Olympus Stylus SH-2 Launched With Nightscape Modes and RAW Support

Exactly a year after Olympus introduced its stylish compact camera Stylus SH-1, the camera manufacturer has gone ahead and launched its successor the Stylus SH-2. The Olympus Stylus SH-2 is not too different from its predecessor apart from the fact that it has support for shooting RAW images and time-lapse movies, and also brings a 'live composition' feature apart from nightscape modes. It is expected to go on sale next month for a price tag of $400 (approximately Rs. 25,000).

The Sylus SH-2 has a 1/2.3-inch BSI CMOS sensor with a 24x optical zoom lens. The lens can also go as wide as 24mm. The one thing unique to the Stylus SH-2 when compared with other compact cameras - which is also a feature the camera has retained from its predecessor - is the mechanical 5-axis image stabilisation system. This IS system should help users take stable shots in low-light conditions. The camera can also shoot 1080p videos at 60fps. There's a 3-inch touchscreen LCD with a 460k-dot resolution on the rear of the Stylus SH-2. The addition of Wi-Fi capabilities to the camera is an added advantage but the lack of NFC is a bit of a letdown.

Design-wise the camera looks like the more expensive, more feature-rich, more powerful PEN range of interchangeable lens cameras. The entire body is mostly made of an aluminium alloy and a sheet of leather stitched to the front, which makes it look retro. In case you were wondering, the Stylus SH-2 has dimensions of 109x63x42mm and weighs 271 grams.