"In those days, when people talked about lenses, they thought that imported lenses, especially German lenses, were superior to Japanese-made products. The lenses we produced were different. They featured excellent imaging performance. They were the ZUIKO lenses."
Smiling, Mizumoto went on. "When they were used with the OM Series, their sharp resolution and excellent imaging power made them popular outside as well as inside Japan."
"The ZUIKO lenses that impressed professionals worldwide and soon gained an unassailable reputation were all manufactured and shipped from the Tatsuno Plant. Over the years, the Tatsuno Plant has provided a steady stream of outstanding lenses that helped build the legend we now call the 'ZUIKO Legend.'
Among these legendary lenses, the Macro 90mm f2, 100mm f2, 21mm f2 and 250mm f2 lenses are the most celebrated, and are still talked about today by camera buffs and aficionados of photography.
"For example, the Macro 90mm f2 was a telescopic macro lens with the highest brightness among ZUIKO lenses. It incorporated a unique far/near-distance aberration correction mechanism to ensure maximum imaging performance up to infinity, and at the same time was capable of close-up shooting till 1/2x without an attachment.
"The 100mm f2 adopted an extra-low dispersion (ED) glass element to achieve the ultimate in imaging performance. It was capable of extreme close-up shooting at 0.7 meters thanks to focus adjustment by means of all-group extension and two floating rear lens element groups.
"The 21mm f2 was the world's first 21mm focal length lens to offer an aperture of f2. In addition to an epoch-making compact, lightweight design, it featured a near-distance aberration correction mechanism that ensured sharp images even at distances as close as 20cm, thereby expanding the range of creative expression in the ultra-wide-angle domain.
"The 250mm f2 was a super-telescopic lens featuring f2 brightness and an extra-low dispersion (ED) glass element to achieve high image quality. The inner focusing mechanism was used to facilitate focusing and the construction was robust enough to withstand heavy-duty use by professional photographers.

"In recent years, the impact of digital technology has transformed the world of photography, affecting not only the media and functionality, but lenses as well. Despite the fact that the level of precision demanded for the new digital lenses is several times greater than for film camera lenses, the Tatsuno Plant has blossomed again as the center of ZUIKO DIGITAL lens system production thanks to the passion and skill in lens-making cultivated over so many decades."