Olympus has announced an easy-to-use budget model, the C-480 Zoom. Priced £159, the 4MP 3x zoom model has 15 scene modes and a 4.6cm LCD monitor.

Slightly higher up the scale is the broadly similar C-500 Zoom that also has 15 scene modes wherein a special help function describes the selected mode and gives a sample picture to make sure the right one is chosen. It offers full manual control over exposure settings, and a Super Macro mode focuses on shots from only 2cm away.

The 5MP model has a 38-114mm lens. Costing £259, the Olympus µ(mju:)-mini Digital S boasts 5MP, fast start-up and reaction times, as well as 14 scene modes, while spot measurements for focus and exposure settings also give users more control.

The £230 Olympus FE5500 has 5MP, a 3x zoom (35-105mm), scene modes such as sports, indoor or landscape, movie recording with sound and Super Macro mode.

Finally the Olympus Easy Imaging system consists of two camera models, the £299 IR300 and Olympus IR500. The latter has 4.0MP resolution, a 2.8x zoom, 17 scene programmes and a 6.4cm, 360° swivel LCD monitor. The IR-300 has a 3x zoom and fixed LCD.

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