Olympus Corporation

Olympus Corporation, established in 1919 in Tokyo, is a Japanese manufacturer of optics and reprography products, initially specializing in microscope and thermometer businesses. Olympus introduced its first camera in 1936. The first innovative camera series from Olympus was the Pen, launched in 1959 followed by the OM system, a full-frame professional 35mm SLR system designed to compete with Nikon and Canon's bestsellers. The OM system, including 14 different bodies and approximately 60 Zuiko-branded lenses, introduced a new trend towards more compact cameras and lenses

In 2011, the company was involved in a major financial scandal, wiping 75–80% off the company's stock market valuation, and the arrest of 11 Japanese directors, senior managers, auditors and bankers for alleged criminal activities or cover-up. Olympus announced it would shed 2,700 jobs (7% of its workforce) and around 40 percent of its 30 manufacturing plants by 2015 to reduce its cost base.

Olympus currently manufactures compact digital cameras and is the designer of the Four-Thirds System standard. Olympus is also the largest manufacturer of Four-Thirds lenses, under the Zuiko brand. In 2012, the company announced that Sony and Fujifilm had offered forming a capital alliance and the company would focus on Mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras.
Interview with Yoshihisa Maitani, Chief Designer of the OM system, and one of the first super stars of Camera Design

Yoshihisa Maitani Biography

Yoshihisa Maitani - Chief Designer