14 DAY TRIAL // A few days ago a few pictures showing what looked like Olympus’ possible Stylus 1 successor popped up online, but information was pretty scarce.
But unexpectedly, the camera has already been made official, at least for photography enthusiasts in Japan who can now get a taste of the new Olympus Stylus 1s.
Olympus Stylus 1s is quite similar to the Stylus 1
Compared to its predecessor, the new device comes equipped with a few improvements, but don’t expect anything too mind-blowing.
Interesting enough, Olympus has decided to launch the Stylus 1s only in its home country, but maybe at some point the company will reconsider and make the device available internationally.
The new camera remains quite similar to its predecessor and brings to the tablet Small AF Target and Step-Up Zoom features. The first is to ensure users get to reduce the size of the focus point, so that it doesn’t slip to other parts of the frame.
The second feat helps users zoom in steps. Olympus also throws in a 35mm equivalent of 28-300mm, so you’ll be able to switch to the standard focal lengths when zooming including 50mm, 70mm, 85mm, 100mm, 135mm, 200mm and 300mm.
Introducing the WCON-08X wide-angle conversion lens
As a novelty, Olympus is now offering the WCON-08X wide-angle conversion lens, which can be attached in front of the lens. The lens has max aperture of 28-30mm which can remain constant at f/2.8 through the zoom range, something that will not change if the WCON-08X is on.
The wide-conversation lens offers 25mm equivalent of approximately 22.4mm, so the new Stylus 1s should prove to be a decent companion of landscape photographers.
Now to review the remaining set of specifications, the new Stylus 1s takes advantage of a 12-megapixel 1 / 1.7-inch type sensor and has a built-in viewfinder. On the back users will discover a 3-inch tilting LCD.
The camera also offers continuous shooting mode of up to 7fps plus an ISO range between 100 and 12800.
Like many compactc being launched today, the camera bundles Wi-Fi functionality so users can quickly share their results on social media or even transfer the files wirelessly.
Olympus is marketing the new Stylus 1s as a premium compact device and we should expect it to arrive in mid-November with a starting price of $650 / €510.
As for photography enthusiasts located in the US and other territories outside Japan, you should know that Amazon continues to sell the Stylus 1 for $650 / €510. Or you can decide to wait for Olympus to reconsider its decision of launching the 1s only in Japan.
