Olympus

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Olympus is a Japanese company making cameras and other optical products.

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Olympus logo on an OM-1

History

Before the cameras

The company was founded in late 1919 under the name K.K. Takachiho Seisakusho (㈱高千穂製作所, meaning Takachiho Works Co., Ltd.) by Yamashita Takeshi (山下長). The address was Toyotama-gun Yoyohata-chō Hatagaya (豊多摩郡代々幡町幡ヶ谷) in Tokyo.[1] The founder was previously employed by Tokiwa Shōkai, which provided the financial support for the new company. The chief engineer was Terada Shintarō (寺田新太郎), and the first products of Takachiho Seisakusho were microscopes and thermometers.[2] At that time, Japan imported all its microscopes (and other instruments), mainly from Germany. The company had the clear ambition to rival, and even surpass, these high precision foreign imports. Olympus has been renowned to this day for its research on medical equipment.

The first microscope was released in early 1920, and was sold by Tokiwa Shōkai under its own Tokiwa brand.[3] The trade name Olympus was applied for on the same year 1920 and granted in early 1921.[4] The Olympus Tokyo logo was applied for in mid-1931 and registered a little later.[5] The company supplied microscopes to the Japanese Navy and became a "Navy approved factory" (海軍指定工場, kaigun shitei kōjō) in late 1933.[6]

First camera lenses

The company underwent research in camera lenses from about 1934, to diversify its activities.[7] In October 1935, a dependent company, called Mizuho Kōgaku Kenkyūjo (瑞穂光学研究所, meaning Mizuho Optical Research Institute), was set up for this purpose.[8] It was located in the same factory ground, and it was declared as a separate company only because of the rules for the allotment of electric energy.[9] The research on camera lenses was transferred to a new plant in Shibuya in 1936.

The first intention was to sell camera lenses alone.[10] Prototypes of a 105/4.5, a 75/4.5 and perhaps a 75/3.5 were assembled in mid 1936.[11] Their design was copied on the Tessar, with four elements in three groups, and their designer was Pr. Miyata (宮田尚一) under the supervision of Mr Suzuki (鈴木), chief of the optical department.[12] The name "Zuikō" (瑞光) was adopted after a contest open to the company employees,[13] it is a contraction of the first characters of "Mizuho Kōgaku".

First cameras

The lenses did not sell well and the company decided to make a camera under its own "Olympus" brand.[14] It is said that the idea was first suggested to Takachiho officials by Miyazaki Shizuma (宮崎静馬), founder of Proud-sha and son of the owner of a large camera shop in Suda.[10] This is how Takachiho launched its first camera, a 4.5×6 folder called Semi Olympus, said to be released in September 1936.[15] The camera body was supplied by Proud-sha, and the lens was the only part produced by Takachiho.

The company soon began to make its own Koho shutter and its own camera body for the Semi Olympus II, the first camera entirely made by Takachiho. The Olympus Six followed in 1940 in 6×6 format. It was the first of a line of 6×6 folders that would last until about 1957 with the Olympus Chrome Six series.

After 1940

In 1942, the company name became Takachiho Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. (高千穂光学工業株式会社, Takachiho Optical Industries Co Ltd); and 1948 saw the launch of the Olympus 35, Japan's first 35mm camera with a lens shutter system. In 1949 the company adopted the name Olympus Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. (オリンパス光学工業株式会社, Olympus Optical Industries Co Ltd; the official English translation was Olympus Optical Co, Ltd).

In the 1950s there was a TLR vogue in Japan, and Olympus followed the trend from 1952 to 1956 with the 6×6 Olympus Flex. In 1959, after the Rolleiflex Baby Grey had initiated a short revival of the 4×4 format, the company announced the Eye Flex 4×4 auto-exposure TLR, but it remained at prototype level. During the same year 1959 Olympus launched the Pen half-frame camera, designed by Yoshihisa Maitani, the first of a long series. Its compactness and sleek lines were revolutionary at the time, and it could take 72 shots without reloading on a standard 35mm cassette. This time it was Olympus that was setting the trend, and after the Pen many other camera companies began to produce their own half-frame cameras. Olympus was the only one to make a half-frame SLR system, the Pen F, released in 1963. The Pen cameras are still popular today among enthusiasts.

OM system

1972 saw the launch of the OM 35mm SLR system. At a time when the clunky Nikon F was still the workhorse of professional photographers, the compact OM system was once again revolutionary. The system incorporated a large line of highly-regarded Zuiko lenses, interchangeable focusing screens, winders and, later, advanced flash units. While never quite challenging Nikon and Canon as the leading choice of professional photographers, Olympus did have a loyal and dedicated following for the OM system, including David Bailey and Lord Lichfield. The OM system has also kept a good reputation among astronomers, macro and micro photographers; this is related to the company's involvement in medical and research equipment.

In 1978 Olympus launched its XA line of compact cameras. The XA is probably the smallest true rangefinder camera ever sold and was very popular among photographers as the pocket camera to carry.

Into the present

Unfortunately, during the mid-to-late '80s Olympus seemed to lose its way as autofocus SLRs took off. Although the company did eventually release an autofocus SLR system it was neither very advanced nor a serious challenge to Nikon or Canon. It changed its orientation and pioneered the concept of the "bridge" camera (an auto-everything SLR with fixed zoom lens) with the IS series. In the early '90s, Olympus had significant success with the compact autofocus point and shoot Stylus (or µ[mju:] ) line. It carried on this success at the turn of the century into the digital field. When the digital market took off with the launch of reasonably affordable, compact 2.3 megapixel cameras for consumers, there were only two real options for photographers — the Nikon Coolpix or the Olympus Camedia ranges. Before the availability of affordable (sub-$5k) digital SLRs, Olympus' E series of fixed-lens SLRs, evolved from the earlier analogue bridge cameras, was very popular among serious photographers.

The launch of cheaper digital SLRs saw Olympus lose ground again among serious photographers, but recently the E series was developed into an innovative interchangeable-lens SLR system. Without the huge autofocus lens catalogue of Nikon and Canon, Olympus was free to build its system without concessions to an older 35mm-based system. Olympus is the champion of the Four-Thirds full-frame style of SLR rather than the APS-sized sensors Canon and Nikon put into their SLR bodies, which are derived from 35mm film cameras. This allows Olympus to design its bodies and lenses specifically for digital use.

The company took its present name of Olympus Corporation (オリンパス株式会社) in 2003, and it continues to innovate and to challenge other manufacturers to do so.

Notes

  1. ↑ Trademark registrations available in the IPDL trademark database. Same information in Sakai, p. 6 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20.
  2. ↑ All the paragraph: see this page and this page of the Olympus official website. Same information in Sakai, p. 6 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20.
  3. ↑ See this page of the Olympus official website. Same information in Sakai, p. 6 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20.
  4. ↑ Trademark registration no. 0125415, for the name "OLYMPUS" (オリンパス), available in the IPDL trademark database. The trademark was registered for thermometers, microscopes, medical, chemical and optical instruments.
  5. ↑ Trademark documents available in the IPDL trademark database.
  6. ↑ Sakai, p. 6 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20.
  7. ↑ Date: Maitani, "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken"; Sakai, p. 7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20; Francesch, p. 19.
  8. ↑ Sakai, p. 7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20. Francesch, p. 20, says "Zuiho Optical Institute" but this is a mistake.
  9. ↑ Maitani, "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken".
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Sakurai Eiichi, p. 64 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20.
  11. ↑ Hagiya mentions the 105/4.5 and the 75/4.5 on p. 13 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20. Sakai mentions the three models on p. 7 of the same magazine.
  12. ↑ Pr. Miyata and Mr Suzuki: Sakurai Eiichi, p. 64 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20.
  13. ↑ Maitani, "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken"; Sakai, p. 7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20; Francesch, p. 19.
  14. ↑ Sakurai Eiichi, p. 64 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20. Same information in Hagiya, p. 13 of the same magazine.
  15. ↑ Date: Sakai, p. 7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20.

Digital

Point and Shoot

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DSLR

35mm Full Frame

SLR

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Olympus OM system, comprising:

Fixed Lens

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Interchangeable Lens

Auto Focus

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35mm Half Frame

Fixed Lens

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Olympus Pen series of compact cameras, comprising:

SLR

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Olympus Pen F series of single lens reflex cameras, comprising:

120 film

4.5×6 folders

6×6 and 4.5×6 folders

TLR

127 film

Interchangeable lens rangefinder

TLR

126 film

APS film

Lenses

Olympus traditionally brands all its lenses with the name Zuiko, a system begun with the very first Olympus camera released, and carried on throughout the various camera formats and systems since then.

Bibliography

Links

In English:

In French :

In Japanese:

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