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Olympus E-P1 Digital Compact

Press Release - 2 September 2009

A New Micro Four Thirds Digital Interchangeable Lens
LEICA DG MACRO-ELMARIT 45mm / F2.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S.
with Outstanding Image Quality and High Mobility

Panasonic today unveiled a new macro lens from world renowned imaging brand Leica. The LEICA DG MACRO-ELMARIT 45mm / F2.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. (35mm camera equivalent: 90mm) is the latest edition to the LUMIX G Micro System.

Eagerly anticipated by photographer enthusiasts worldwide, the new LEICA DG MACRO-ELMARIT 45mm / F2.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. boasts a superb image quality with minimum distortion, chromatic aberrations as well as ghosts and flares that passes a stringent Leica standard to go beyond expectations.

The new lens system uses both an aspherical lens and an ED lens in its fourteen lenses in ten groups to achieve outstanding compactness, taking advantage of the Micro Four Thirds standard to achieve dramatic downsizing while minimizing distortion and chromatic aberration. Panasonic's Mega O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) suppresses the blurring that is commonly caused by hand-shake, making it easy to shoot sharply focused macro shots and produce detailed images in dimly lit places without using a tripod.

It incorporates an inner focus system of three groups of floating structure which enables excellent resolution and contrast without changing its overall length from full life-size magnification to infinity. The inclusion of a stepping motor makes the focusing action smooth and silent for use in both photo and movie recording. The closest focusing distance can be instantly changed to 15cm or 50 cm(0.5 ft to 1.64 ft) with the switch on the lens barrel according to the shooting opportunity. The LEICA DG MACRO-ELMARIT 45mm / F2.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. lens also excels in portraits, middle-range snapshot, or landscapes in addition to the original full life-size macro shots.

When mounted on the LUMIX G Micro System Camera, the new lens allows use of the advanced contrast AF system, which includes a Face Recognition function, for more convenient, more enjoyable shooting. Seven blades give the aperture a rounded shape that produces an attractive smooth effect in out-of-focus areas when shooting at larger aperture settings. The new LEICA DG MACRO-ELMARIT 45mm / F2.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. lens also features a highly reliable metal mount, and uses multi-coated lens elements that minimize ghosts and flare to further enhance its optical performance.

•LEICA is a registered trademark of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH. ELMARIT is a registered trademark of Leica Camera AG. The LEICA DG lenses are manufactured using measurement instruments and quality assurance systems that have been certified by Leica Camera AG based on the company's quality standards.
•Four ThirdsTM and Micro Four ThirdsTM, and Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds Logo marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Olympus Imaging Corporation, in Japan, the United States, the European Union and other countries.

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