Click to take a QTVR tour of the C-7070 Wide Zoom

The Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom combines professional features and a high quality wide angle lens in a compact, rugged, magnesium body. The wide angle zoom has a 35mm equivalent focal length coverage of 27mm to 110mm and lets photographers frame more of the subject into their composition. With a high-resolution 7.1-megapixel CCD, photographers can produce larger than life prints with amazing vividness. Two new Autofocus (AF) modes enable photographers to capture sharp photos of subjects in motion, so no photo opportunities are missed.

Olympus cameras are known for sharp, vibrant images thanks to a number of advanced technologies, beginning with Olympus’ high-quality all-glass lens designed specifically for digital camera sensors. And Olympus’ exclusive TruePic TURBO™ Image Processor suppresses noise and boosts image definition so that prints can be cropped and enlarged up to 16 x 20 inches. The C-7070 features a Super Macro mode that enables shooting from as close as 1.18 inches.

The C-7070 features a number of professional SLR-type features to satisfy the artistic needs of advanced users, including two autofocus systems. A Predictive AF mode enables users to shoot subjects moving towards them via an external AF sensor that detects the distance the subject has moved and predicts its location at the moment of shutter release. And an AF Target Selection function enables users to choose from 143 AF target zones to focus on virtually any area of their composition without reframing the shot. And a manual focusing mode, gives users full control over the accuracy of their focal range.

The builtin speaker and microphone enables users to narrate images with personalized audio captions. Movie Mode records QuickTime motion video with sound at 640x480 @ 30fps resolution movies for up to 20 seconds or 640x480 @ 15fps or 320x240 @ 30fps or 15fps resolution movies in lengths up to the storage capacity of the memory card in the camera.

The C-7070 is easy to use with controls placed strategically on the camera body for fast, intuitive manipulation. A mode dial on the top of the camera enables users to rapidly select from an assortment of settings. In fully Programmed Auto mode, the camera provides basic point-and-shoot simplicity for flawless snapshots. The camera also features 12 Shooting Modes for optimal results in a variety of situations, such as Night, Portrait, Landscape, and Sports. Two new underwater settings – Underwater Wide and Underwater Macro – make the C-7070 an ideal camera for divers when used with the optional PT-027 underwater case.

Images can be stored on a wide variety of media with the dual xD-Picture Card and CompactFlash Type II card slots. xD-Picture Cards are available up to 512MB (soon to 1GB) and CF cards go up to 8GB as well as Microdrives. Both media slots can be occupied simultaneously and are easily switched by a button on the back of the camera. Transferring images to the computer is easy with the Auto-Connect USB 2.0, no software drivers are required (for most modern computer operating systems).

C-7070 Wide Zoom features:

• 7-Megapixel CCD for images up to 3072 x 2304
• f2.8 4x Wide Angle Zoom lens (27 - 110mm equivalent)
• Stylish and rugged black magnesium alloy body
• JPEG, TIFF and RAW image formats
• 1.8-inch color LCD tilts up 180° and rotates 270°
• Twelve selectable shooting modes
• Shutter speeds from 16 secs to 1/4000 sec in Manual mode.
• 3.3 frames/second burst in RAW or JPEG mode
• iESP multi-pattern AF with Spot AF, Selective AF, Predictive AF, Full time AF and Manual focus (with gauge and LCD enlarged view) modes.
• Macro focus to 8", Super Macro focus to 1.2"
• Digital iESP multi-pattern, Spot and Multi-point Spot metering modes.
• Noise Reduction minimizes background noise in low-light situations
• Sharpness, Contrast and Saturation is adjustable +/- 5 steps
• ISO sensitivity: 80-400 or AUTO
• Built-in flash with Auto, Fill, Red-eye reduction and Slow-sync modes
• 640x480 or 320x240 QuickTime movies w/audio at 30/15 fps
• Two media slots: xD-Picture Card and CompactFlash II including Microdrives
• TTL hot shoe for Olympus FL-50, FL-36 or FL-20 external flash
• High-capacity BLM-1 Li-ion battery and charger included
• Optional B-HLD20 battery holder adds portrait grip and shutter release
• PictBridge, Exif Print and Epson PRINT Image Matching II compatible

The C-7070 Wide Zoom will be available in February 2005 for an estimated street price of $699.00 (U.S.). It includes an Auto-Connect USB cable, Audio/Video Out cable, carrying strap, lens cap with retainer cord, Li-Ion rechargeable battery and charger, a 32MB xD-Picture Card, OLYMPUS Master Software, user manual and Quick Start guide.

DIWA Gold Medal Award

2. September, 2005: DIWA (Digital Imaging Websites Association), a world-wide organization of collaborating websites, today announces a Gold award to Olympus for their sophisticated wide zoom digital compact camera, the Camedia C-7070 Wide Zoom.

Following the success of its Camedia siblings, the C-5060 Wide Zoom and the C-8080 Wide Zoom, both awarded DIWA medals, it came as no surprise that also the C-7070 Wide Zoom obtained excellent results from the rigorous DIWA test procedure. Its fabulous 4x wide angle zoom lens, with focal lengths equivalent to 27-110 mm and its high quality 7.1 megapixel image sensor proved to be a perfect match for quality conscious photographers.

Kai Thon, DIWA’s test manager, says: “The C-7070 Wide Zoom is a brilliant example of a successful evolution of a winning concept. The camera features all the essentials for making a perfect camera; a high quality lens for various situations, reasonably compact ergonomic camera design, high image quality, plus a vast selection of individual preferences and creative options. Despite all its qualities, the C-7070 Wide Zoom has a pleasantly moderate price tag”.

Casual amateur photographers may not be attracted to the Camedia C-7070 Wide Zoom, but any ambitious photo enthusiast will appreciate its capability of solving most photographic tasks, from landscapes to portraits and close-ups. This is made possible by a powerful 4x zoom lens with 27 mm wide angle and 3 cm super macro, RAW and RAW+JPEG file formats, shutter speeds from 1/4000 to 120 seconds, multiple choices of image parameter settings, a highly sophisticated histogram display, fast and precise hybrid auto focus and a flip-and-turn LCD screen. To expand its capabilities even further, there are options for external flash, compatible conversion lenses, CF or xD memory cards and wireless or wired remote control.

The DIWA group of experts found the Olympus Camedia C-7070 Wide Zoom to be an excellent compromise between high quality performance, excellent handling comfort and value for money, an achievement well worthy of a DIWA Gold Award.

Physical Views

The C-7070 Wide Zoom and the Evolt E-300 SLR.

C-7070 Zoom Specifications