The Olympus Corporation was formed in Japan in 1919 and the company made its first camera in 1936. In the 1970s and 80s, Olympus was one of the big five camera manufacturers and its` OM system, characterised by beautifully crafted small 35mm camera bodies and high quality lenses, was highly popular. Cameras such as the OM-1, OM-2SP, OM-4 and others in the series are now regarded as classics of the period.
In recent times, Olympus worked with Kodak to create the Four Thirds standard for digital SLR cameras and lenses. The Four Thirds standard uses smaller 4/3 sensors allowing smaller digital SLR cameras and lenses to be produced. In 2003, Olympus released the professional E-1 digital SLR followed by other models culminating in the recently released E-3 DSLR. All recent Olympus digital slr cameras are listed below. |
