London, 14 December 2011 – Olympus’s new generation of multi- talented PEN cameras can enjoy a new Standard Zoom, the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm 1:3.5-6.3 EZ. It comes with a new ultra-smooth, near-silent electromagnetic zoom mechanism that powers the lens on its own – no potentially jerky wristwork required. This makes it easy for anyone to make great home movies. Add in variable zoom speed and blazing quick auto focus, and it’s the perfect zoom lens for recording movies and portraits. It’s also ideal for high-quality macros and wide- angle shots. With an 84° max. angle of view, 24-100mm* focal range and manual zoom mode, this exceptional lens gives PEN owners all the options. The PEN line-up has a multi-talented standard zoom lens to match.
Smoother and quieter
The M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm 1:3.5-6.3 EZ takes the movie zoom lens to a new level. An electromagnetically powered zoom mechanism lets you zoom in and out smoothly and quietly, at a constant rate. This avoids the camera-shake that often occurs when you zoom by hand and cuts out the noise of motor gears in the background, which can potentially ruin your movie. You can set the motor to zoom at one of three set speeds. The ‘slow’ setting allows time to concentrate on composing while ‘fast’ makes sure no shot is missed.
Faster and closer
The new lens delivers 4.2x standard magnification and is very quick. The electromagnetic motor makes for near-instant response and, in combination with Olympus’ proprietary MSC (Movie and Still Compatible) technology, ensures fast and near-silent autofocus. For this lens, Olympus enhanced MSC by adding a Linear Motor Drive that makes use of the electromagnetic motor to make focussing even faster, quieter – and better for recording movies.
Automatic and manual
As you’d expect from an Olympus PEN lens, the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12- 50mm 1:3.5-6.3 EZ delivers superb image quality, thanks not least to a multi-layer coating on all the lenses and two aspherical lenses that correct common zoom aberrations. The pristine quality is particularly evident in Macro mode, which offers 0.72x* magnification at 20 to 50cm. Less familiar is the new L-Fn button (a first on a PEN lens), which prevents the camera focussing on the wrong subject by mistake. Should something suddenly come between the lens and your intended subject, you simply push this button to temporarily suspend autofocus until it’s moved out of the way. For fans of hands-on shooting, the lens offers another rare treat – the option to suspend autofocus altogether and switch to the manual zoom ring.
Focal Length
Focal length 12 mm - 50 mm
Focal length (equiv. 35mm) 24 mm - 100 mm
Lens Construction
Angle of view 84 - 24 °
Closest focusing distance 0.20 m
ED lens elements 1
HR elements 1
Lens mechanism Inner zoom, inner focus system
Lens configuration 10 lenses / 9 groups
Maximum image magnification 0.36 x (Micro Four Thirds) / 0.72 x (35mm format)
Minimum field size 36 x 48 mm
Aperture
Maximum aperture 1:3.5 (wide) / 1:6.3 (tele)
Minimum aperture 1:22
Number of aperture blades 5
Dimensions
Dimensions 57 mm Ø, 83 mm
Filter diamater 52 mm
Weight 211 g