Olympus Press Release 15/10/03

A sneak preview of the latest Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL lens range for 2004

Olympus announces the expansion of its E-System portfolio, with the introduction of five new interchangeable ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses, available next year. Among the new models planned for release is a ZUIKO DIGITAL 11-22mm, F2.8-3.5 lens (35mm camera equivalent: 22-44mm), plus three further zoom lenses and a bright lens with a fixed focal length.

The first Olympus E-1 body and four ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses were launched in October 2003. With the release of these five lenses in 2004, Olympus demonstrates its commitment to extend the Olympus E-System, which is based on the FourThirds standard. The company?s R&D department is not stopping there; it is busy developing more lenses due to be released in 2005 and beyond.

The 11-22mm lens (22-44mm) will be followed by an ultra-wide-angle lens line-up to meet today’s strong demand for these lenses. A second fast single focal length telephoto lens will join the current 300mm F2.8 lens (600mm) in 2004. This combination of light gathering power and telephoto performance in a compact form is one of the great advantages of the Olympus E-System. In the bright zoom line up, the 50-200mm lens (100-400mm) will also be joined by further lenses.

The TIPA award-winning FourThirds Standard permits full lens inter-changeability among camera systems that comply with the standard. All ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses are specifically designed to maximise the performance of digital SLR systems that are based on the FourThirds Standard. Telecentric optics ensure that the images have perfect colour, clarity and brightness from the centre to the periphery of the frame. The lenses? high resolving power guarantees that the image sensor obtains the detail it needs to produce stunning images expected by professionals.