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84-719: The Olympus PEN E-PL3 announced on 30 June 2011 is Olympus Corporation's seventh camera that adheres to the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system design standard. The E-PL3 succeeds the Olympus PEN E-PL2 , and was announced in concert with two other models, the Olympus PEN E-P3 (the flagship version), and the Olympus PEN E-PM1 (a new "Mini" version of the PEN camera line with similar features to

168-617: A corporate corruption investigation with multiple arrests. In 2016, it paid US$ 646   million (equivalent to $ 804   million in 2023) in fines associated with its illegal, long running, kickback scheme. In 1936, Olympus introduced its first camera, the Semi-Olympus I, fitted with the first Zuiko -branded lens. The Olympus Chrome Six was a series of folding cameras made by Takachiho, and later Olympus, from 1948 to 1956, for 6×4.5 cm or 6×6 cm exposures on 120 film. The first innovative camera series from Olympus

252-468: A 120 Hz refresh rate for its sensor, similar to the technology used in the recently released Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 and G3 cameras. Olympus claims, based on in-house testing, that the E-PL3, along with its E-PM1 cousin, have similar characteristics to the flagship E-P3, which according to Olympus has the world's fastest autofocus speed of any camera as of the product announcement date. The benefits of

336-455: A 50 billion yen capital injection from Sony. On 22 February 2013, Sony became the largest shareholder (11.46%) of Olympus, later cutting that stake in half during one of its own restructurings, only to sell its entire remaining stake in Olympus, totaling 5% of the company, after a request by activist investor Daniel S. Loeb to do so, in 2019. According to its 2011 Annual Report, Olympus

420-416: A 70 percent share of the global endoscope market, estimated to be worth approximately US$ 2.5 billion. It was formerly also a maker of cameras , camera lenses and dictaphones , until it divested this part to OM Digital Solutions in 2020. In 2011, Olympus attracted worldwide media scrutiny when it fired its CEO Michael Christopher Woodford for whistleblowing , and the matter snowballed into

504-722: A British manufacturer was purchased. With a comprehensive product range, Olympus accounts for a large share of the world market in gastrointestinal endoscopes. It has roughly 70% share of the global market whose estimated valued at US$ 2.5 billion. On 28 September 2012, Olympus and Sony announced that the two companies will establish a joint venture—Sony Olympus Medical Solutions Inc—to develop new surgical endoscopes with 4K resolution (or higher) and 3D capability. On 16 September 2015, Sony Olympus Medical Solutions Inc announced that their jointly developed 4K surgical endoscopy system would be commercialized and made available for purchase in early October 2015, and would be sold by Olympus under

588-709: A Pen-D3 EL variant was introduced in 1966. By 1963, the Pen system was so well-accepted that Olympus had released a porroprism SLR, the Pen-F , with its own extensive system of interchangeable lenses. 1965 brought the Pen ;EM equipped with a F.Zuiko 35mm f / 2.0 lens and a motor built into the body. The 1967 Pen EED used the F.Zuiko 32mm f / 1.7 lens from the Pen-D3 and added program and aperture-priority autoexposure.   Two Pen camera models were modified to take

672-540: A case or a lens cap that could be lost. The resulting XA would go on to be the first camera to win the Good Design Award. The four successive numbered models in the XA series (XA1, XA2, XA3, XA4) largely used the same black metal capless/capsule body design with slower lenses that were zone focused, with the exception of the fixed-focus XA1, which was similar in concept to the Pen EES and Trip 35. The XA4

756-799: A complete range of microscopes, which covers applications from education and routine studies up to state of the art research imaging systems, both in life science and materials science. Olympus Scientific Solutions Americas Corporation is a Waltham, Massachusetts -based manufacturer, and is a subsidiary of Olympus Corporation. One of its companies, for example, is Olympus Imaging and Measuring Systems, specializing in imaging instruments for testing and measurement during industrial inspections. Olympus manufactures and sells industrial scanners, flaw detectors , probes and transducers, thickness gages, digital cameras, image analysis software, industrial videoscopes, fiberscopes , light sources, XRF and XRD analyzers, and high-speed video cameras. Shareholding in Olympus

840-500: A factor of 1.4 to obtain the equivalent 35mm focal length. For example, the 20mm Pen lens has an angle of view approximately equal to that of a 28mm lens for 35mm format cameras. Early Olympus OM system lenses used single coating. These lenses came in two different cosmetic variants, nicknamed "chrome nose" and "black nose", denoting the color of the filter attachment ring. Some lenses were updated with multicoating during later production. Single-coated lenses are distinguished by carrying

924-406: A faster F.Zuiko 40mm f / 1.7 lens, but was limited to programmed autoexposure only. The 35 DC was equipped with a backlight exposure compensation to increase exposure by 1.5 stops by depressing a button, a simpler solution than the spot meter of the 35 SP.   Finally, in 1975, Olympus released the 35 RD, combining the faster F.Zuiko 40mm f / 1.7 lens from the 35 DC with

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1008-471: A jointly developed Endoscopic Ultrasound System (EUS) that takes advantage of both companies’ experience in endoscopy and sonography. Since the beginning, the company has been a manufacturer of microscopes and optics for specialised needs, such as medical use. The first microscope manufactured at Olympus was called the Asahi. Currently, Olympus is a worldwide renowned manufacturer of microscopes. Olympus offers

1092-461: A letter prefix ahead of the "Zuiko" (e.g., 'G.Zuiko'), where the letter provides the number of lens elements in the optical design. Multicoated lenses dropped the letter prefix and initially used the "MC" label (i.e., "Zuiko MC Auto") and in later production, dropped both the prefix and the "MC" label (e.g. "Zuiko Auto") altogether. The line of Zuiko Digital-branded lenses marketed for Four Thirds system digital single-lens reflex cameras consists of

1176-619: A lower resolution and a locking device. [REDACTED] Media related to Olympus E-PL3 at Wikimedia Commons No Video | Weather Sealed | All the Rest Olympus Corporation Olympus Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of optics and reprography products, headquartered in Hachioji , Tokyo. Olympus was established in 1919, initially specializing in microscopes and thermometers , and later in imaging . Olympus holds roughly

1260-405: A new six-slot film take-up spool. Also in 1962, the more advanced Pen-D was released, featuring a significantly faster F.Zuiko 32mm f / 1.9 lens and an uncoupled selenium meter, whose readings were manually transferred to set exposure.   The Pen-D2 of 1964 was a Pen-D equipped with a new CdS metering cell. The 1965 Pen-D3 increased lens speed again, using a F.Zuiko 32mm f / 1.7, and

1344-537: A new trend towards more compact cameras and lenses, being much smaller than its competitors and presenting innovative design features such as off-the-film (OTF) metering and OTF flash automation. Eventually the system included 14 different bodies, approximately 60 Zuiko -branded lenses, and numerous camera accessories. In 1983, Olympus, along with Canon, branded a range of video recording equipment manufactured by JVC , and called it "Olympus Video Photography", even employing renowned photographer Terance Donovan to promote

1428-488: A selenium cell meter. The Pen-EE S of 1962 combined the faster Pen-S D.Zuiko 30mm f / 2.8 lens with the meter and autoexposure of the original Pen-EE. A second Pen-S with the original Pen's slower D.Zuiko 28mm f / 3.5 lens was released in 1964, alongside a wide-angle variant, the Pen-W, equipped with an E.Zuiko 25mm f / 2.8 lens. The two Pen-EE and EE S models gained 'EL' (Easy Load) variants in 1966 with

1512-541: A team of 10 development engineers and gave them a year to independently conceive a new compact camera; the Konica C35 AF , which was the world's first autofocus camera, had just been released and all of the engineers were enthusiastic about designing a competitor. Maitani rejected that idea ("I told them that if they liked [the Konica C35] I'd buy them one each. That would only cost about 200,000 yen, compared with

1596-475: Is a lens with a ' S tandard' focal length and a maximum aperture of f / 1.4 featuring a seven-element construction and an automatic diaphragm, built for the OM-system. The use of 'standard' refers to the focal length compared to the diagonal dimension of the imager; in this case 50mm is approximately the diagonal dimension of the 35mm film frame. ' W ide-angle' lenses have focal length significantly shorter than

1680-502: Is dispersed, and the company's key institutional investors are largely passive. As of 31 March 2011, investors included Nippon Life Insurance (8.4%), Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi (4.98%), and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking (3.13%), and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (2.55%). Foreign institutions and individuals spoke for 27.71% of Olympus shares. On 28 September 2012, Olympus and Sony announced that Olympus would receive

1764-676: Is the designer of the Four Thirds system standard for digital single-lens reflex cameras . Olympus's Four Thirds system flagship DSLR camera was the E-5 , released in 2010. Olympus is also the largest manufacturer of Four Thirds lenses, under the Zuiko Digital brand. After the introduction of the Micro Four Thirds system , and the general market growth of the Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras ,

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1848-458: Is yet to be charged criminally. Preceding executive Yasuo Takeuchi was assigned the new CEO. Share prices dropped by 6% following the news. Zuiko With the introduction of the Micro Four Thirds system in 2008, new lenses for that system started to be branded as M.Zuiko Digital . For lenses manufactured until approximately 1972, the number of optical elements of the lens, angle of view, and diaphragm operation could be distinguished by

1932-697: The Agfa Rapid 35mm film pack, released first in 1965 as the Pen RAPID EES and the Pen RAPID EED. The Pen-EE models received mainly cosmetic updates with the EES-2 (1968, using the 'S' D.Zuiko 30mm f / 2.8 lens), EE-2 (1968), and EE-3 (1973); both the EE-2 and EE-3 used the older D.Zuiko 28mm f / 3.5 lens with fixed focus. The final Pen fixed-lens camera was the Pen EF, released in 1981; it

2016-606: The MILC cameras made Olympus introduce a new series in their lineup, which was the modern, digital implementation of the legendary OM series , the OM-D . It maintained the Micro Four Thirds system , but added a built-in electronic viewfinder , a more ergonomic button layout packaged in a retro style chassis. The first model in this family was the E-M5 , released in 2012. Since then, Olympus has developed their two lines ( PEN and OM-D ) and

2100-487: The Micro Four Thirds system , still alongside Panasonic . The latest Olympus camera is the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV as of 20 August 2020. At one time, Olympus cameras used only the proprietary xD-Picture Card for storage media. This storage solution is less popular than more common formats, and recent cameras can use SD and CompactFlash cards. The most recent development is Olympus's focus on

2184-544: The Micro Four Thirds system . Olympus has also been using special proprietary USB cables, such as the CB-USB8, instead of following standards. Olympus first introduced the Microcassette . The Olympus Pearlcorder L400, released in the 1980s, was the smallest and lightest microcassette voice recorder ever offered for sale, 2.9 (L) × 0.8 (H) × 2.0 in. (W) / 73 (L) × 20 (H) × 52 (W) 3.2 oz (91 g). In 2012,

2268-405: The cover-up , was reportedly awarded £10 million ($ 16 million) in damages for defamation and wrongful dismissal . In the wake of this turmoil, Olympus announced plans to shed 2,700 jobs (seven percent of its workforce) and shut 40 percent of its 30 manufacturing plants by 2015. On 1 April 2011, Michael Christopher Woodford , 51, was named president and chief operating officer –

2352-486: The local culture , the matter quickly snowballed into a corporate corruption scandal concerning alleged concealment of more than ¥117.7 billion ($ 1.5 billion) in investment losses , kickbacks , and covert payments to criminal organizations dating back as far as the 1980s. One of the longest-lasting accounting scandals in Japanese corporate history, the incident wiped out over three-quarters of

2436-517: The yakuza . The company responded on 19 October that "major differences had arisen between Mr. Woodford and other management regarding the direction and conduct of the company’s business". On the Gyrus acquisition, it also declared the Audit Board's view that "no dishonesty or illegality is found in the transaction itself, nor any breach of obligation to good management or any systematic errors by

2520-518: The 'Olympus-S' top plate engraving using the same lens but switched the meter technology from selenium cell to cadmium sulfide (CdS). The successor of the Olympus-S twins was the first of the two-letter 35  xx models, released in 1965; the Olympus 35 LE used a slightly faster G.Zuiko 42mm f / 1.7 lens with similar double Gauss optical construction and prominently advertised the use of six transistors. A similarly styled 35 LC using

2604-516: The 120 Hz refresh rate also provides the ability for continuous autofocus tracking during bursts of exposures, a faster shutter response (less lag) and less blackout time between exposures. The E-PL3 lacks the E-P3 capacitive touchscreen for creative camera control, and the E-P3 OLED type display that is supposed to vastly improve performance in sunny conditions, and off-angle viewing. Instead,

Olympus PEN E-PL3 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2688-420: The 35 RC as a mid-range compromise; although it was approximately the same size as the 35 EC using the same E.Zuiko 42mm f / 2.8 lens, the 35 RC added more advanced features from the 35 SP including true rangefinder focusing and the option of either shutter-priority autoexposure or manual exposure control.   The 35 DC ("Deluxe Compact") of 1971 also offered rangefinder focusing of

2772-466: The 9-18mm zoom lens has an angle of view equivalent to an 18-36mm lens for a 35mm film camera. Likewise, the angle of view of adapted lenses may be estimated by multiplying the native focal length by 2; e.g., a 50mm OM system lens adapted to a Four Thirds camera would have the same angle of view as a 100mm lens for a 35mm film camera. The line of M.Zuiko Digital-branded lenses marketed for Micro Four Thirds system digital mirrorless cameras consists of

2856-413: The E-PL3 has a tiltable LCD, which allows easy above the head, waist level, or low off the ground viewing. The E-PL3 continues with the proprietary Accessory Port, a power and communication port, which allows the use of various accessories, such as an external stereo microphone for HD video recording, LED macro lights, and a bluetooth communications adapter. The accessory port continues to be compatible with

2940-654: The E-PL3). The E-PL3 is commonly said to be the "Lite" (less full featured) version of the E-P3, much as the E-PL1 and E-PL2 were "Lite" versions of the E-P1 and E-P2, respectively. The E-PL3 addresses some of the concerns that critics had about previous PEN models: slow handling, due to slow autofocus speed and difficulty seeing the LCD panel under certain (e.g., bright, sunny) conditions. The E-PL3 increases autofocus speed through use of

3024-575: The IV series, the lens dropped 'Coated' in favor of 'F.C.' (fully coated), in both cases referring to the anti-reflective coating. Using a chassis similar to the 35 V, Olympus also released the Olympus Wide in 1955, a viewfinder camera featuring the D.Zuiko-W 35mm f / 3.5 wide-angle lens.   A version of the Wide using the same lens was produced in 1957 with an integral uncoupled meter, branded

3108-477: The Pen EES which featured a D.Zuiko 40mm f / 2.8 Tessar-type lens, two automatically selected shutter speeds ( 1 ⁄ 40 , which doubled as the manual flash sync speed, and 1 ⁄ 200 ) for aperture-priority autoexposure, or programmed autoexposure driven by the selenium cell meter. No batteries were required.   It was marketed as a kit with a compact flash. The 35 LE/LC were followed by

3192-639: The Tower 19. Between the Pen-F and the OM system cameras, Olympus manufactured the FTL camera with a M42 lens mount modified to pass aperture information to the camera's internal meter. Olympus offered six lenses with the FTL. Both cameras took 35mm film, but the lenses are not interchangeable between the two systems. To estimate the angle of view of Pen half-frame system lenses, the native focal length may be multiplied by

3276-743: The Wide-E.   The Wide-E was sold in the United States as the Sears Tower 54. In 1958, the Wide II viewfinder camera replaced the Wide with no change to the lens. Olympus also began selling the Olympus 35 S rangefinder in 1955, alongside the Olympus 35 Vb viewfinder which had been launched that same year. The initial version of the 35 S used the same 'normal' lens as the preceding viewfinder cameras, now branded D.Zuiko 1:3.5 f=4.0 cm, but Olympus quickly released versions of

3360-542: The Woodford revelations, and asked for "prompt action". Following his dismissal, Woodford passed on information to the British Serious Fraud Office , and requested police protection. He said the payments may have been linked to "forces behind" the Olympus board. Japanese newspaper Sankei suggested that a total of US$ 1.5 billion in acquisition-related advisory payments could be linked to

3444-557: The acquisition of a technology company ITX were also under examination. Woodford noted that an article in Japanese financial magazine Facta in July prompted his suspicion of the transactions. Reports also said the company acquired three other Japanese companies outside its core business, and recognised that the assets were worth US$ 721 million less than their acquisition value 12 months previously. Shareholders expressed concern after Olympus's share price nearly halved in value following

Olympus PEN E-PL3 - Misplaced Pages Continue

3528-405: The average monthly salary of a new worker. He proposed to develop a camera that could be sold for ¥6,000 (equivalent to ¥36,000 in 2019) instead. During the development of what became the Pen half-frame camera, released in 1959,   Maitani challenged the lens design department to construct a Tessar-type lens as good as one from Leica , resulting in the D.Zuiko 28mm f / 3.5; the lens

3612-738: The biggest and longest-running loss-hiding arrangements in Japanese corporate history", according to the Wall Street Journal . The company laid the blame for the inappropriate accounting on ex-president Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, auditor Hideo Yamada, and executive VP Hisashi Mori. On 21 December 2011, Japanese authorities, including the Tokyo prosecutor's office, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and the Japanese Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission, raided

3696-683: The bladder neck to provide symptom relief. On 14 September 2022, Sony Olympus Medical Solutions Inc announced that they developed a new model of their 4K surgical endoscopy system, which also allows for Infared imaging and Narrow Band imaging. This new model was made available for purchase in September 2022 by Olympus in Europe, Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia, Oceania and Japan under the brand name "VISERA ELITE III". On 15 January 2024, Canon Medical Systems Corporation and Olympus Corporation announced that they reached an agreement to collaborate on

3780-412: The board hide significant losses. On 25 September 2012, the company and Kikukawa, Yamada, and Mori pleaded guilty to collusion to submit false financial reports. On 1 March 2016, Olympus agreed to pay $ 646 million of fines to US authorities. On October 28, 2024, CEO Stefan Kaufmann was forced to resign by the Olympus board of directors after allegations of purchasing illegal narcotics. Kaufmann

3864-584: The brand name "VISERA 4K UHD". Olympus has acquired the Israeli medical device company Medi-Tate, a move aimed at enhancing its portfolio in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The acquisition, finalized in February 2021, strengthens Olympus' position in the urological devices market. Medi-Tate specializes in the research, development, manufacturing, and sale of devices designed for minimally invasive treatment of BPH. Its flagship product,

3948-638: The camera body to be a lot smaller than that of a DSLR , while maintaining its image quality and the interchangeability of the lenses. The first product in the Micro Four Thirds system was the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 , released in 2008. The first Olympus-branded MFT camera was the Olympus PEN E-P1 . Because it was very expensive, they made a cheaper option, called the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL1 . The market growth of

4032-426: The company announced that Sony and Fujifilm had offered forming a capital alliance and the company would focus on Mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILC). In 2020, Olympus announced that the camera department would be sold to Japan Industrial Partners at the end of the year. In October 2020, Olympus transferred its Imaging division to the newly established OM Digital Solutions . On 1 January 2021, 95% of

4116-580: The company's valuation and led much of the board to resign in disgrace . Investigations were launched across Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, culminating in the arrests of numerous corporate directors , senior managers, auditors , and bankers and raising significant concerns over prevailing standards of corporate governance and transparency , as well as the state of Japanese financial markets . Woodford himself, who stated he had received death threats for his role in exposing

4200-521: The company's offices in Tokyo. In February 2012, seven Olympus executives were arrested by Japanese police and prosecutors. Former president Tsuyoshi Kikukawa , former executive vice president Hisashi Mori , and former auditor Hideo Yamada were taken into custody on suspicion of violating the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law , along with former bankers Akio Nakagawa and Nobumasa Yokoo and two others, suspected of having helped

4284-473: The correct exposure cannot be set based on the selected shutter speed. A slightly faster D.Zuiko 43mm f / 2.5 was used for its successor, the Auto Eye II, released in 1962. Also in 1962, Olympus released the S Electro Set (engraved with 'Olympus-S' on the top plate), which used the G.Zuiko 42mm f / 1.8 lens from the original Auto. An updated version designated SC was released in 1963; it retained

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4368-459: The day-to-day operations. In 2011, the company attracted worldwide media scrutiny when it fired its newly appointed English chief executive (CEO) Michael Christopher Woodford , a 30-year Olympus veteran, for probing into financial irregularities and unexplained payments totaling hundreds of millions of US dollars. Although the board initially dismissed Woodford's concerns via mass media as "disruptive" and Woodford himself as failing to grasp

4452-426: The diagonal dimension, while ' T elephoto' lenses have focal length significantly greater than the diagonal dimension. The first 'Zuiko'-branded lens was a 75mm f / 4.5 lens fitted to the Semi-Olympus I of 1936. The Semi-Olympus used a Semi-Proud body, which took pictures in the 6×4.5 frame using medium format film . The Olympus Flex I was a twin-lens reflex camera first sold in 1952. In 1948, Olympus marketed

4536-428: The directors recognised." On 26 October, the company announced that to assuage shareholders' concerns, Kikukawa resigned as chairman; he was replaced by Shuichi Takayama. Olympus shares rebounded 23 percent. On 8 November 2011, the company admitted that the money had been used to cover losses on investments dating to the 1990s and that company's accounting practice was "not appropriate", thus coming clean on "one of

4620-467: The first 35mm camera in Japan, the Olympus 35 I. It was a viewfinder camera using a 24×32mm frame size fitted with a fixed (non-interchangeable) 'Zuiko Coated' 40mm f / 3.5 lens; that same lens was also used on the subsequent 35 III (released in 1949 and changed the frame size to the standard 24×36mm), IV (IV in 1949, IVa in 1953, and IVb in 1954), and V (Va and Vb, both in 1955). Starting with

4704-421: The first ever foreigner to hold the position – replacing Kikukawa, who became chairman. Woodford, an Olympus veteran of 30 years, was previously executive managing director of Olympus Medical Systems Europa. Olympus appointed Woodford its CEO six months later, but the board suddenly removed him as chief executive two weeks into the job, while allowing him to retain his board seat. Woodford alleged that his removal

4788-439: The flagship fixed-lens 35 SP rangefinder of 1969, again using the G.Zuiko 42mm f / 1.7 lens. The 35 SP featured both manual and programmed automatic exposure modes, where the meter reading automatically set both aperture and shutter speed. A switch on the back of the 35 SP engaged the spot meter to override the default scene-average metering. An updated 35 SPN added a battery check in 1972, but otherwise kept

4872-400: The following sets from least to most expensive, separated by marketing grade: HG and SHG lenses include a focus distance scale. All Zuiko Digital lenses are "true zooms" which do not shift the focus point through the focal length range. To estimate the angle of view, the focal length of a Four Thirds lens may be multiplied by 2 to obtain the equivalent focal length for a 35mm camera; e.g.,

4956-488: The high resolution, optional hotshoe mounted VF-2 electronic viewfinder ( EVF ). The VF-2 had a flip angle eyepiece, allowing viewing from 0–90 degrees. The VF-2 had been criticized for being very expensive and for not having a locking device, with some users reporting easy dislodgement of the VF-2 from the hotshoe. To address these criticisms, in July 2011, Olympus announced the introduction of an optional VF-3 EVF, which has

5040-464: The hundreds of millions of yen needed for developing a new model.") and still seeing unsatisfactory results from the team, Maitani began to design a new compact camera himself, prioritizing size so that it could be carried everywhere. Based on the dimensions of the 35mm film cassette, he targeted a final camera size of 105 mm × 65 mm × 30 mm (4.1 in × 2.6 in × 1.2 in) (W×H×D), one that would also not require

5124-421: The iTind, is a temporarily implanted nitinol device that alleviates lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with BPH. The iTind procedure can be performed by a urologist in various settings, including outpatient hospital facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, or a doctor’s office. The device works by gradually expanding and applying gentle pressure at three specific points, reshaping the prostatic urethra and

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5208-454: The lens and are geared to turn together when the shutter speed is changed; the aperture may be varied, but the shutter speed will change with aperture to maintain exposure. The Auto Eye of 1960 succeeded the older electro-set models and added full shutter-priority autoexposure using a non-interchangeable version of the D.Zuiko 45mm f / 2.8 from the Ace. The camera will not release the shutter if

5292-449: The market in high-resolution photographic products. As a result of his efforts, Olympus released an 810,000-pixel digital camera for the mass market in 1996, when the resolution of rivals' offerings was less than half. The next year, Olympus hit the market with a 1.41 million pixel camera. By 2001, the company's annual turnover from digital photography was in excess of ¥100 billion. Olympus manufactures compact digital cameras and

5376-417: The markings engraved on the lens. The engraving dropped the number of elements with the advent of multicoating, which occurred during the production of OM system lenses. Ace, Pen-F, FTL, and early OM system lenses carry the letter prefix denoting the number of optical elements. Later OM system lenses (generally all multicoated) omitted this prefix. For example, an "Olympus OM-SYSTEM G.Zuiko Auto-S 1:1.4 f=50mm"

5460-501: The meter) and had no rangefinder.   The 35 EC was replaced in 1971 by the 35 EC2, which added a battery check function.   The updated 35 ECR of 1972 added a rangefinder to the 35 EC2 but again was limited to programmed autoexposure.   In 1974, Olympus released the 35 ED, last of the 'economy' line, equipped with a slightly wider D.Zuiko 38mm f / 2.8 lens, rangefinder focusing, and programmed autoexposure only.   In 1970, Olympus marketed

5544-595: The older Auto had the faster G.Zuiko 42mm f / 1.8 lens carried over from the 35 S-II and the Auto-B had a slower E.Zuiko 42mm f / 2.8 lens. Cosmetically, the Auto had a cover for the meter window, which was omitted on the Auto-B. The 'electro-set' designates the semi-automated exposure system; by setting the film speed on the camera body, match-needle metering is used to set aperture and shutter speed simultaneously. The aperture and shutter speed settings are coaxial with

5628-408: The range. A second version of the system was available the year after, but this was Olympus's last foray into the world of consumer video equipment until digital cameras became popular. Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, who was later to become president of Olympus, foresaw the demand for the digital SLR, and is credited with the company's strategy in digital photography. He fought for commitment by Olympus to enter

5712-515: The regular Four Thirds system became neglected. Then, in 2017, after three years without a new lens, and seven years without a new body, Olympus officially discontinued the Four Thirds system Olympus and Panasonic started a new development together, called the Micro Four Thirds system . It is an interchangeable lens system, with the Four Thirds sensor size, and no mirrors ( Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera ). The lack of mirrors allowed

5796-593: The release of the E-1 digital SLR and its line of 'Zuiko Digital' branded four-thirds system lenses. Prior to the lenses built for the Pen-F half-frame camera, Olympus produced the Ace rangefinder camera in 1958. Four Zuiko-branded lenses were sold for the Ace. The Ace was followed up by the Ace-E of 1959, which added a selenium light meter; the Ace-E was rebranded as the Sears Tower 19 for America. Sears also offered two accessory lenses (35mm f / 2.8 and 80mm f / 5.6) for

5880-469: The same body with faster non-interchangeable lenses, including an E.Zuiko 48mm f / 2.8 and a G.Zuiko 45mm f / 1.9 (released in 1956).   The slowest 35 S with the 40mm f / 3.5 lens was replaced by the 35 K in 1957. The 35 K was also sold by Sears as the Tower 56. The first Olympus 35mm rangefinder camera with a wide-angle lens was the Wide-S (or Wide Super) of 1957. Lens speed

5964-583: The same features and lens as the 35 SP. The camera was restyled and was re-released as the 35 UC in 1973. Meanwhile, Olympus released the 35 EC economy fixed-lens camera alongside the 35 SP in 1969; compared to the SP, the EC had a slower E.Zuiko 42mm f / 2.8 lens carried over from the Auto-B of 1959, but was also markedly smaller and lighter. The 35 EC offered programmed automatic exposure only (both aperture and shutter speed set automatically by

6048-454: The same lens was released in 1967, which dropped the autoexposure functions of the 35 LE. Like the older electro-set models, the 35 LC coupled the shutter speed and aperture rings so that once the exposure was set, changing the shutter speed would also automatically change the aperture. Between 1968 and 1983, Olympus sold the Trip 35 camera. It was a scale/zone-focused camera based on

6132-527: The shares in OM Digital Solutions were transferred to OJ Holdings, Ltd, a specially established subsidiary of Japan Industrial Partners. Olympus retained ownership of the remaining 5%. Olympus manufactures endoscopic, ultrasound, electrocautery, endotherapy, and cleaning and disinfection equipment. The first flexible endoscope in the world was co-developed and manufactured by Olympus in Tokyo. In 1987, KeyMed Medical & Industrial Equipment,

6216-517: The shutter-priority autoexposure or manual exposure controls of the older 35 RC. However, the 35 RD omitted the backlight compensation button of the 35 DC. Yoshihisa Maitani , who had joined Olympus in 1956, is credited as the father of the Pen half-frame camera line. Maitani had a keen interest in photography, but felt the cost of cameras was a barrier to entry, as the cheapest camera Olympus sold in 1958 cost ¥23,000 (equivalent to ¥136,000 in 2019), approximately 1 1 ⁄ 2 ×

6300-585: The square-format 126 film in cartridges. The 35  xx models were replaced in 1979 by the Olympus XA, which was comparable to the 35 RC and RD in function, but markedly smaller with a sliding lens cover. Shortly after the OM-2 was launched in 1975, Maitani was asked to plan a new compact camera in response to a recent decline in Olympus's market share; at the time, the market share for Olympus 35mm compact cameras had decreased from 37% to 35%. He formed

6384-536: The time was the Wide, which was selling just over 1,000 units per month; once the Pen went on sale, Olympus had to ramp up production of the Pen to more than 5,000 units per month. Olympus introduced the Pen-S in 1960, featuring a slightly faster D.Zuiko 30mm f / 2.8 lens. In 1961, a programmed autoexposure variant of the original Pen was released, the Pen-EE, equipped with the original D.Zuiko 28mm f / 3.5 lens and

6468-463: Was able to focus significantly closer and had a wider angle of view than the other cameras in the XA series. Olympus dropped the Zuiko branding on its fixed-lens cameras after an initial set of autofocus compact cameras: The successors to this line, including the mju/Stylus line and subsequent digital fixed-lens cameras, all used "Olympus" branded lenses. The Zuiko name was not revived until 2003, with

6552-400: Was an EE-3 with an integrated flash. The Olympus Quickmatic EEM incorporated features from the Pen EM (motor-driven film advance) and Pen-EE (program autoexposure according to the selenium cell "electric eye") in a viewfinder camera using another Tessar variant, the D.Zuiko 36mm f / 2.8. Focus was continuously variable, but had three click-stop "zone" settings. The Quickmatic EEM used

6636-464: Was designed without regard to cost and ended up consuming the entire development budget. The Pen featured simplified mechanisms where possible to control costs, as a result. The prototype camera delighted the head of Olympus, Eiichi Sakurai, who wanted to put the camera into production immediately; however, the head of Olympus's factory flatly refused to produce the "toy camera" and production was initially outsourced. The best-selling camera for Olympus at

6720-540: Was governed by a 15-person board of directors, with Tsuyoshi Kikukawa its President and CEO, and Michael C. Woodford as President and chief operating officer. Mr Kikukawa resigned in the following year and was arrested by Tokyo police for alleged criminal offenses during and before his term as president and CEO. The corporation in 2011 had three "outside directors". It had a four-member 'Board of Auditors' which supervises and audits directors' performance. The company's executive committee consisted of 28 members, responsible for

6804-418: Was increased by almost two stops compared to the Wide and Wide-E with the H.Zuiko-W 35mm f / 2.0 fitted to the Wide-S. The Wide-S was also sold by Sears as the Tower 20. The Olympus 35 S-II replaced the 35 S in 1957 using a body similar to the Wide-S with a choice of two lenses, a faster G.Zuiko 42mm f / 1.8 and a slower E.Zuiko 48mm f / 2.8 carried over from the 35 S. The faster lens

6888-542: Was later replaced by a Zuiko 42mm f / 2.0. The 35 S-II was also marketed in the United States by Sears as the Tower 10 (with the 48mm f / 2.8) and the Tower 18 (with the 42mm f / 1.8). Olympus released the Olympus-Auto electro-set (1958) and Auto-B electro-set (1959) shortly after the Ace interchangeable lens rangefinder, using styling largely borrowed from the Ace. Both of the Auto models had built-in exposure meters, and were distinguished by lens speed;

6972-541: Was linked to several prior acquisitions he questioned, particularly the US$ 2.2 billion deal in 2008 to acquire British medical equipment maker Gyrus Group. Thomson Reuters reported that US$ 687 million was paid to a middle-man as a success fee – a sum equal to 31% of the purchase price, and which ranks as the highest ever M&A fee. According to the Daily Telegraph , some of the sums paid out relating to

7056-521: Was the Pen , launched in 1959. It used a half-frame format , taking 72 18×24 mm photographs on a standard 36-exposure 35mm film cassette , which made Pen cameras compact and portable for their time. The Pen system design team, led by Yoshihisa Maitani , later created the OM system , a full-frame professional 35mm SLR system designed to compete with Nikon and Canon's bestsellers. The OM system introduced

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