Olympus History

Fuji OCE (1931)

Like the Homare brand, the Fuji brand has been used continuously for a line of Olympus microscopes ever since the company was founded. The Fuji OCE was launched in 1931.

The microscope comprised a large, high-end microscope body that could be equipped with an Abbe aplanatic condenser (NA 1.4) or devices for dark field illumination and light polarization. As such, it was used for cutting-edge scientific research.

Kokka OCD (1931)

The general-purpose Kokka OCD microscope was also launched in 1931, alongside the Fuji OCE.

Both the Fuji OCE and the Kokka OCD were awarded first prize at the 4th Hatsumei Hakurankai Expo in 1932.

Mizuho LCE (1935)

Olympus released the Mizuho LCE in 1935, 10 years after the first Mizuho brand launch. The Mizuho LCE was the company's first large, binocular biological microscope, marking a major step forward from the previous monocular models. The microscope featured an apochromatic objective lens that provided high resolution and little chromatic aberration, plus a revolver to switch between four lenses. The maximum magnification was 2000x. The microscope used a highly accurate mechanical stage. Overall, the Mizuho LCE provided greatly improved ease of use.

Olympus had already produced another binocular microscope—the Yamato LCD—that used an apochromatic objective lens. The microscope head was replaced with a monocular head when taking photographs using these models.

Homare UCE (1935)

The Homare UCE was a high-end microscope launched at the same time as the Mizuho LCE. The microscope produced roughly the same optical performance as the Mizuho LCE but was a monocular design. This solid design meant the microscope was ideally suited to photography or image projection for microscopic specimens. Production was restarted after the Second World War and this model was marketed until 1959.

Super Photo universal research microscope with a photographic system (1938)

For researchers, recording results of observations through a microscope was a vital issue. In the prewar period, a drawing attachment was used to sketch the observed specimen by hand. The marketing of a drawing prism, the Abbe Drawing Attachment, began around 1934.

At the same time, attempts were made to use photography to preserve observation records. Around 1925, Olympus released the Olympus Microphotograph Apparatus PMA and PMB (horizontal optical axis) for microscopes and Olympus Microphoto (56x93mm), a compact photographic device for microscopes the size of a business card. These technologies were then used in the designs for subsequent photographic devices (such as the PM I, PM II, and PM III).

The Super Photo universal research microscope with a photographic system, introduced in 1938, was the most advanced microscope of the prewar period. Designed for biological and industrial applications, the model had a host of accessories for bright/dark field, neopak, and projection purposes.