DIWA Press Release 05/02/04

Two top awards from the Digital Imaging Websites Association (DIWA) for the Olympus E-1 and Olympus E-System

09:00 CET, Thursday, 5th February, 2004: The Digital Imaging Websites Association (DIWA), a new industry organisation that seeks out the best in imaging products and recognises them in the form of DIWA gold, silver and bronze medal awards, today awards Olympus Corporation a DIWA Gold medal for the Olympus E-1 in the category of Professional System Digital Camera. In addition, DIWA has decided to make a supplementary Innovation award in recognition of the Olympus E-System, which is in turn based on the new open Four Thirds standard.

Consistently high scores were returned by DIWA testers reviewing a number of different Olympus E-1 samples. At the lower cost end of the professional system digital SLR camera market, DIWA’s Olympus E-1 testers liked the camera’s robust, weather-proofed and innovative design that did not sacrifice relatively compact dimensions and light weight. Optical performance of the ‘standard’ 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 zoom lens was of a very high standard, bearing out the radical design philosophy of the Four Thirds standard. Excellent, ergonomics, controls and handling, mated to responsive electronics complete the picture. And no serious shortcomings were identified.

DIWA’s test manager, Kai Thon, summarised: “Despite its compact and light-weight design, the E-1 complies with professional requirements with a rugged camera body, well protected against harsh environments and rough use and a high quality Full Frame Transfer 5Mp CCD sensor. Supported by high performance optics and accessories from the Olympus E-System, the E-1 is well equipped to give digital images of professional quality. With the E-1, Olympus has laid a solid foundation for further development of a unique standard.”

Olympus is also awarded by DIWA a Gold medal for Innovation. Olympus has shown a high degree of vision and a determination to free digital SLR users from the compromises of legacy 35mm systems. By starting a brand new system, Olympus has been able to incorporate a number of key innovations, including relatively compact and lightweight, but fast, digitally smart lenses, telecentric optics optimized for digital sensors, fly by wire manual and auto focus control, ultrasonic sensor cleaning and a standardized sensor size.

“The introduction of the E-System was a bold move by Olympus, but also an ingenious move. By addressing the fact that numerous characteristics within digital imaging are not compatible with photography on film, a completely new system was developed,” observes Kai Thon. He adds: “The Olympus E-System is based on the ‘Four-Thirds’ sensor standard, which allows smaller and lighter camera bodies and lenses, without compromising lens speed or optical performance. These advantages make the dreams of many professional photographers come true.”

About DIWA
A growing independent, authoritative, industry organisation
The Digital Imaging Websites Association (DIWA) is a growing group of independent Web-based specialist publications dedicated to digital imaging. DIWA harnesses the collective talent and expertise of its members, resulting in industry awards that command unparalleled confidence and value, both for consumers and the industry, alike. DIWA awards come in the form of bronze, silver and gold medals.

Unique bullet-proof test scoring procedure
DIWA product test awards are exclusively decided through the analysis of multiple test scores from different DIWA testers, testing different samples of the same product. A very detailed and comprehensive standardized scoring procedure is employed, tailored carefully for each category of product. Multiple testing eliminates the chance of an, isolated, unrepresentative product sample or test error, or even hidden bias, from affecting the trustworthiness of the overall result.

Awards throughout the year
DIWA is also unique in its policy in issuing awards for deserving products throughout the year, culminating in annual best of the year Platinum medal awards.

The DIWA multi-lingual Web site
At the heart of the DIWA organisation is its multi-lingual Web site, www.diwa-awards.com, where you can find links to the latest reviews published by DIWA member publications. The site also archives DIWA awards and is designed to aid consumers in their choice of imaging products.

For further information about DIWA, please visit our Web site or email us at [email protected].