Olympus Corporation (early known as Takachiho Seisakusho) was founded by Takeshi Yamashita on October 12, 1919, and initially specialized in microscope and thermometer businesses. The company is named after Mount Olympus, the home of the gods in Greek mythology.
Olympus continued the tradition of manufacturing high-quality optics through the development of camera lenses, starting in 1934. Two years later the Zuiko lens was born.
Through its history Olympus Company has manufactured various types of cameras: medium-format Cameras, fully automatic zoom cameras, 35mm cameras, EE-equipped cameras, autofocus cameras in different series.
The history of Olympus cameras began in 1936, when they introduced their first camera, the Semi-Olympus I. It was very expensive camera for that time.
In 1959 the first truly innovative camera series was launched - compact and portable (for their time) PEN models. They were half-frame format, allowing 72 pictures of 18 × 24 mm format on a standard 36 roll of film.
When the OM system was introduced in 1973, a full frame professional 35 mm SLR system which included 14 different bodies and 60 Zuiko-branded lenses. The OM system presented also through-the-lens flash automation. So Olympus cameras managed to compete with Nikon and Canon's bestsellers.
The first affordable digital camera from Olympus appeared in 1997. The CAMEDIA C-1400L was a fixed-lens digital single-lens reflex camera with 1.41-megapixel CCD and 3x optical zoom lens. As initially digital cameras were treated as peripheral devices for computers, the high resolution & the low price of that camera made it reasonable to be used in place of conventional film cameras
Olympus is the designer of the Four-Thirds System standard for digital single-lens reflex camera design and development. The Four-Thirds system includes live preview, a feature now adopted by all major DSLR makers. Besides, Olympus produces Four-Thirds Zuiko-branded lenses that are known for their compactness and good optical quality.
Now Olympus' flagship DSLR camera is the E-3 released in 2007.
The company launches a wide range of compact digital cameras as well. Their Stylus series go back to the year 1991.
Nowadays Olympus Corporation is a Japanese company specializing in optics and imaging headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
