It
was early 1970. Leica was widely recognized as
producing the best 35mm rangefinder cameras; Nikon
and Canon were battling it out to claim SLR supremacy;
and Minolta, Yashica, Contax, and Rollei were
serious contenders right behind the top dogs.
It is in this hugely competitive mix that a small
SLR was introduced. The introduction of the Olympus
M-1 (later renamed OM-1), with its compact size,
full lens system and uncompromising quality, turned
the world of 35mm cameras upside down. Overnight,
there was a new contender -- and it created a
space all its own. The other camera manufacturers
scrambled to come up with viable competition,
but it would be some years before they would catch
up.
The Olympus OM-1 was (about 35%) smaller and lighter,
and simply beautiful. It also came with a full
lens system rivalling that of Nikon and Canon.
Overnight, the Olympus legend was born.
Here
is a brief pictorial history of some of the most
popular Olympus cameras:
1919, 1921
Olympus started out as Takachiho Seisakusho
in 1919 intent on producing Japan's first
microscope, a feat which it accomplished
in one year.
The brand name Olympus started
to be used extensively in 1921.
