is a Japanese manufacturer of optics and reprography products, headquartered in Hachioji, Tokyo. Olympus was founded on October 12, 1919 as Takachiho Seisakusho by Takeshi Yamashita, initially specializing in microscopes and thermometers, and later in imaging. In 1921, the name Olympus was registered as a trademark. In 1942, the company was renamed Takachiho Optical Industries, and in 1949 it was renamed Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. In 2003, the company adopted its current name, Olympus Corporation.
Olympus holds roughly a 70 percent share of the global endoscope market, estimated to be worth approximately US$2.5 billion. As of 2025, endoscopes and related surgical technologies are now Olympus's exclusive product line. It was formerly also a maker of cameras, camera lenses and dictaphones, until it divested this part to OM Digital Solutions in 2020. It divested from its microscopy and scientific imaging division in 2023, selling it to Bain Capital for approximately $3.1 billion; the division operates as Evident Corporation.
In 2011, Olympus attracted worldwide media scrutiny when it fired its CEO Michael Christopher Woodford for whistleblowing, and the matter snowballed into a corporate corruption investigation with multiple arrests. In 2016, it paid million (equivalent to $million in ) in fines associated with its illegal, long running, kickback scheme.
Products Cameras and audio 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 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 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 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 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."Dismissed CEO Turns Focus on Troubles at Olympus", Nikkei Business. 31 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2011. 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 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, 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 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, it made a cheaper option, called the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL1. The market growth of the MILC cameras made Olympus introduce a new series in its 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 its two lines (PEN and OM-D) and 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 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) .
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 (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 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%.
Medical and surgical 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, 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 which is estimated valued at US$2.5 billion."Japanese Doctors Flustered and Angry Following Olympus Scandal". 16 November 2011. Medtech Insider. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011 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 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, 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 the bladder neck to provide symptom relief.
On 14 September 2022, Sony Olympus Medical Solutions Inc announced that it developed a new model of its 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 name "VISERA ELITE III". On 15 January 2024, Canon Medical Systems Corporation and Olympus Corporation announced that they reached an agreement to collaborate on a jointly developed Endoscopic Ultrasound System (EUS) that takes advantage of both companies’ experience in endoscopy and sonography.
Scientific 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 manufacturer of microscopes. Olympus offers a range of microscopes, which covers applications from education and routine studies up to 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. In April 2022, Olympus Scientific rebranded itself as Evident Corporation, and at first was a wholly owned subsidiary of Olympus corporation. However, a year later, Evident was acquired by Bain Capital.
Industrial 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.
Name and logo 1919: The company was founded as . In Japanese mythology, deities live on Takamagahara, the peak of Mt. Takachiho. The first corporate logo was TOKIWA, derived from Tokiwa Shokai, the company that the founder, Takeshi Yamashita, had worked for. Tokiwa Shokai held an equity stake in Takachiho Seisakusho and was responsible for marketing Takachiho products. The logo reads "TOKIWA TOKYO". The "G" and "M" marks above are believed to be the initials of Goro Matsukata, the president of Tokiwa Shokai. 1921: The Olympus brand was introduced in February 1921. This logo was used for microscopes and other products. Brochures and newspaper ads for cameras also used this logo. The OLYMPUS TOKYO logo is still in use today. There was a period in which OIC was used instead of TOKYO in the logo. OIC stood for Optical Industrial Company, which was a translation of Olympus's Japanese corporate name at that time. This logo was used for the GT-I and GT-II endoscopes, among others. 1942: The company was renamed to Takachiho Optical Co., Ltd., when optical products became the mainstay of the company.