Olympus Korea launched a new hybrid camera PEN E-PL2 on Tuesday, calling it the new “killer item” for this year.

The product, coming between a DSLR and a compact camera, features a classic design and an upgraded art filter that enables people to add touches of soft focus, dramatic tone and art frames to the photos, according to company officials.

올림푸스가 25일 오전 서울 프라자호텔에서 카메라에서 휴대폰으로 사진을 무선으로 직접 전송할 수 있는 PEN E-PL2를 출시하는 행사를 가지고 있다. 박해묵 기자/mook@heraldm.com Models present Olympus’ new hybrid camera PEN E-PL2 at an event in downtown Seoul on Tuesday. Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald
올림푸스가 25일 오전 서울 프라자호텔에서 카메라에서 휴대폰으로 사진을 무선으로 직접 전송할 수 있는 PEN E-PL2를 출시하는 행사를 가지고 있다. 박해묵 기자/mook@heraldm.com Models present Olympus’ new hybrid camera PEN E-PL2 at an event in downtown Seoul on Tuesday. Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald

Models present Olympus’ new hybrid camera PEN E-PL2 at an event in downtown Seoul on Tuesday. (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)

It also presents special accessories, such as PENPAL, which could be used to send the camera-saved images to mobile phones via Bluetooth, officials said, adding that up to 2,600 photos could be stored.

“When looking at the statistics of 2010, hybrid cameras have taken over more than 30 percent of the interchangeable lens camera market,” said Olympus Korea CEO Bang Il-seok. “I believe (the hybrid camera market) will become bigger than the DSLR market by 2012.”

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldm.com)