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Contact: Jessica Osorio
(631) 858-8411
osorio@tamron.com

Press Release

TAMRON’S PRESIDENT AND CEO MORIO ONO HAS RECEIVED THE TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM PMDA

Morio Ono and Five Other Luminaries will Be Honored at this year’s PMDA Awards
for Revolutionizing the Photography Industry

Commack, NY- November 28, 2012– Tamron president and CEO, Morio Ono will receive the Herbert Keppler Technical Achievement award from respected photo industry organization PhotoImaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association (PMDA). The prestigious PMDA Awards are given annually to the persons or organizations that have made a meaningful impact or significant contribution to the photography industry during the year or over the course of their careers. The PMDA award recipients will be honored during a celebratory gala event on January 7th, 2013 at XS Nightclub at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas.

Along with Tamron's Morio Ono, five other individuals will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to the photography industry. Chris Johns, editor in chief of National Geographic magazine will receive the esteemed Person of the Year honor and Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and director Vincent Laforet has been named Photographer of the Year.  In addition, Teruo Hirayama, developer of the back-illuminated image sensor, will be awarded the PMDA Visionary Award and industry veteran Ron Inkley will be awarded the PMA/DIMA Lifetime Achievement Award.  Also, Michihiro Yamaki, the founder of Sigma Corporation who passed away in January 2012, will be honored with a special PMDA Lifetime Achievement Award.

“The PMDA is honored to spend an evening saluting the achievements of these six leaders of our industry,” said Mike Kahn, PMDA president. “Their contributions to the art, technology and business of photography have made a lasting mark for future generations.”

About Morio Ono, President and CEO, Tamron Co., Ltd.

Morio Ono joined Tamron in 1974, and has held a series of important roles in the company, ranging from sales and marketing, product development, supply chain management and production. He was voted to the board of the directors at age 30, and became president and CEO in 2002.

One of his most distinguished achievements was playing a key role in the development of the first generation of the high-power 28-200mm zoom lens in 1992, a product that constituted a major milestone in the history of interchangeable lenses. This product was among the first to use a small form factor while delivering superb image quality from wide angle to telephoto in one single lens. Twenty years later, Tamron’s lens business continues to evolve and thrive under Ono’s leadership and pioneering spirit. A series of Tamron high-power zoom lenses have received numerous prestigious awards around the globe for technological innovations, and Tamron’s quality has become a cornerstone of the interchangeable- lens market.

About Tamron
Tamron is a leading manufacturer of photographic lenses. Among its many optical and mechanical innovations since the founding of the company in 1950, Tamron's development of mass-produced hybrid Aspherical elements paved the way for today’s compact high power all-in-one lenses when, in 1992, this technology was incorporated into the ground-breaking 28-200mm. Tamron continues to lead in this category of lenses with the new 18-270mm Di II VC PZD — the world's smallest and lightest 15X zoom lens featuring Tamron's proprietary VC (Vibration Compensation) system for blur-free hand-held shooting of photos in low light and at telephoto settings and PZD (Piezo Drive) autofocus system for fast and quiet AF operation. Tamron has garnered international acclaim for its extensive line-up of professional and consumer lenses.

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