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Sunday, July 15, 2007

ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 70-300mm Super Telephoto Lens

This autumn, Olympus introduces the ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 70-300mm 1:4.0-5.6. Designed for the specific demands of digital photography, this extreme telephoto lens delivers 4.28x zoom power – up to a phenomenal focal length of 300mm (600mm on a 35mm camera system). Despite such high-performance attributes, this ultra-compact model only weighs in at around half as much as its competition. This makes it the ideal travel lens to accompany any Four Thirds Standard digital SLR.

With magnification muscle extending to 300mm (600mm in 35mm equivalent terms), the ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 70-300mm 1:4.0-5.6 is remarkably powerful yet remains astoundingly portable: The lens measures a mere 127mm and weighs just 620g. Naturally, being based on the Four Thirds Standard, image quality is never compromised.

Three ED lens elements are integrated to ensure razor-sharp results across the entire zoom range by minimising chromatic aberration that can otherwise occur at long focal lengths. Furthermore, multicoated lenses have also been incorporated to reduce ghosting and flaring against backlight, while a circular iris helps to achieve smooth, soft background defocusing.

Telephoto macro shots from a minimum distance of 96cm in manual mode and 1.2m in autofocus are possible across the entire breadth of the focal range, giving the photographer plenty of working space for close-ups of difficult subjects. Moreover, full-on macro shooting with maximum magnification of 0.5x (equivalent to 1x on a conventional 35mm camera system) is possible, while the zoom range gives the photographer control over framing and composition without the need to change position.

The ultra-compact, lightweight super telephoto lens is a perfect complement for the recently-launched Olympus E-510. Thanks to an image stabiliser built directly into the camera itself, it protects shots against the effects of camera shake – even at the extreme zoom levels this remarkable lens enables.

The ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 70-300mm 1:4.0-5.6 will be available from late October 2007.