Olympus Made This Video to Celebrate Its 100th Anniversary
Olympus turns 100 years old this year, and to celebrate the milestone, the company has just released this 6.5-minute mini-documentary dedicated to the history and evolution of its camera and imaging business.
Olympus was founded in Tokyo, Japan, back on October 12th, 1919, by a man named Takeshi Yamashita. Originally called Takachiho Seisakusho, the company was focused on making microscopes for the domestic market.
The trademark ‘Olympus’ was registered in 1921, and the company was renamed to “Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.” in 1949.
17 years after it was founded, Olympus launched its first camera: the Semi-Olympus 1.
In 1959, Olympus launched the PEN, a groundbreaking half-frame film camera.
In 1972, Olympus launched the OM-1, a lightweight and compact SLR that challenged heavier and bulkier SLRs on the market.
Olympus first jumped into digital cameras in 1996 (with the C-800L/C-400L), DSLRs in 2003 (with the E-1), and mirrorless in 2009 (with the PEN E-P1).
The company was renamed to “Olympus Corporation” in 2003, and today its business has three main branches: Medical, Imaging, and Scientific Solutions.
A century after its birth, Olympus now employs roughly 36,000 people across 99 group companies in 36 countries around the world.
