Generally speaking, gadget makers try to avoid announcing new gadgets before an Apple event, but in the hush before the coming iPad 2 storm, Olympus decided to get out a press release for a handful of digital cameras, the most interesting of which is their new superzoom, the SZ-30MR.Boasting a 24X optical zoom running the gamut of 25-6000mm, the SZ-30Mr boasts a sixteen megapixel backlit CMOS sensor, which would make it capable of some fairly decent low-light photography if not for the fact that the aperture maxes out at just f3. ISO goes up to 3200, which is a pipe dream, although you might get acceptable performance up to 1600. The SZ-30MR also boasts HDMI out, a 3-inch LCD, and an easy-to-use 3D mode where you can pan the camera while taking a photo and the camera will automatically capture a 3D composite shot. Neat.
Here’s where it gets really interesting, though. The new Olympus SZ-30MR boasts a new mode called Multi Recording, and it accomplishes a very neat trick indeed: it allows you to record full 1080P videos and 16MP stills at the same time. If that doesn’t impress you, you can even shoot two movies simultaneously, by shooting a wide-shot and a close-up at the same time.
That’s some pretty unique functionality. Unfortunately, it’s mitigated slightly by the narrow aperture, as well as the lack of RAW capture. Otherwise, though, if you’re looking to spend about $400 for a high-end point-and-shoot, the Olympus SZ-30MR looks like a pretty good bet when it’s released in April.
