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IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION
Olympus
Digital Camera
Gives Instant Pictures
By TIM BOXER
OLYMPUS has come
out with a winner. Olympus, the far-sighted innovative
Japan-based company has teamed up with U.S.-based Polaroid
to produce North America’s first digital instant camera.
The innovative Camedia
C-211 Zoom Digital Camera combines Olympus’
excellent digital shooting setup with Polaroid’s instant
printing technique.
With this strategic
alliance, these two giants have created a new industry
category: digital photo printing cameras.
You point and
shoot, then print without the need of a computer.
The 1.8-inch LCD
monitor in back allows you to review each shot. If you don’t
like what you took, you simply erase and shoot again, this
time with eyes wide open.
This 2.1 megapixel
camera is the ideal tool for a lawyer at a car crash, a
private eye on the trail of a wayward husband, a federal
agent scouting a couple of hoods, a photographer shooting a
model on an isolated beach – you know who you are.
It’s for anyone
who’s on location and needs a camera with Polaroid
capability that won’t run out of film, because there is no
film in this baby. The name of the game is digital.
Just be sure to
carry plenty of Polaroid 500-SA instant film (priced around
$10 for a 10-photo pack).
Take the camera
back to your office or home, with all the images stored on
the 8MB SmartMedia removable memory card, and use the USB to
connect to your computer to download the pictures and make
large prints on photo paper.
Of course, if you’re
ambitious you can get SmartMedia cards of higher storage
capacity that will take more than a hundred pictures for
later viewing, storing or printing.
It was sheer
delight using the camera in people situations. I took it
along to various society benefits and charity dinners.
Personalities were so intrigued by this innovative camera
that they readily posed whenever asked.
The pictures
ejected out of the top of the camera. Each takes about two
minutes to fully develop. The fade-resistant photos look
superior to inkjet-printed pictures.
The images were
clear and sharp. It was easy to use the f2.8 3X optical zoom
lens for wide group shots as well as for close tight single
headshots.
I showed people
their instant photos, which they were eager to autograph on
the spot. I added these signed pictures to my instant
celebrity autographed photo collection.
The
camera has a street price of $800 (Get it for ONLY $599.00 at Amazon.com!).
For more information on the C-211 ZOOM, call 800 622-6372 or visit www.olympus.com.
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