The History of PENTAX

1919: Founded as the Asahi Optical Joint Stock Co., the group mainly produces ophthalmic lenses. 

1938: With a change in namen to Asahi Optical Co., LtD. also comes a significant change for product line: The company starts producing optics for cameras - and thus building up its good name.

1952: Asahi Optical introduces its first camera, Asahiflex, the first Japanese SLR using a 35 mm film. From that point on, the group built up its reputation on its cameras.

1957: The company officially starts to use the name PENTAX.

2002: The group officially becomes the PENTAX Corporation. Represented in more than 100 countries, counting more than 7000 employees, PENTAX is today a worldwide known brand.

What PENTAX stands for

The PENTAX Corporation is a Japanese group known worldwide for its high-quality cameras, medical equipment, video surveillance and industrial vision products, as well as ophthalmic lenses.

It can look back onto more than half a century of experience in producing SLR cameras in high quality optics. This wealth in expertise and know-how is the foundation for its excellent reputation: In its 100 host countries, 50% of the public knows the brand and this value is even higher in the age groups above 40 years old.

Did you know?

The name PENTAX comes from the combination of Pentaprism – a five-sided prism used in the viewfinder of a reflex camera to make the image appear straight, as it is normally seen, after rotation and inversion of the mirrors – and Contax – a brand of small, middle-size and digital cameras.

The PENTAX values and principles

Our good reputation is a result of our strong values and principles, which we apply to every field of work and sector of production. 

• advanced technology
• excellent durability
• reliability in product and service
• high optical quality
• professionalism
• elegance in desgin