Carl Zeiss Sports Optics / DxO Labs Press Release

Wetzlar, Germany, and Paris, France - September 20, 2006 – Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, the world famous manufacturer of binoculars, spotting scopes and riflescopes, and DxO Labs, the leading supplier of image processing technologies, today announce that the first digital camera developed by Carl Zeiss Sports Optics will be powered by DxO Labs’ breakthrough Image Signal Processing (ISP) technology. As a result, the ZEISS Camera Eyepiece DC 4 for spotting scopes will feature unrivalled image quality, including vivid colors, perfect contrast, along with sharp and noiseless detail. Extending the Carl Zeiss Sports Optics acclaimed spotting scopes product range, the Eyepiece DC 4 will ship in late 2006. “We want to provide the best possible imaging device for the users of our spotting scopes. Our target is unmatched imaging properties and ease of operation. Therefore, DxO Labs’ outstanding imaging technology perfectly supports the performance of our outstanding optics and the camera unit,” explains Dr. Manfred Klingel, managing director of Carl Zeiss Sports Optics.

“Carl Zeiss is the name that defines optics top quality. We are very proud to partner with Carl Zeiss to bring to the market a camera that will redefine the standard of imaging for spotting scopes,” says Jerome Meniere, CEO of DxO Labs.
 
The ZEISS Camera Eyepiece DC 4 will display DxO Labs signature “Image Science by DxO” logo, indicating that Carl Zeiss uses the best tools available for unrivaled image quality. 
 
The ZEISS Camera Eyepiece DC 4 will be used by many types of nature enthusiasts, in particular bird watchers: the DC 4 will feature impressive magnification and excellent detail recognition for ambitious nature observing. DxO Labs ISP has been specifically tuned for the DC 4 and will be running on the embedded Texas Instruments OMAP DM 320 processor.

About Carl Zeiss Sports Optics
Carl Zeiss Sports Optics is a member of the Carl Zeiss Group and is the leading manufacturer of premium and high class sports optics products. We provide leading edge technology to our users around the globe: nature observers, birdwatchers, hunters, hikers and mountaineers as well as to many other nature interested people.

We continuously invest in innovative new technologies and solutions in order to offer products with outstanding performance and best fit for any purpose and help our customers to see the world in more detail and to experience it more intense.

For more information, visit www.zeiss.de/sportsoptics

About DxO Labs and DxO Labs Technology
DxO Labs develops and licenses software IP and silicon IP for embedded architectures for still and video image processing. DxO Labs invests extensively in research in applied mathematics and, as a result, has acquired unique savoir-faire across the entire imaging chain. This expertise enables DxO Labs to provide reliable, state-of-the-art technologies that power excellence in all aspects of image quality.

The products in DxO Labs’ portfolio not only provide outstanding features, they produce substantial system cost reductions and are steadily finding a place at the heart of consumer electronics and advanced imaging systems. The company’s key customers and partners encompass:

- Consumer electronics manufacturers such as digital camera vendors, camera phone vendors, laptop vendors;
- Industry imaging components suppliers such as camera module manufacturers, sensor vendors, processor vendors;
- Demanding photographers as well as photography journalists and imaging experts.

DxO Labs’ ambition is for the “Image Science by DxO” brand to become an undisputed, trusted mark of excellence in image quality and a new reference standard for consumers and the leading companies in the imaging business.

For more information, visit www.dxo.com