Olympus's top budget APS compact of 1999 — 30-60mm f/4.5-8.5 zoom, autofocus, LCD scene modes, CR2 power
The Olympus Newpic Zoom 600 of 1999 was a compact autofocus camera for the Advanced Photo System, made in Indonesia and sitting at the top of Olympus's budget Newpic APS line, above fixed-focus models such as the Newpic XB AF. It offered a 2x zoom at a time when APS was pitched squarely at easy cartridge-loading snapshot photography.
The lens is a 30-60mm f/4.5-8.5 zoom, roughly equivalent to 38-75mm in 35mm terms, with autofocus and a real-image zooming viewfinder. Shutter speeds run from 1/6 to 1/320 second under fully programmed exposure. An LCD panel selects the modes: auto-flash, red-eye reduction, flash off, fill-in, night scene, red-eye night scene and landscape. Loading, winding and rewinding of the APS film are automatic, and power comes from one CR2 lithium battery in a body of about 4.5x2.2x1.5 inches and 7oz.
This was a simple family camera: point-and-shoot operation, a modest zoom range and scene modes chosen on the LCD. It suits collectors of late-1990s APS gear and anyone wanting a period-correct Advanced Photo System body, but the slow tele end and flash-dependent low-light behaviour limit it as a serious picture-taker.
APS film ceased production in 2011, so the Newpic Zoom 600 can only run expired cartridges and many examples are sold for display or parts. Confirm the camera wakes with a fresh CR2, the flash charges, the zoom travels its full range, and the film-door and cartridge chamber mechanisms operate — motorised APS transport failures are difficult to repair economically.