From Photojournalism to Studio to Travel, the Olympus Digital SLR System
Proves Superior in a Wide Range of Settings

Melville, New York, December 18, 2003 - Photojournalist Jeffery Aaronson has worked on assignment for such publications as Time, Life, National Geographic, Fortune, Business Week, New York Times Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair among others. Recently Aaronson has been shooting with the new Olympus E System. "The E-1 is a great camera for a photojournalist. Using the 14-54mm lens I can go from wide angle to short telephoto in an instant. And I am able to get maximum range with minimum number of lenses," says Aaronson. The photographer recently completed a series of architectural landscapes and street scenes of New York. "The shutter lag time is so minimal that I don't have to worry about missing a moment. With E-1's 100% viewfinder, I am able to capture the scene completely: What I see is exactly what I'll get in my image. And since I generally shoot low ASA, there is virtually no noise and the resulting images are stunning."

Aaronson has also found that the E-1's ergonomics allow him to work more effectively. "I generally use the auto exposure lock button to do the focusing, and the shutter button to release the shutter. By separating the two functions Olympus has made a smart design decision and has made is possible for a photojournalist to work seamlessly."

Connecticut-based Anne Day divides her time between studio and landscape work and has also for many years photographed architecture, including three books in the W.W. Norton Series on Classical Architecture. "I have never worked with a camera more versatile than the E-1," says Day. "It has a huge range that allows me to shift easily between landscape and studio work. The optics are fantastic: the way the camera captures the light gives it so much more dimension."

Day's most recent project is photographing 19th century bank vault locks for a book to be published by Quantuck Lane Press. "The locks, which were carved or etched out of brass or nickel by 19th century craftsmen, are absolutely exquisite. Some of the inner workings are tiny so the photography needs to be painstaking and very precise. In the past, I would never have trusted this type of close-up work to a digital camera. The E-system has performed well during my other projects, so I knew it would deliver the image quality I was after."
"I have been using both the 14-54mm and the 50-200mm macro and the images are incredibly sharp," says the photographer. "The camera has many features that allow me to work easier and more creatively. The automatic white balance is beautiful, which is key in a studio environment. I also love being able to change the ASA past 800."

Denver-based photojournalist and two-time Pulitzer-prize winner Larry C. Price, whose images have appeared in Time, Newsweek, National Geographic and Audubon among others, is the assistant managing editor/photography for The Denver Post. Price has recently embarked on a project photographing the pit houses and cliff dwellings of the ancient Anasazi peoples. Some of the most remarkable Anasazi structures, which were built throughout the Four Corners Region from approximately A.D. 1 to 1300, are notoriously difficult to get to and photograph. "The sites I am interested in are very remote, often perched on cliffsides, which makes them difficult to access and photograph properly. What makes getting a great shot ever more challenging is the habitual Southwest dust and dirt which tends to settle on the lenses," explains Price. "I have found the E-1 invaluable on this project. The camera is much more ergonomic than any other professional SLR I have worked with in the past. It is so light and durable that, even when I am hiking through a particularly difficult terrain like the Colorado plateau, I am able to carry the camera easily over my shoulder with the lens pointing backwards. And, since the lenses are also smaller and lighter, I don't have to deal with a lot of heavy equipment which is critical when shooting in unpredictable conditions." Price also found that the camera performed particularly well when it came to dust. "The cleaning apparatus - the Supersonic Wave Filter - is superb. I have not noticed any CCD spotting and the images of the cliff houses turned out very sharp and clear."

The Olympus E System: Digital from the ground up
The Olympus Digital SLR System with Digital Specific Lenses™, based on the new Four Thirds open standard for digital SLR cameras and interchangeable lenses, is the world's first 100 percent all-digital interchangeable SLR System. The Olympus system provides professional photographers with powerful advantages in terms of edge-to-edge image quality, durability, speed and camera size. The Olympus system currently includes the E-1 digital SLR and five Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses: 14-54mm f2.8-3.5; 50-200mm f2.8-3.5; 50mm f2.0 1:2 Macro; 300mm f2.8 Super Telephoto; and TC14 1.4X Teleconverter. Also available are the FL-50 Flash and Accessories and the Power Battery Holder Set. The 11-22mm F2.8-3.5 wide-angle zoom lens, the latest Zuiko Digital Specific Lens designed for the Olympus E-System, will be available in early February 2004.

About Olympus
Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., with its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a global leader in designing, manufacturing and marketing optical-digital product solutions for health care and consumer segments. The company leverages R&D investment in technology and manufacturing processes across diverse business lines that include:
· digital and film cameras, and digital voice recorders;
· minimally invasive diagnostic and surgical endoscopes;
· advanced clinical and research microscopes;
· chemistry-immuno analyzers and lab automation systems.
In the U. S. and Canada, Olympus America Inc. serves health care, scientific and commercial laboratory markets with integrated product solutions and financial and other service offerings and is the leading brand in gastrointestinal endoscopy and clinical and educational microscopes. The company's market-leading consumer camera products and services business spans North and South America. Olympus America Inc. works collaboratively with its customers and parent company to develop state-of-the-art products and services that are innovative, intelligent, and easy to use.

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