Olympus goes to space for 90th anniversary

Wakata's Olympus kit will also be available in a commemorative version.

(Credit: Olympus)

Olympus was founded in 1919, which makes this year its 90th birthday. To celebrate this special occasion, the Japanese company is sending its cameras beyond the stratosphere into outer space.

Astronaut Koichi Wakata will take with him to the International Space Station the Olympus E-3 dSLR, with its 11-22mm F2.8-3.5 lens, ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD telephoto optics, and peripherals such as a battery grip. Wakata will snap pictures of Earth from Kibo, a Japanese experimental module built within the ISS. As a new facility is being built near it, the view of Earth will soon be blocked by the structure.

Koichi Wakata

(Credit: NASA)

As part of its space expedition initiative, Olympus will announce a commemorative set of transparent lens caps and camera strap specially designed for Wakata to bring up into space.

The company explained to CNET Asia that the see-through lens cap will enable Wakata to evaluate if the lens has been damaged should it be subjected to impact. This will prevent shards of glass from floating around the space station, which could happen if the usual opaque lens cap is used and the photographer cannot see the extent of the damage to the optics.

Olympus commented that the Space Commemorative Kit will be produced in limited quantities, and will probably be launched after Wakata returns to Earth a few months later. The company was unable to confirm how much it'll cost or where it will be available.

(Via Crave Asia)