Olympus Imaging Corporation (President: Masaharu Okubo) is pleased to announce two Micro Four Thirds System standard-compliant interchangeable lenses, the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm f2.8 wide-angle pancake lens and the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens, in conjunction with the release of the new "Olympus Pen" E-P1 camera at the same time.

The M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm f2.8 and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 are interchangeable lenses compliant with the Micro Four Thirds System standard announced in August 2008. Lenses compliant with this standard will be deployed under the series name, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL. The "M" stands for "Micro" indicating that all lenses in the series compliant with the "Micro Four Thirds System."

The Micro Four Thirds System standard retains the telecentric property (it allows light to strike the image sensor at a near-perpendicular angle) characteristic of the Four Thirds System, but the mount diameter has been reduced by about 6 mm and the flange back (the distance between the mount and image sensor) by about 1/2. Overall, this makes it possible to manufacture much smaller lenses.

Both new lenses - the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm f2.8 (equivalent to 34mm on a 35mm camera) and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 (equivalent to 28-84mm on a 35mm camera) — offer unprecedented mobility compared to traditional SLR interchangeable lenses, while maintaining high imaging performance thanks to the digital-dedicated design. Both lenses also feature a dignified exterior design that complements the camera body, imparting a classic, high-end feel.
M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm f2.8
Main Features

1.Ultra-compact lens that delivers high image quality thanks to digital-specific design

1-1. Slim and lightweight pancake lens

* Based on the double-Gauss composition used widely in standard lenses, the newly developed optics incorporated in this lens employ a retrofocus type configuration, in which a concave lens element is placed on the subject side to obtain a wide angle of view at a focal length of 17mm. In addition, a double-sided aspherical lens element is used to implement an ultra-thin wide-angle pancake lens with a depth of 22mm. With the sharp imaging characteristic of a single-focus lens and brightness of f2.8, this lens makes it easy to capture natural defocus images.

1-2. Excellent close-up shooting capability

* Close-up shooting is possible at a minimum distance of around 15cm from the lens front. The possibility of positive challenge to the object will expand the field of photography.

1-3. Multi-coating on all lens surfaces

* All the lens surfaces are multi-coated to ensure clear image quality. The multi-coating also ensures clear images even on backlit shots taken with the sun in the frame by reducing ghosts and flares.

1-4. Circular aperture diaphragm

* The circular aperture diaphragm enables natural and smooth defocusing - one of the big advantages of large aperture lens.

2.Fine Focusing Operation

2-1. Fast auto focusing

* The autofocusing speed is about two times higher than the ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm F2.8 thanks to the new algorithm.

2-2. Intuitive Manual Focusing

* Proper torque enables the intuitive feeling on manual focusing operation.

3.Dignified Exterior Design

* The silver body has a sophisticated, classic design that is compact and portable.