfect Fix feature, which lets users correct three common photography problems in camera: red-eye, backlighting and camera shake.