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• History of Cameras
  • 1936-1970
    • Medium-Format Cameras
    • 35mm Cameras
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  • 1971-1992
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• Olympus History Top

In 1948, Olympus introduced the Olympus 35I, the first 35mm camera released on the Japanese domestic market. However, the market for 35mm cameras was still in its formative stages, and for some time Olympus also sold medium-format and twin-lens reflex cameras, such as the Chrome Six and Flex, in addition to the 35I. Eventually 35mm cameras became the dominant products in the market. Olympus expanded the potential of 35mm cameras by introducing a number of innovations, including wide-lens cameras, cameras with built-in exposure meters, and exchangeable lens cameras.

Olympus 35 I

Olympus 35 S-3.5

Olympus Wide

Olympus WideE

Olympus Wide Super

Olympus Ace

Olympus 35 I   (1948) Released in 1948, the Olympus 35 I was the first 35mm camera sold in the Japanese market. Olympus developed the camera to meet two key requirements. First, it had to be compact and light. Second, it had to support rapid shooting. The speed with which users could wind the film, charge (the shutter) and push the shutter earned the 35I the nickname "ickpocket camera" because it took pictures as quickly as pickpockets took valuables from their victims. This capacity for rapid shooting made the Olympus 35I extremely popular. When it first went on sale, it was designed for a 24x32mm image size. This was subsequently modified to the present 24x36mm size, which is suitable for slide mounting. The Olympus 35 I was priced at ¥10,600 yen. The series continued to evolve, culminating in the Olympus 35V.

Olympus 35 S-3.5   (1955) Olympus launched the Olympus 35 S-3.5 in 1955 as a high-end version of the Olympus 35. The camera was packed with innovative ideas and was the first Japanese-made lens/shutter camera with a film advance lever. Other features included a self-cocking mechanism that charged the shutter as the film advanced, and even a coupled rangefinder. An F2.8 lens was subsequently introduced, and eventually Olympus also launched Japan's first 35mm lens/shutter camera with an F1.9 large-aperture lens.

Olympus Wide   (1955) In 1955 Olympus introduced the Olympus Wide. Designed specifically for wide-angle photography, the Olympus Wide was an Olympus 35V camera fitted with a wide-angle lens. To facilitate framing, the camera featured a natural-light bright-frame finder. The Olympus Wide became hugely popular because it provided an easy way to take superb, wide-angle photographs that had previously only been possible using expensive cameras with exchangeable lenses. The Olympus Wide helped to pioneer the subsequent wide-angle camera boom.

Olympus WideE   (1957) Launched in 1957, the Olympus Wide E was the first Japanese camera with an uncoupled exposure meter. It also featured a lever-type film advance mechanism. The appropriate combination of shutter speed and aperture could be achieved simply by reading the figure from the scale in the selenium cell exposure meter and setting the indicator accordingly.

Olympus Wide Super   (1957) The Olympus Wide Super went on sale in 1957 as a high-end model in the Olympus Wide series. It featured an F2 large-aperture wide-angle lens, a coupled range-finder and a parallax corrected view-finder. It was the first camera equipped with the "free light value" system, which allowed the photographer to set the shutter speed and aperture combination simply by reading the light value in a small window between the shutter ring and aperture ring.

Olympus Ace   (1958) Launched in 1958, the Olympus Ace was Japan's first 35mm lens/shutter camera that could be used with exchangeable lenses. There were three lenses: a standard 45mm, a wide-angle 35mm, and a telephoto 80mm. All of the lenses could be coupled with the rangefinder.

* Other products can be viewed on the product line-up page.

* The information shown is based on information in initial product announcements.

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