Olympus - Press Releases

PRESS INFORMATION

The luxurious way to shoot and share

The slim µ 730 with a huge 7.6cm LCD

Hamburg, 23 August 2006 – With an exceptionally-large 7.6cm LCD, the µ 730 affords photographers with a level of comfort seldom seen. Its generous screen dimensions ensure framing is a joy and let results be shown to whole groups of friends at once. But not only the LCD size will draw admiring glances. The camera’s stylish, weatherproof* metal body is extremely slim and exudes unmistakable elegance wherever it is taken. 7.1 million pixels provide for ample imaging performance and a precision 3x zoom lens gives users great shooting flexibility. Moreover, as with all µ series cameras, the µ 730 features extraordinary capabilities in situations with low light – due to incorporation of the Olympus-developed BrightCapture Technology. By increasing contrast on the LCD and boosting the ISO value to brighten up pictures considerably, it makes shooting in dark environments significantly easier and more successful. And for ultimate versatility, BrightCapture Technology is now also available in movie mode. Yet the µ 730 can do even more in the dark – thanks to buttons that illuminate, finding them won’t be left to chance any more.

The camera’s immense 7.6cm LCD with 230,000 pixels truly brings a new feel to framing and viewing, as the monitor provides an astonishingly large picture to enhance composing shots and showing them off to friends and family directly on the camera. Yet despite the large screen, this model enjoys an enviably slim form. Behind the stylish, weatherproof* metal body, the µ 730 boasts a powerful 7.1 million pixels for detailed, razor-sharp results. In addition, the high-quality 3x optical zoom (equiv. to 38-114mm on a 35mm camera) lets photographers bring far away subjects into range.

Using BrightCapture Technology, low-light performance is second to none. By boosting the maximum ISO value to 1600, photos taken in darker conditions come out significantly brighter and look more natural as the need to use the flash is reduced. Furthermore, this technology increases LCD contrast by up to 4x to make framing easier. And now, BrightCapture Technology is also available in the camera’s movie mode with sound.

Illuminated buttons add to the extraordinary low-light abilities of the µ 730. A sensor measures the ambient lighting conditions and automatically lights up the buttons when required.

So that images always impress with their sharpness, the camera includes a Digital Image Stabilisation Edit function. By detecting camera movement at the point of shutter release, it can then compensate for unintentional movement and helps to negate blurred shots. Image blur and other photo imperfections like backlight and red eye can also be corrected directly on the camera, at the press of a button, with the new Perfect Fix function.

The µ 730 is exceptionally easy to use thanks to a Guide Function that explains the different camera settings on the LCD. Furthermore, the menu, manual and software are available in a total of 25 languages – making this Olympus model understood in 39 European countries! Users can choose to store data in either the internal memory or on xD-Picture Cards.

With the slim-line µ 730, Olympus lands an elegant, compact camera that looks as good as it shoots. Its huge 7.6cm LCD and exceptional day and night shooting performance make it the perfect choice for style-oriented photographers who like to see the big picture. The camera will be available at selected retailers only, from October 2006.

The Olympus µ 730 – main features: