Olympus debuted three cameras today, and they couldn’t be more different from one another. The lineup includes the SP-565 UZ, a superzoom with a 20X lens; the Stylus 1050 SW, a ruggedized point-and-shoot; and the Stylus 1040, Olympus’s slimmest camera to date. To some extent, they seem to be refreshes: we put the 18X SP-560 UZ to the test in a superzoom test drive we did last year, and the 1050 SW looks similar to the 1030 SW, which we reviewed, although it boasts some important differences- namely, a 3D accelerometer. As for the 1040, it’s about the style more than the specs (although those aren’t bad, either). All of them will be available in October, and, like all Olympus cameras, they take xD cards.

To begin with the SP-565 UZ (pictured at right), it upgrades, as said, from an 18X to a 20X optical zoom. It has a 10-megapixel sensor, dual image stabilization, perfect shot preview, face detection, in-camera editing, 33 shooting modes, and the ability to take 13.5 pictures per second (albeit, at three megapixels). Its Shadow Adjustment Technology compensates for backlight before you take the picture, which is refreshing since some companies’ only allow you to adjust the shadows after you’ve pressed the shutter, and manually, to boot. It will cost $399.

The Stylus 1050 SW, while not as rugged as the 1030 SW, is still freezeproof, waterproof, and shockproof. The 10.1-megapixel camera has a new 3D accelerometer that allows users to control the camera by tapping it (tap the side twice, for instance, to turn on the flash or Shadow Adjustment Technology). That’s good news for people who don’t have the time (or body heat) in rugged environments to take their gloves off and start fiddling with the menu system.

The camera can withstand drops from up to 5 feet, submersion in water as deep as 3 meters, and temperatures as low as 14 degrees Farenheit. It also has face detection, Smile Shot, in-camera panorama, Perfect Shot Preview, in-camera editing, an LED illuminator for additional lighting, and a bright, durable HyperCrystal LCD. I’m disappointed to see that it has digital image stabilization: I think optical image stabilization, a superior technology, should be standard by now, particularly in cameras marketed to people potentially doing action photography. It will cost $299.

Finally, the Stylus 1040, at 16.5mm thick (20.3mm with the lens cover), is Olympus’s slimmest camera to date. It’s available in black and white and has a sliding lens cover in the front, which reminds us of Sony’s sexy Cybershot line. It has Intelligent Auto Mode, face detection, in-camera panorama, digital image stabilization, Shadow Adjustment Technology, Perfect Shot Preview, in-camera editing, and a 2.7-inch HyperCrystal LCD. It will cost $199.

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