Melville, New York, September 26, 2005 Olympus announced delivery dates and prices today for two new Zuiko Digital Specific lenses. Available in October 2005, the Zuiko Digital ED 35-100 f2.0 lens will retail at an estimated street price of $2499.99. Later in November the Zuiko Digital ED 90-250mm f2.8 lens will ship with an estimated street price of $5999.99. Designed for use with Olympus E-System digital SLR cameras, including the E-1, EVOLT E-300, and new EVOLT E-500, the two lenses feature constant apertures through the entire zoom range to offer the most advanced and fastest zoom of their kind available anywhere today. The new lenses complement the current line of Olympus Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses and establish the line as one of the largest 100% designed for digital lens systems offered by a manufacturer to date.
World's First Lens to Offer f2.0 Over Full Zoom Range
The Zuiko Digital ED 35-100mm f2.0 (70mm-200mm equiv.) will be the first lens in the world to feature an aperture of f2.0 over the full zoom range. Designed to maximize the full potential of the mobility of the lens zoom range while making the most of the brightness offered at f2.0., the lens will give photographers the freedom to use the f2.0 aperture over focal lengths ranging from 35mm (70mm equiv.) to telephoto 100mm (200mm equiv.). The 35-100mm f2.0 also features both ED and Super ED Glass element for astonishing image quality.
Long Zoom Ideal for Sports & Nature Photography
The Zuiko Digital ED 90-250mm f2.8 Lens features a wide aperture of f2.8 over its entire ultra-telephoto focal length up to 250mm (500mm equivalent), providing photographers freedom to shoot in more varied lighting situations while still maintaining excellent sharpness and definition. The power of the optical zoom range on this lens enables users to instantaneously obtain optimal framing in sports and nature photography, where positioning for shots is often subject to constraints. This lens also uses ED glass lenses for its optical system to eliminate chromatic aberration to the greatest degree at f2.8 and to maintain sharpness, color, and tonal definition throughout the zoom range.
Versatile Rugged Design Standard
As part of the growing Pro-line of Zuiko Digital Lenses, both lenses will offer the dust and splash proof design of other Zuiko Digital Specific pro series lenses. This rugged design standard supports photography under the severe conditions in which many professional photographers work by incorporating special seals in the lens construction to protect the lens from moisture and dust. Reinforced metal lens mounts and lens barrels on each lens offer added support, dependability and durability in the field.
The two lenses will employ separate zoom and focus rings so that photographers can easily maintain focus on their subjects while utilizing control of creative composition with a separate zoom ring. Like all Zuiko Digital Lenses, these new lenses are also firmware upgradeable for future performance improvements.
The entire line of Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses comply with the Four Thirds System to be perfectly matched to the imager so light strikes the sensor directly, ensuring rich, accurate colors, sharp contrasts and bright images even at the edges. With the addition of these two lenses, the Zuiko system will offer optical ranges from an ultra-wide-angle of 7mm (14mm equivalent in 35mm film photography) to ultra-telephoto 300mm (600mm equivalent).
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