Features
Recording Images
Displaying and Editing Images
Supplied Software
Features
Optics: The Olympus Stylus SZ-15 is equipped with a powerful 24x
F3.0-6.9 zoom lens. The lens has a focal length of 4.5-108mm (equivalent to 25-600mm in 35mm photography).
The 24x optical zoom lets you get close to the action, while the 25mm wide angle
lens allows you to capture wide landscapes and group pictures.
Combined with the 4x digital zoom, the total zoom capability is 96x.
Super-Resolution Zoom: The Super-Resolution Zoom increases
the effective zoom power without compromising image quality. The zoom ratio
depends upon the selected image size. In 4:3 aspect ratio, the Super-Res zoom
extends the total zoom to 48x (16M), 33.6x (8M), 55.2x (3M), and 96x (VGA).
LCD Monitor: The camera is equipped with a 3.0" LCD monitor with approximately
460,800 dots. The SZ-15 offers a 5-level monitor brightness adjustment in the
menu. There is no separate viewfinder.
Recording Media: The SZ-15
records still images or movies onto
optional SD, SDHC, or SDXC Memory Cards. For test images, or when the memory
card becomes full, you can shoot a small number of images onto the camera's 39MB
internal memory. Still images are recorded in JPEG format. Movies are recorded
in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 with sound.
Dual Image Stabilization: The camera combines Sensor-shift
Image Stabilization with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds, so you can capture sharp,
blur-free images, even if your subject is moving.
Focusing Range:
The focus range for the normal shooting mode is 8.4" to infinity for
wide angle and 1.3' to infinity in telephoto. In the Super Macro mode, the range is
1.2" to infinity (at f=14.3mm fixed).
AF Illuminator: The camera has a built-in LED illuminator
that assists in Auto Focusing, or illuminates a subject in shadows. It can be set
to automatically illuminate when the shutter button is pressed halfway.
Flash: The camera's built-in flash operates in the following
modes:
- Flash Auto: The flash fires automatically in low light or
backlight conditions.
- Red-eye Reduction Flash: This emits pre-flashes for red-eye
reduction.
- Fill-in Flash: The flash fires regardless of the available light.
- Flash Off: The flash does not fire.
Self-Timer: You can take pictures of yourself using the
12-second built-in self timer. The 2-second self-timer also aids in preventing
camera shake.
Power Requirements: The SZ-15 operates on an LI-50B
rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. An AC adapter (F-2AC-1B) is supplied to
charge the LI-50B in the camera or operate the camera on AC power. Charging time is approximately
4 hours. The camera can
also charge while it is connected to a computer via USB, but can be as much as
10 hours.
Recording
Images
Resolution: The Stylus SZ-15 can record still images in four
aspect ratios: 4:3, 16:9, 3:2, and 1:1. Two image quality (compression) settings
can be selected: Fine and Normal. Movies are recorded in 16:9 and 4:3, at 30fps
or 15fps, with or without sound. Available image sizes include:
Still Images:
| 4:3 |
16:9 |
3:2 |
1:1 |
| 4608 x 3456 |
4608 x 2592 |
4608 x 3072 |
3456 x 3456 |
| 3200 x 2400 |
3200 x 1800 |
3216 x 2144 |
2400 x 2400 |
| 1920 x 1440 |
1920 x 1080 |
1920 x 1280 |
1440 x 1440 |
| 640 x 480 |
640 x 360 |
624 x 416 |
480 x 480 |
Movies:
- 1280 x 720: 16:9 aspect ratio
- 640 x 480: 4:3 aspect ratio
Shooting Modes: The camera lets you choose
between several shooting modes:
- Program: The camera automatically sets shutter speed and
aperture, but allows you to make changes to a wide range of other settings,
such as exposure compensation, white balance, etc.
- iAuto: The camera automatically selects the optimal shooting mode
for the scene.
- Beauty: You can record still images with Beauty Fix
effects, such as Skin Softening, Skin Brightening, Blemish Fix, Puffy Eye
Fix, Slender Face, and Cheek Lift. You can set and save three levels of
Beauty Fix.
- Super Macro: Enables shooting as close as 1.2" to the
subject. Zoom position is locked.
- Scene: Lets you select from the following pre-programmed
settings: Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Night+Portrait, Sport, Indoor,
Candle, Self-Portrait, Sunset, Fireworks, Cuisine, Documents, Beach & Snow,
Pet Mode
- Magic: Lets you add special effects, such as Pop Art, Pin Hole,
Fish Eye, Soft Focus, Punk, Sparkle, Watercolor, Reflection,
Miniature, Fragmented, and Dramatic.
- Panorama: You can shoot and combine multiple images to
create an image with a wide angle of view.
Sequential Shooting: The camera can take one frame at a
time, or a sequence of pictures at a time by holding down the shutter button. During sequential shooting, the focus, exposure,
and white balance are fixed when the first frame is shot. Sequential photos can
be taken as follows:
| Speed Setting |
Frames Per Second |
Maximum # of frames |
Resolution |
| Normal |
0.45 fps |
200 |
16M (4608 x 3456) |
| Hi-speed 1 |
1.5 fps |
200 |
3M (1920 x 1440) |
| Hi-speed 2 |
15 fps |
20 |
3M (1920 x 1440) |
Sensitivity:
The higher the ISO value, the greater the camera's light sensitivity and better
its ability to shoot in low light. The SZ-15 can automatically set the
camera's sensitivity according to the conditions around the subject. To minimize
blur caused by a moving subject or camera movement, the camera can automatically
use a higher sensitivity (compared to Auto). Manual settings include ISO
100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 equivalents.
AF Mode: There are three AF (auto focus)
modes for selecting the focusing area:
- Face/iESP:
the camera determines the subject, even when not in the center. If a face is
detected, the camera focuses on the face when the shutter button is pressed
halfway.
- Spot AF: focus detection based on the subject within
the AF target mark
- AF Tracking: The camera tracks the subject's movement
automatically to focus on it continuously.
Exposure Compensation: In some
situations, you may get better results by adjusting the exposure slightly using
exposure
compensation. You can adjust from -2.0 to + 2.0 EV in
1/3 stop increments.
Still Image Audio Recording: When activated, the camera's built-in microphone can be set
to record four seconds of audio after the shutter button is released and the
picture is taken. In the playback menu, you can add up to 4 seconds of audio to
still pictures.
Displaying
and Editing Images
Image Playback: Once still images or movies have been
captured, the camera gives you several options for playing them back:
- Manual Playback: view images manually one-by-one
- Slide Show: play still
images back as a slide show. You can select to include all, or images from a
single event, or in a specific collection created with PC software. You can
choose to include background music and three types of transitions.
- Index View: For
viewing multiple images at once, you can create an index display of 20
frames.
Outputs: The SZ-15 is equipped with an HDMI Mini
Connector (Type C) for connecting the camera to an HDMI-equipped HDTV.
The output can be set to 1080i, 720p, or 480p. If the connected HDTV is
compatible with HDMI Control, you can set the camera to be controlled by the
TV's remote control. The camera also has
a proprietary multi-function jack used as an audio/video output (with the
optional CB-AVC3 cable) or a USB port (with the supplied USB
cable).
Editing Pictures: If a picture you have taken turns out
less-than-perfect, you can edit it using one of the following:
- Image Size: You can save a high-resolution image as a separate
image with a smaller size to use in e-mail attachments or other
applications. You can choose 640 x 480 or 320 x 240.
- Cropping: You can zoom in using the cropping frame, and create a
new image.
- Adding Sound: You can add up to 4 seconds of audio to
an existing image using the built-in microphone.
- Beauty Fix: The camera can make corrections to the
subject's skin and/or eyes.
- Shadow Adjust: You can brighten areas that are dark due to
backlighting of other reasons
- Redeye Fix: Red-eyes caused by flash shooting can be retouched.
- Rotate: You can rotate the image to the proper
orientation.
Erasing/Protecting Images: Unwanted
images can be erased one at a time or all at once. You can protect important
images to avoid accidentally erasing them. Once an image is protected, it cannot
be erased during a single-frame erase or all-frame erase function. Protected
images are erased when the memory is reformatted.
PictBridge Printing Capability:
Using the supplied USB cable, you can connect this camera directly to a
PictBridge-compliant printer. PictBridge is a standard that allows you to
connect a PictBridge compliant camera directly to a PictBridge compliant printer
and make prints, regardless of brand.
Print Reservation: Applying Print Reservation (Print Order) to your pictures allows you
to take the memory card to a DPOF-compatible photo lab for
printing, or print them on a DPOF-compatible printer at home, without using
a computer. DPOF is the Digital Print Order Format and allows you to add
information to your picture files such as which pictures to print, the
number of prints desired, add the date
and time to each image, etc.
Supplied
Software
Supplied Software: The SZ-15 comes with Olympus Viewer 3
software on CD-ROM. The disc also includes a full Camera Instruction Manual.
With the software, you can stitch together images for a panoramic shot, prepare
images to be uploaded to the Internet, and retouch photos. The software is
compatible with the following Operating Systems:
- Windows XP (SP2 or later)
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
- Windows 8
- Mac OS X v10.5-v10.8
Mass Storage Device: When the camera is used as a Mass Storage device,
you can connect it to computers running the following operating systems:
- Windows XP (SP1 or later)
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
- Windows 8
- Mac OS X v10.3 or later
