Pentax Cameras

Pentax Cameras

Pentax Cameras was a Japanese company that specialized mainly in cameras and binoculars. We say was because the company merged with another Japanese firm, Hoya Corporation, in the middle of 2008. But Pentax still produces some of the highest quality cameras and optics on the market today, just under a different name. In this article we are going to review the company’s proud history as well as some of its most popular products.

Pentax Cameras was established in 1919 by Kumao Kaijiwara, at a small shop in Toshima, Japan. At the beginning, the company specialized in lenses for spectacles and they continued to produce these wares for nearly thirty years. Then in 1938 they abruptly changed their name to Asahi Optical and began producing specialty accessories, primarily camera lenses. For the next few years, the newly named Asahi Optical would sustain itself with military contracts for optical instruments, mostly cameras and binoculars.

Shortly after the war, the company continued to produce binoculars and consumer camera lenses for a number of distinguished clients. In the coming years, Pentax Cameras would become an industry leader and would usher in a veritable photographic revolution as the Japanese market exploded in the post war years.

Finally, in 1952, the company introduced its first camera. It was called the Asahiflex, and it was well received,. A few years later in 1957, Asahi Optical changed their name to Asahi Pentax, or simply Pentax in the West. From that time, the company has been associated, almost exclusively, with quality photographic equipment. But incredibly the company did not go by the name of Pentax Cameras until 2002

At that time, Pentax Cameras was one of the world’s most profitable optical companies, offering everything from binoculars to cameras to spectacle lenses. They also produced a comprehensive line of specialty optical instruments and accessories. By 2004, the company had more than six thousand employee in Japan and abroad.

Products

Not surprisingly, Pentax is famous for its high performance Pentax cameras that are well-regarded by professional photographers all over the world. The watershed moment occurred in 1957 when the company introduced its Asahi Pentax, which was a single-lens reflex camera. After that, they introduced their first true series of cameras, the Asahiflex. The incredibly commercial and financial success of these products actually prompted the company to rename itself Pentax cameras after the flagship line. As we mentioned earlier, the company later merged with the Hoya Corporation, but they continue to sell, market and develop new cameras under the Pentax name.

In late 2005, Pentax Cameras formed a partnership with Samsung with the expressed intention of regaining ground in the camera market from main rivals Canon and Nikon. The partnership was deemed a success when the two companies released DSLR cameras that were a hit with the public. Later, the partnership also produced the Pentax DS2 and the Samsung GX-1S-both cameras were developed in concert. It was also agreed that Samsung would be able to use Pentax lenses. In fact, both brands are compatible with each other as they use most of the same technologies.

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Here's Pentax Cameras Selections:

Pentax Optio W80 Waterproof 12.1MP Digital Camera ...	Customer Review: i like this product, the only detail is that you need perfect ilumination to have best graphics, because when you take a picture, the image looks like pixelated, and have like a texture.... Read More	(54)
Pentax Optio W90 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera...	Customer Review: Click Here for More Info	$329.95
Pentax Optio W80 Waterproof 12.1MP Digital Camera ...	Customer Review: i like this product, the only detail is that you need perfect ilumination to have best graphics, because when you take a picture, the image looks like pixelated, and have like a texture.... Read More	$249.95 (54)
Pentax Optio W90 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera...	Customer Review: Click Here for More Info	$329.95
Pentax Floating Wrist Strap...	Customer Review: The Pentax Floating Wrist Strap lives up to its description. Very good quality for the price. It definitely has enough flotation for the Pentax "W" series of waterproof cameras.... Read More	$19.99 (8)