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Olympus has introduced three new Zuiko lenses that implement its Supersonic Wave Drive (SWD). According to the company, when used with the E-3 SLR, also announced today, the lenses will offer extremely fast and quiet autofocus, with the new 12-60mm optic providing the fastest autofocus performance in the world. The three compact, weatherproof lenses have Four-Thirds standard mounts, and are designed for use with digital SLRs only. Olympus has also introduced a new teleconverter for use with its Four-Thirds lenses, the Zuiko Digital EC-20 2x Teleconverter.
The new optics include the Zuiko Digital ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD, the Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD, and the Zuiko Digital ED 14-35mm f2.0 SWD. Four-Thirds cameras have a 2x lens conversion factor, making the 35mm-equivalent focal lengths of the lenses 24-120mm, 100-400mm, and 28-70mm. The new teleconverter doubles the focal lengths of any Four-Thirds lens attached.
Olympus notes that the 14-35mm lens is the world's first standard zoom with a constant f/2.0 maximum aperture. That spec makes it part of the Olympus Super High Grade (SHG) lens series. It also offers splash- and dust-proofing, a mechanically interlocked manual focusing mechanism, and a large, petal-shaped hood with a polarization filter control window.
The new lenses and teleconverter will be available as follows:
Zuiko Digital ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD: November 2007 for $999.99.
Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD: December 2007 for $1,199.99
Zuiko Digital ED 14-35mm f2.0 SWD: first quarter of 2008 for $2,299.99
Zuiko Digital 2x Teleconverter EC-20: December 2007 for $479.99
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