Introduction

Olympus Imaging Corporation is pleased to announce the introduction of the Olympus ZUIKO Digital ED 8mm F3.5 Fisheye, the first fixed-focal fisheye lens in the Olympus ZUIKO Digital series. The new lens will go on sale in January 2006. Olympus ZUIKO Digital lenses, designed specifically for use with digital SLR cameras, comply with the Four Thirds System (received the DIWA Gold Award in 2004), and are able to exploit the full power of the CCD in the Olympus E-1 launched in 2003 and E-300 introduced in December 2004. The Olympus ZUIKO Digital ED 8mm (16mm with 35mm camera) F3.5 Fisheye has a 180? field of view diagonal to the image sensor.
8mm f3.5 Fisheye lens
This high-performance lens is perfect for photographers wishing to enjoy the special creative possibilities, including powerful deformation effects that can be achieved with a fisheye lens. Another feature of this lens is its super-close-up focusing capability, allowing photography as close as 2cm from the lens front to the subject. This ability to approach the subject aggressively is essential to the creation of images with exaggerated perspective effects.
Professional underwater photography
For professional-standard underwater fisheye photography, this product can be used in conjunction with the optional Olympus PT-EO1 underwater case (to go on sale in June 2005), which is specifically designed for the E-300, and the optional Olympus PPO-EO4 underwater lens port (to go on sale in July 2005) for this lens. This underwater system can withstand pressures at depths of up to 60m. The unique expressive qualities of fisheye lens photography can now be achieved in underwater settings as well as on land.
180 degree angle of view
This diagonal fish-eye lens has an 180? field of view diagonally to the Four Thirds image sensor. Its focal distance is 8mm (equivalent to 16mm in a 35mm camera). It can be used to create out-of-the-ordinary photographic images that cannot be seen with the naked eye, such as humorous representations of the subject using extreme barrel-distortion around the periphery, or images with exaggerated perspective made possible by the extremely deep depth of field that is a feature of fisheye lenses. Because this lens is specifically designed for digital cameras and conforms to the ?Four Thirds System,? it will provide reliable photographic performance even at the periphery of images.
Super close-up
With a minimum focusing distance of 13cm (2cm from the front of the lens to the subject), this lens can be used to approach the subject aggressively for wide-macro photography. This feature is the key to the creation of images with exaggerated perspective effects.
Standard lens for underwater photography
Because of the different refractive indexes of air and water, the angle of field underwater will be approximately 153 degree (When used with the Olympus PPO-E04 underwater lens port), and since it is more difficult to capture light underwater, it is necessary to be closer to the subject. The super-close-up capability of this lens allows photography with the subject just 2cm from the edge of the lens (0cm from the edge of the PPO-E04) to achieve the wide-macro effects for which fisheye lens are famous.
Other features
By using ED lens element, Olympus has eliminated peripheral chromatic aberration, which cannot be fully corrected with conventional optical glasses. The result is excellent resolution and contrast. Olympus has used a multi-coating process to minimize ghosting and flaring. By using a seven-blade system, Olympus has created a circular aperture that allows an attractive, realistic defocusing effect from close to the aperture. Exterior parts of the lens have been sealed to provide excellent protection against water droplets and dust. This ensures reliable performance even under the tough shooting conditions experienced by professional photographers.