Features:
- 1.5 megapixel sensor creates 1,368 x 1,024 images for prints at sizes up to 5 by 7 inches
- 10x optical plus 2.7x digital zoom lens with autofocus and image stabilization
- Included 8 MB SmartMedia memory card holds 21 images at default resolution
- Connects with Macs and PCs via USB port
- 4 AA NiMH batteries and charger included
Description:
With the E-100RS, Olympus does what many other manufacturers refuse to do: produce a quality, innovative camera without a high-resolution CCD. Rather than cramming as many new features as possible into their highest-resolution flagship model and relegating the lower-resolution CCDs to simple point-and-shoot style cameras (as many manufacturers are wont to do), Olympus has started to create unique, capable digital cameras across a spectrum of resolutions--something that helps to keep prices down, while increasing both speed and storage capacity. At a time when most manufacturers are producing 3-megapixel cameras, there's nothing particularly impressive about the 1.5 megapixel resolution of this Olympus--it's the lens and processor that make the camera special. The E-100RS ("RS" stands for "Rapid Shot") comes with a 10x optically stabilized lens, and is capable of taking up to 15 shots per second--a speed unheard of in the digital camera realm--courtesy of a 9.5 MB SDRAM buffer and high-speed CCD sensor. Its speed makes it perfect for action photography. If you've ever waited an instant too long to snap the perfect action photo, you'll appreciate the camera's "Pre-Capture" feature. In this mode, the E-100RS starts storing photos in its temporary memory as soon as you half-press the shutter button. Once you fully depress the button, the photo you took, along with the most recent photos in the temporary memory, are saved to the memory card. Users can save from one to five "prepictures" for each photo they shoot. This feature is a boon to those of us with slow reflexes. For maximum compatibility, the camera can be used with both Smartmedia and CompactFlash cards. CompactFlash Type I and II cards are supported, but Olympus doesn't recommend using the IBM MicroDrive. Camera performance is typically quicker with Smartmedia storage, but CompactFlash cards are available in larger capacities. An 8 MB Smartmedia card is included. In 35mm terms, the powerful 10x zoom lens is equivalent to a 38-380mm telephoto. The camera's digital zoom, which increases magnification at the expense of image quality, boosts the lens to 1000mm at full zoom. Normally, it would be difficult to take advantage of a lens this powerful without using a tripod. Why? At full zoom, the camera focuses on such a small area that even the most minute movements result in a blurry image. Fortunately, Olympus equips the camera with optical image stabilization, a complex system that senses shakes and wobbles and continuously adjusts the lenses to compensate. All the flexibility of Olympus's higher-end digital cameras is present in the E-100RS. Aperture and shutter priority modes coexist with landscape, portrait, sports, and night-scene shooting modes. Everything on the camera can be adjusted manually. The EV setting can be adjusted to 2 in 1/3 EV increments; auto bracketing can be adjusted for both EV increments and the total number of shots. ISO can be selected from three options: 100, 200, and 400. The built-in flash features the usual modes: red-eye reduction, auto, fill, and synchro. For SLR-like framing, the E-100RS uses an electronic viewfinder (EVF) instead of a traditional glass viewfinder. This arrangement has all the benefits of a standard LCD screen (image preview and review, as well as instant access to camera menus), plus increased usability outdoors, while using much less power than the full-sized LCD on the back of the camera. The only disadvantages to the EVF are that it uses more power than a traditional optical viewfinder and that it can be hard to use in low light. The E-100RS uses four AA batteries, and comes with rechargeable NiMH batteries and charger.
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