New lens from Olympus – Zuiko Digital 25mm f2.8 pancake lens
Olympus Zuiko Digital 25mm f2.8 pancake lens
In addition to the Olympus E-420 Olympus also announced a new lens. The Zuiko Digital 25mm f2.8 is a so called pancake lens and is very compact. The lens has an overall length of 23.5 mm and when combined with E-410 or E-420, the total length including the camera body and lens is only 76.5 mm.
With its relatively fast f2.8 and compact size it is a strong competitor to the Leica 25mm f1.4 prime lens that a considerably higher price tag.
Olympus Zuiko Digital 25mm f2.8 pancake lens will be released in mid April in Japan and early May in USA.
Press release:
Olympus Imaging Corporation (President: Masaharu Okubo) today announced the upcoming launch of the ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm f2.8, a thin, lightweight single-focus standard pancake-type lens fully compliant with the Four Thirds System standard for digital SLR cameras and scheduled for release in the middle of April, 2008.
Main Features
1. Thin, lightweight pancake-type lens with an overall length of 23.5 mm and weight of 95 grams
2. Digital-dedicated, high-image-quality design
3. Excellent close-up shooting capability
4. Screw-in aluminium lens cap, and lens hood (optional)
ZUIKO DIGITAL is a series of interchangeable lenses designed especially for use with digital SLR cameras. Featuring compliance with the Four Thirds System standard, these dedicated lenses maximize the potential of the high-performance image sensors used in digital SLRs.
The newly developed ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm f2.8 is a thin, lightweight single-focus standard pancake-type lens with a focal distance equivalent to 50 mm on a 35 mm camera lens. It offers both excellent portability thanks to the compact and lightweight advantages of the Four Thirds System and very sharp, clear imaging performance.
The lens has an overall length of 23.5 mm. When combined with the already released E-410 or the upcoming E-420 digital SLR camera, the total length including the camera body and lens is only 76.5 mm. The result is an easy-to-store, easy-to-carry camera system with go-anywhere portability. And when the lens with E-420 is used, “AF Live View” function, which makes Live View shooting easier and more convenient than ever, is available.
With a focal distance equivalent to 50 mm on a 35 mm film camera lens, this standard pancake-type lens provides an image angle very close to that of the naked eye. The result is a near-natural visual field that makes this an ideal standard lens for daily use, whether for simple snapshots or for more sophisticated portrait and landscape shooting.
