Olympus launches new super slim compact cameras

Olympus has revealed two new slim compact cameras to sit in its STYLUS range of smart cameras.

Firstly, the VR-370 features a 12.5x optical zoom lens and wide-angle capability of 24mm.

Dual Image Stabilisation is included to help combat the effects of camera or subject movement, while special creative effects can be added with ten Magic Filters.

That 12.5x optical zoom gives the VR-370 a focal length equivalent offering of 24-300mm in 35mm terms.

The sensor is a 16 million pixel CCD offering, while on the back of the camera a 3 inch 460k dot device is used for composing and playing back images.

Although the camera doesn't have Wi-Fi technology built in, it is compatible with Eye-Fi cards for transferring images across networks.

HD video recording is available at 720p.

Bargain snapper

Next is the VG-180, the latest budget offering from Olympus which the company claims still gives excellent results.

Along with the same 16 million pixel CCD sensor as found on the VR-370, you get a 5x optical zoom lens which starts at 26mm at the widest point of the optic.

iAuto is included to help capture the best shots without having to worry about settings. It also includes the ability to apply one of nine Magic Filters effects such as Miniature.

On this model, video recording is only available in VGA-180 quality, while it also has a smaller and lower resolution screen at 230k dots and 2.7 inches.

The Olympus VR-370 price will be £129.99/US$205/AU$196, while the Olympus VG-180 price will be £89.99/US$142/AU$135.