Four lenses will be made available in the first wave of the introduction: a 14 - 54mm standard zoom lens (equivalent to 28 - 108mm on a 35mm film camera, F2.8 - 3.5), a 50mm medium-power telephoto macro lens (equivalent to 100mm on a 35mm film camera, F2), a 50 - 200mm high-power telephoto zoom lens (equivalent to 100 - 400mm on a 35mm film camera, F2.8 - 3.5), and a 300mm high-power telephoto lens (equivalent to 600mm on a 35mm film camera, F2.8).Zuiko Digital interchangeable lenses were developed specifically for digital SLR use, with professional-grade specifications to ensure optimum high performance. As dedicated digital camera lenses, they are designed to ensure that light strikes the image sensor at a near-perpendicular angle, thereby eliminating the image degradation and light loss that can occur at the periphery of the image area, or when shooting with wide-angle lenses. As a result, they maximize the performance potential of the image sensor and ensure outstanding image quality. They also support high-speed, high-precision focusing, and offer superb zooming and focusing response. All lenses in the series are specially treated to shed water droplets, and are designed to withstand the rigorous demands of professional use. They also capitalize on the design advantages of the Four Thirds System, and offer large apertures with minimum weight and bulk.
It was in 1936 that the Takachiho corporation, forerunner of today's Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., introduced its first camera, the Semi-Olympus I. The camera's lens was given the name Zuiko, a Japanese word that means "light of the gods." It was an auspicious name, chosen partially because the lens had been developed at the Mizuho Optical Research Laboratory (in Japanese, the first character of the name " Mizuho " can also be read " zui " ), and partially because the corporate name, Takachiho, is a Japanese word that means " mountain of the gods. " But more than the name, it was the extremely high quality of the lens that sparked comment at the time. And ever since, Zuiko lenses have been featured on succeeding generations of Olympus cameras. The Zuiko lenses for our OM SLR system 35mm film cameras, for example, were widely acclaimed for their remarkable resolving and imaging power, and became one of the world's most respected high-performance lens brands.
Now, drawing on traditional optical and lens production technologies, as well as the most advanced digital technologies, the Zuiko brand has evolved. The result is the Zuiko Digital lens lineup, a series of dedicated high-performance lenses developed specifically for the next generation of digital SLR cameras, carrying on the Zuiko tradition of offering performance that will satisfy even the most demanding professional. |
