It looks like the camera fanatics at Olympus just dont know when to stop. Just as were trying to figure out how to cadge an EP-1 for our own greedy amusements, the company is back with a handful of budget compacts, which may lack a bit of "the sexy" but are obviously a touch more affordable. Among new additions to the FE range you can count the FE-5020 (5x super wide optical zoom), FE-4000 (4x wide optical zoom), and FE-26 (3x optical zoom). Aside from the differences in lens size, these bad boys are all pretty much the same, hitting the ground with 12 megapixel CCDs, 2.7-inch displays, advanced face tracking, intelligent auto mode, and both xD-Picture Card and microSD compatibility. If that werent enough, the FE-5020 and FE-4000 also include "Magic Filter" functionality (which some might call "tacky filters," if the fish eye lens and sepia tone effects arent really your bag). While were at it, we might as well mention the companys newest addition to the mju line: The mju 7010 sports a 7x optical zoom, but otherwise looks pretty much the same (12 megapixel, 2.7-inch display, advanced face tracking and intelligent auto mode, magic filters, etc). All the aforementioned devices are due to hit the streets this August. We dont have a price yet on the FE cameras, while the mju is said to retail for £249 (thats about $400).
Olympus announces FE-5020, FE-4000, FE-46 and FE-26
Olympus mju 7010
