The IR-300 is the second camera to be released by Olympus into the Easy Imaging System, designed for those people who want to take (and print) digital photographs without the need for a PC. The central location of the lens gives the IR-300 an unconventional look for a modern digicam, compounded by its minimalist white body. It is incredibly light and comfortable to hold and the emphasis is definitely on simplicity.

Besides its striking design, the Olympus IR 300 digital camera is rich in photographic features to simplify image capture and enhance results. It lets users shoot sharp with 5.0 million pixels and brings subjects in close with a 3x zoom (38-114mm, 1:3.3-4.0). Its dimensions, however, remain compact. An optical “folded” light path is utilised so that all lens adjustments are made within the camera. As well as a smaller size, this gives the Olympus IR 300 digital camera the added benefit of not having a protruding lens.

17 scene programmes, including Portrait, Landscape and Candle, are available for trouble-free shooting in a wide variety of styles and conditions. A boon for nature buffs, the Super Macro mode gives photographers the flexibility to shoot from as close as 5cm. Movie recording with sound is possible too. Moreover, due to the special digital image stabiliser, erratic and jerky video images are a thing of the past. The length of movies is limited only by the amount of memory available, and through compatibility with up to 1GB xD-Picture Cards, it leaves little to be left wanting.

For presenting results, a 5.1cm monitor with Sunshine LCD technology, allowing easy viewing even in bright sunlight, is on hand. This can also be used to present slideshows as well as providing both calendar and album views. The included docking station makes an ideal camera stand when giving the first showing of photos to friends or family, and recharges the battery as you view. Special editing functions such as Resize and Reduce Red Eyes can be carried out directly on the camera.