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| Ichimura Kiyoshi |
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| Oji Plant, the main factory of Riken Optical Indistries |
Riken also sold cameras made by various subcontractors, whose identity is not always known. The subcontracted models were sold with lenses and shutters made by Riken, but the degree of involvement of the company in the assembly of these cameras is unknown. Riken sold a few lenses to other manufacturers as well.
After the war, Asahi Precision Industries was in charge of all the camera development and manufacture in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The main designer was Fujimoto Sakae, who previously worked for another major camera maker, and who made efforts to prepare the factory for mass production.
An improved version of a wartime Ricohflex camera started immediately after the war and was launched in 1950, having a large success on the domestic and export markets. The first 35mm camera was the Ricolet, followed by various viewfinder and rangefinder cameras.
The company finally took the name of its products, becoming Ricoh in 1963. From 1964, it made a few 35mm SLR with interchangeable 42mm screw lenses, most of which were called Singlex. In 1977, it switched to the K mount introduced by Pentax, for a series of cameras called XR, made until the 1990s.
In 2011, Ricoh acquired the Imaging Systems business of Pentax. After the acquisition the name of the company was changed to Pentax Ricoh Imaging. The company is now known as Ricoh Imaging but still makes cameras under the Pentax brand.
After the war, Asahi Precision Industries was in charge of all the camera development and manufacture in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The main designer was Fujimoto Sakae, who previously worked for another major camera maker, and who made efforts to prepare the factory for mass production.
An improved version of a wartime Ricohflex camera started immediately after the war and was launched in 1950, having a large success on the domestic and export markets. The first 35mm camera was the Ricolet, followed by various viewfinder and rangefinder cameras.
The company finally took the name of its products, becoming Ricoh in 1963. From 1964, it made a few 35mm SLR with interchangeable 42mm screw lenses, most of which were called Singlex. In 1977, it switched to the K mount introduced by Pentax, for a series of cameras called XR, made until the 1990s.
In 2011, Ricoh acquired the Imaging Systems business of Pentax. After the acquisition the name of the company was changed to Pentax Ricoh Imaging. The company is now known as Ricoh Imaging but still makes cameras under the Pentax brand.
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