First-ever digital camera officially sanctioned by Ferrari

SINGAPORE –– Olympus today announced that the Ferrari Digital Model 2003 will be available for sale for the first time at Photo & Imaging Asia Exhibition 2003 from 12-14 December 2003.

The Ferrari Digital Model 2003 is a special limited-edition model developed and introduced to celebrate Olympus’ sponsorship of the Ferrari Scuderia Formula One Racing Team.

It is the first and only digital camera in the world currently sanctioned by Ferrari S.p.A. Only 10,000 units will be produced worldwide.

The Ferrari Digital Model 2003 is based on the stylish and all-weather Olympus Stylus 400 4MP Digital. It is designed to reflect the beauty and quality that are hallmarks of Ferrari craftsmanship, and is the first digital camera in the world to be officially sanctioned by the Ferrari organization.

The body of the camera is finished in distinctive Ferrari Red, and the lens barrier is adorned with the world-famous "Cavallino Rampante - Prancing Horse" logo featured on Ferrari cars and F1 racing machines.

Limited Edition, Exclusive Features
When the camera's power is switched on, the built-in color LCD monitor displays the Ferrari name and logo, as well as an image of a Ferrari F1 racing machine. To reflect the fact that this is a limited-edition model with a production run of only 10,000 units, the body of each camera is stamped with its special serial number.

As a limited-edition camera designed to appeal not only to motor sport fans, but to anyone who appreciates the finer things in life, the Ferrari Digital Model 2003 comes complete with a high-quality, suede-textured camera case and custom-designed camera strap, both of which are emblazoned with the Ferrari logo. A Certificate of Authenticity bearing the serial number that is stamped on the camera's body is also included, along with a Greeting Card that features autographed photos of Ferrari drivers, Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.

Camera Features
The compact and stylish metal body features exclusive Olympus all-weather technologies that ensure protection equivalent to IEC Standard Publication 529 IPX4 (protection against water splashed from any direction). As a result, the Ferrari Digital Model 2003 allows worry-free shooting in rain or snow, and can be used anywhere from beaches and pools to ski resorts.

A compact, high-resolution lens and 4.0-megapixel CCD ensure that the compact Ferrari Digital Model 2003 is capable of delivering truly stunning image quality.

Simple, intuitive operation is assured by a Full Auto mode that provides point-and-shoot operating ease. In addition, there are five Scene Program modes (Portrait, Night Scene, Landscape-Portrait, Landscape, and Self-Portrait) with optimized settings for frequently encountered shooting situations.

In addition to an auto white balance mode that assures faithful reproduction of skin tones, four preset white balance settings are provided (Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten Light, Fluorescent Light). Two light metering modes are offered: digital ESP metering, which ensures natural-looking exposures even when shooting in backlight or in high-contrast situations; and spot metering, which allows exposure values to be set to suit a specific area of the composition.

The Ferrari Digital Model 2003 allows a number of still-image editing operations to be performed directly on the camera, eliminating the need to download images to a personal computer for editing.

QuickTime Motion-JPEG movies with a frame advance speed of 15 frames-per-second can be recorded. Up to about 16 seconds can be recorded at a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, and up to about 70 seconds can be recorded at a resolution of 160 x 120 pixels.

To ensure fuss-free shooting, the dedicated rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides power for approximately 150 shots under normal operating conditions.

Pricing
The Ferrari Digital Model 2003 will be sold at S$1,099 (including GST), the Olympus Stylus 400 4MP Digital sells for $349.00.

Via

Fabrizio Pilato