Olympus - Geschiedenis

In de afgelopen decennia heeft OLYMPUS nieuwe trendsettende producten voor verschillende toepassingsgebieden op de markt gebracht. Deze producten zijn ontwikkeld door middel van wereldwijde samenwerking.

Hierna volgt een kort overzicht dat u een idee geeft van het brede aanbod van producten op het gebied van beeldverwerking, spraak, endoscopie, microscopie en diagnostiek die in de afgelopen 90 jaar op de markt zijn gebracht.

Company and product milestones

2005s

Micro Four Thirds Standard

2008
Micro Four Thirds Standard
Olympus Imaging and Panasonic announce the new Micro Four Thirds Standard

2007
FourThirds Standard based E-3 professional D-SLR
Introduction of the FourThirds Standard based E-3 professional D-SLR

2006
IPLEX SAIIR series and IPLEX SXIIR series
Industrial video scope IPLEX SAIIR series and IPLEX SXIIR series released

2006
LUMINOVIEW (LV200)
LUMINOVIEW (LV200) minimally invasive luminescence imaging system for single live cells

2006
VISERA Pro
Multi-compatible video system VISERA Pro. Introduction of high-definition imaging to surgical field

2006
EVIS EXERA II Series
EVIS EXERA II Series: HDTV technology for endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery

2006
EVIS LUCERA SPECTRUM
EVIS LUCERA SPECTRUM next generation endoscope system for observation using specific light spectra released

2006
μ 725 SW digital camera
New stylish μ 725 SW digital camera released: world's first shock resistant body and waterproof to a depth of five meters

2006
AU3000i
Analysis system for the identification of heterogeneous assays, AU3000i

2006
Olympus enters global immunoassay market
Olympus enters global immunoassay market, expanding the diagnostic business through clinical chemistry system synergies

2006
E-330 digital SLR camera
The E-330 digital SLR camera incorporating the world's first full-time Live View function: TIPA Best Imaging Innovation Award 2006 received

2006
Olympus (China) Co., Ltd. established as regional headquarters

2005
m:robe mr-500i and mr-100 music players
Latest in mobile entertainment presented: m:robe mr-500i and mr-100 music players. With eye-catching design and 20GB storage, the mr-500i unites the magic of music with the power of pictures in a portable audio player with a digital camera

2005
Reorganisation of Olympus Europe
Reorganisation of Olympus Europe into Olympus Imaging Europa GmbH, Olympus Medical Systems Europa GmbH, Olympus Life and Material Science Europa GmbH and Olympus Europa GmbH under the umbrella of the Olympus Europa Holding GmbH

2005
MX51 Industrial Inspection Microscope
Olympus introduces the MX51 Industrial Inspection Microscope Improved Basic Optical Performance.

PK7300 automated blood transfusion testing system
PK7300 automated blood transfusion testing system released

2005
V-System
V-System, the optimal combination of digestive endoscopes and endotherapy accessories, released

2000s

EndoALPHA

2004
Acquisition of Advalytix AG

2004
Majority Stake in Celon AG

2004
EndoALPHA
EndoALPHA entered the European market and the first fully integrated OR was installed in Hospital Cliníc, Barcelona – the operating room of the future!

2004
IPLEX MX industrial video scope system
IPLEX MX industrial video scope system introduced (gold prize for Good Design Award "G-Mark")

2004
FluoView FV1000
Confocal laser scanning microscope FluoView FV1000

2004
Power BX Plus, Power IX Plus microscope series
Power BX Plus, Power IX Plus microscope series with UIS2 optical system introduced

2004
μ-mini DIGITAL
μ-mini DIGITAL (OAI: Stylus VERVE), a revolutionary new design and all weather construction, introduced

2003
OLS 3000 scanning tunnelling confocal laser
OLS 3000 scanning tunnelling confocal laser introduced

2003
Olympus Europa GmbH
Olympus Europa GmbH: Name change of Olympus Optical Co.(Europa) GmbH to Olympus Europa GmbH

2003
EndoArm
EndoArm introduced as the world's first neuroendoscope

2003
Olympus Customer Support Centre k.s. Czech

2003
Olympus E-1 System
Olympus E-1 System launched. It’s the first camera system based on the FourThirds Standard. All Olympus E-System components and accessories have been optimised to provide the quality results expected in the professional world

2003
Olympus Endo Repair Czech spol. s r.o.

2003
FourThirds system
FourThirds system introduced: Olympus and Kodak create the FourThirds system, a new standard for the next generation of digital SLR cameras

2003
Olympus Diagnostica LAB-Automation GmbH

2002
XD card
XD card introduced for use in digital cameras

2002
EVIS LUCERA
EVIS LUCERA released as the world's first high-definition endoscopic video system

2002
SonoSurg ultrasound surgery system
SonoSurg ultrasound surgery system released

2002
World's first DNA computer for gene analysis developed

2002
VISERA video system
VISERA video system for endoscopic surgery/examination developed

2001
Olympus BioSystems GmbH

2001
IPLEX industrial video scope system
IPLEX industrial video scope system introduced

2001
UPD endoscope position-detection system
UPD endoscope position-detection system introduced

2000
BX2 series
BX2 series of laboratory and research microscopes launched

2000
PT400 pipe inspection system
PT400 pipe inspection system introduced

2000
E-10
High-performance E-10 introduced

1995s

Eye-Trek FMD-100

1999
Eye-Trek FMD-100
Eye-Trek FMD-100 with a new optical filter introduced

1999
OSferion
Expansion into bone replacement material with the introduction of OSferion

1998
D1000 digital voice recorder
D1000 digital voice recorder announced

1998
AU400 automated chemistry analyser
AU400 automated chemistry analyser

1997
SLR cameras C-1000L and C-1400L
This fixed-lens digital single-lens reflex camera was equipped with a high-performance optical 3x zoom lens. It was the first affordable digital camera to feature a 1.41-megapixel primary color progressive CCD.

1998
Lab Supports
Lab Supports launched to offer solutions for chemical testing

1997
Introduction of the first autoclavable video laparoscope

1997
SZX Series high-precision stereo microscope
SZX Series high-precision stereo microscope introduced

1997
OES 4000 Series rigid scope for urology
OES 4000 Series rigid scope for urology introduced

1997
EVIS240 Series endoscopic video information system
EVIS240 Series endoscopic video information system announced

1996
CAMEDIA C-800L/400L digital cameras
The C-800L provided superb image quality and yet was as easy to use as a compact camera.

1995
MX50 semiconductor inspection microscope
MX50 semiconductor inspection microscope introduced

1996
AU600
Spot-photometry for clinical chemistry analysis systems, AU600

1990s

IX Series (1994)

1994
IX Series biological inverted system microscope
IX Series biological inverted system microscope announced

1993
High-performance BX Series system biological microscope
The BX Series (BX40, BX50, BX60) used a novel Y-shaped design for the microscope body. The series featured superior operability, excellent rigidity, and first-class optical performance.

1991
Olympus μ (OAI: Stylus)
Ultra compact Olympus μ [mju:] (OAI: Stylus), the world's lightest fully automatic camera introduced

1990
Olympus IS-1000
Olympus IS-1000, featuring an L-shape and a built-in zoom lens introduced

1980s

O-Product compact camera (1986)

1989
Industrial video imagescope introduced

1989
First autoclavable arthroscope
Olympus Winter & Ibe introduce their first autoclavable arthroscope

1988
T2020 transcriber
Introduction of the T2020 transcriber with micro and mini cassette systems

1987
Magneto-optical disk drive
Magneto-optical disk drive introduced

1987
KeyMed Ltd. (U.K.) joins the Olympus Group

1986
O-Product compact camera
O-Product compact camera with an aluminium finish introduced in a limited edition of 20,000 units worldwide

1986
Olympus AF-1 Quartz Date
Olympus AF-1 Quartz Date, the world's first compact weatherproof camera, introduced

1986
Endoscopic Video Information System and Olympus autoclavable arthroscope
Endoscopic Video Information System and Olympus autoclavable arthroscope introduced

1984
HITE600 automatic electrophoresis system
HITE600 automatic electrophoresis system introduced

1984
SZH Series high-precision stereo microscope
The SZH was the first real high-end stereo microscope from Olympus. It featured a parallel light path and single objective lens design.

1983
PK7000 automated pre-transfusion blood testing system
PK7000 automated pre-transfusion blood testing system developed

1983
OES Series fiberscope
OES Series fiberscope announced

1982
EU-M1 ultrasound endoscope
EU-M1 ultrasound endoscope introduced

1970s

Olympus XA (1979)

1979
Microcassette transcribers
Microcassette transcribers introduced

1979
Olympus XA
Olympus XA, the world's first camera with a sliding lens barrier, introduced

1975
OM-2 SLR
OM-2 SLR with TTL (through the lens) direct metering introduced

1975
BH Series high-precision system microscope
With the BH Modular Series the microscopes could be transformed to meet various specifications, including polarization, phase contrast, differential interference, and simple transmission fluorescence microscopy.

1975
Expansion into medical rigid scopes

1972
OM system and OM-1
OM system announced and OM-1 released, establishing OLYMPUS as the pioneer in the development of compact SLRs

1971
ACA-III automated chemistry analyser
Development of ACA-III automated chemistry analyser marks expansion into the clinical analysis market

1960s

Zuiko Pearlcorder (1969)

1969
Zuiko Pearlcorder
Zuiko Pearlcorder, the world's first microcassette tape recorder announced

1968
Expansion into industrial endoscopes

1968
Olympus Corporation of America (OCA), now Olympus America Inc. (OAI) established for marketing microscopes and medical products

1966
PHOTOMAX universal research microscope
Released in 1966, the Photomax (LB) was the flagship microscope of the postwar period. This model had a fully automated photographic device, a color temperature adjustment function for color photography, and an ideal color illumination system all built into the microscope.

1964
Olympus Optical Co., (Europa) GmbH (OE) established in Hamburg, Germany

1964
GTF gastro-camera fiberscope
GTF gastro-camera fiberscope introduced

1961
SZ stereo zoom microscope
The innovative SZ Stereo Microscope, the first in Japan to feature a zoom function, was released in 1961. The user could rotate a variable magnification ring while observing the specimen and the image field of vision and magnification would change continuously while remaining in focus. This was the first microscope to be given a Good Design Award (the G Mark).

1960
First cystoscope and resectoscope
Winter & Ibe introduce their first cystoscope and resectoscope

1950s

Olympus Pen half-frame camera (1959)

1959
Olympus Pen half-frame camera
The first-generation Olympus Pen camera appeared in 1959. The Pen combined the superb photographic performance of the D-Zuiko lens with excellent portability, and it was also used by professional photographers as a secondary camera.

1958
Mic biological microscope
Mic biological microscope introduced

1955
OLYMPUS WIDE
Release of OLYMPUS WIDE leads to a wide-angle camera boom in Japan. Marketing operations for measuring equipment begin.

1955
Expansion into measuring equipment

1952
GT-I gastro-camera
GT-I gastro-camera introduced

1950
First gastro-camera
First gastro-camera unveiled by Tatsuro Uji at the Japan Surgery Conference

1940s

Olympus 35 I (1948)

1949
Renamed to Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.

1948
Olympus 35 I
Olympus 35 I, Japan's first 35mm camera with a lens shutter system, introduced.

1940
OLYMPUS SIX
The Olympus Six was released in 1940. It supported both 6x6 and semi formats and featured a newly designed body and an Olympus-made KOHO shutter with a maximum speed of 1/200 sec. With this camera Olympus established the basic format for subsequent Six-series cameras.

1930s

ZUIKO lens for photography (1936)

1936
Semi-Olympus I, the first Olympus camera introduced

ZUIKO lens for photography developed. Bellows-type Semi-OLYMPUS with ZUIKO lens, the first OLYMPUS camera, introduced. ZUIKO brand name adopted for all OLYMPUS camera lenses.

1930
MC metallurgical microscope
MC metallurgical microscope developed

1920s

Seika GE microscope (1928)

1927
Seika GE microscope
The production of the Seika GE microscope began in 1927. Heralded as the crystallization of state-of-the art technologies, the Seika GE was considered the premier microscope, optimized for research applications. It employed a 100x oil immersion objective lens and was capable of total magnification of 1400x.

1921
"Olympus" registered as a trademark

1920
Clinical thermometer introduced.

1920
Asahi 600x microscope
The first microscope manufactured at Olympus was called the Asahi. Launched in March 1920, the Asahi was priced at 125 yen (about 1.25 million yen today) and was considered a highly valuable industrial product worthy of its price. It was the only model made of gunmetal, a bronze alloy made from copper and tin and used for cannon barrels.