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AHEAD OF THE LEARNING CURVE: TAMRON’S PRO LEARNING CENTER PUTS HOW-TO VIDEOS ON YOUR iPOD™

4-Minute Videos Debut the First of December on Tamron.com

November 20, 2006, Commack, NY— If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a how-to video must be as good as a book, especially if it compresses the knowledge contained in a 45-minute lecture into a concise, well-focused, viewer-friendly 4-minute format you can download to your iPod or computer and view again and again. That’s the exciting concept behind the incisive, entertaining, and informative new podcasts posted in the Tamron Pro Learning Center at http://www.tamron.com/lenses/learning_center/pro_learning_center_podcasts.asp

Hosted by leading photographers, each one gives clear step-by-step pointers on shooting everything from surfing to portraits to macro in Central Park. The information is presented in simple, direct language with verbal hints and tips immediately illustrated by concrete visual examples. Watching one of these podcasts on the screen feels more like being at a hands-on photo workshop in the field than sitting in the classroom. And by mixing video footage with outstanding still photographs, each technique becomes crystal clear. It’s easy to hook up with this incredible learning experience—just make sure you’ve got QuickTime on your ‘pod or PC, click on podcasts at the Pro Learning Center and take a few minutes to download the videos.

First Four Features by Tamron’s Top Pros
While the Tamron podcast program will eventually be expanded to include an entire library of teaching titles, here are brief descriptions of the first four features plus short bios of the inspiring photographers who created them:

• Surfers & Scenery on the California Coast: Don Gale with the Tamron 18-200mm.
Don Gale is an accomplished professional photographer driven by a lifelong love of nature. He has conducted countless workshops, seminars and classes on landscape and wildlife photo techniques and is a Telly Awards Winner for best instructional video.

• An Aboriginal-Inspired Studio Fashion Shoot: Jennifer George-Walker with the Tamron 17-50mm.
Jennifer George-Walker is a master photographer recognized as the 2001 California Professional Photographer of the Year. She is acclaimed for her artistic vision and her ability to express emotional depth and soul in every image.

• Natural Light Portraiture: Emily Wilson with the Tamron 28-300mm.
Emily Wilson, a New York City pro, has balanced her magazine work with passionate personal photography. Her personal projects include a series on teenage racecar drivers and another documenting summer camp experiences.

• Amazing Macro in Central Park: Ruben Dario Cruz with the Tamron 90mm Macro.
A 16-year veteran of the photo industry, Cruz has been a studio photographer, assistant and printer. An enthusiastic macro specialist, he was adjunct instructor at New York Institute of Technology and a gallery director in charge of portfolio reviews.

What prompted Tamron to implement this phenomenal new resource and put it up on the Tamron website where anyone can access it free of charge? “Using the Internet is a great way to help teach consumers how to take better images with our lenses,” stated Stacie Errera, Tamron’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Reading is certainly one way to learn about techniques, but hearing from the photographer directly and seeing the technique performed certainly speeds up the learning curve. We’re committed to providing how-to instruction in this very effective new format in addition to our workshop series and other methods. At the end of the day, the better educated photographers are, the more likely they are to be Tamron customers.”

Tamron is a leading manufacturer of lenses for photographic, industrial, laboratory, video, digital and scientific applications. Among its many optical and mechanical innovations since the start of the company in 1950, Tamron's development of mass produced hybrid aspherical elements in 1997 paved the way for high magnification zoom lenses. The technology was incorporated into the ground-breaking 28-200mm. Two years later the first 28-300mm was introduced. Tamron has won more awards for these two lenses than all other lens manufacturers combined.

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11/06