The long-awaited second M.Zuiko PRO lens for Olympus M4/3 cameras is announced today with shipping scheduled to start in November.
Side view of the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens without the supplied hood. (Source: Olympus.)
Officially added to the company’s ‘roadmap’ of lenses in September 2013, the new lens boasts splash- and dust-proof construction and high optical performance. Covering a focal length range equivalent to 80-300mm in 35mm format, the new lens has a constant fast f/2.8 maximum aperture throughout the zoom range. A detailed ‘First Look’ at the new 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens is published separately.
The new M.Zuiko Digital 1.4x Teleconverter MC-14. (Source: Olympus.)
Announced concurrently with the new 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens is the M.Zuiko Digital 1.4x Teleconverter MC-14, which has been designed specifically for the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens. It will also be usable with the up-coming M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm f/4 PRO lens, which is still in development. The optical design of this lens comprises six elements in three groups, with one HR lens included. The lens has a thin (14.7 mm) metallic barrel and is dust- splash- and freeze-proof. It reduces in-coming light by the equivalent of one f-stop.
Olympus has also released its first Zuiko-branded protection filter, the PRF-ZD72 PRO. It features the company’s proprietary ZERO coating which minimises reflections and has a matte black alumite coating on the inside of the barrel, both of which suppress flare and ghosting. This filter has the same diameter as the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens, which will be available at the same time.
The new LSC-1120 drawstring lens pouch, shown with the LSC-0603 bag for the MC-14 teleconverter. (Source: Olympus.)
A new drawstring lens pouch, LSC-1120, will also be available. Designed with a three-layer construction, it can store the new 40-150mm lens with tripod mount, lens hood, teleconverter and protector filter attached. A separate LSC-0603 bag, which clips onto the LSC-1120, is available for the MC-14 teleconverter, along with LCS-0811 and LSC-9014 bags that can be used for other lenses.
