This article discusses the cameras – mainly 35 mm SLRs – manufactured by Pentax (ペンタックス, Pentakkusu) Ricoh Imaging Corp. and its predecessors, Pentax Corporation (ペンタックス株式会社, Pentakkusu Kabushiki-gaisha) and Asahi Optical Co., Ltd. (旭光学工業株式会社, Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō Kabushiki-gaisha). Pentax must not be confused with Pentax 6x7 or Pentax 67 which are 120 medium format 6x7cm film cameras. It covers from the first "Asahiflex" models in 1952 and their successor, the pivotal "Asahi Pentax" single-lens reflex camera, last made in 1997, to the present time known as "Pentax" first made in 1981.
Background The period around 1950 marked the return of the Japanese photographic industry to the vigorous level of the early 1940s, and its emergence as a major exporter. The newly reborn industry had sold many of its cameras to the occupation forces (with hugely more disposable income than the Japanese) and they were well received. The Korean War saw a huge influx of journalists and photographers to the Far East, where they were impressed by lenses from companies such as Nikon and Canon for their Leica rangefinder cameras, and also by bodies by these and other companies to supplement and replace the Leica and Contax cameras they were using. This was the background to the development of Asahi Optical's first camera.
Timeline of innovation 1952: The first Japanese SLR (Asahiflex) 1954: The world's first instant return mirror system (Asahiflex IIb) in a pentaprism SLR 1966: Asahi is the world's first camera manufacturer to produce one million SLRs (after only in 14 years of manufacturing) 1967: Opening of the first camera museum in Japan owned by a camera manufacturer located at Nishiazabu, Tokyo (moved to Mashiko plant in 1993) 1971: The world's first SLR camera with a TTL automatic-exposure control. This camera was the Pentax ES 1971: The world's first Super Multi-Coated lenses (Takumar lens series) 1976: The world's first gallium arsenide light meter in a SLR (developed in conjunction with Nippon electronics) 1976: The smallest and lightest 35mm full-frame SLR camera (Pentax MX and ME) 1979: The world's first camera to incorporate the concept of push-button shutter speed control. This camera was the Pentax ME Super 1980: The world's first through-the-lens autofocus camera. This camera was the Pentax ME F 1981: The first camera manufacturer to reach the production milestone of 10 million SLR cameras (Asahi Optical) 1984: The world's first multi-mode medium format camera. This camera was the Pentax 645 1987: The first 35mm SLR camera to feature a built-in TTL auto flash (SF-1) 1991: The world's first weather-resistant zoom compact camera is launched. That camera was the "PENTAX ZOOM 90WR" 1995: The world's smallest autofocus SLR camera designed based on the concept of "intuitive operation" is launched. That camera was the PENTAX MZ-5 1997: The world's first autofocus medium format SLR camera. That camera was the Pentax 645N 2008: The world's smallest digital SLR camera equipped with an image sensor equivalent to the APS-C size format is launched. That camera was the PENTAX K-m 2010: The world's first to introduce a digital medium format SLR camera. That camera was the Pentax 645D 2011: The world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera (ILC) in a body significantly smaller than every other digital ILC body available on the market. That camera was the Pentax Q 2012: The world's first medium format DSLR without IR cut filter especially for research, archival, and law enforcement use. This camera was the 645D IR 2012: The first mirrorless camera to natively support a SLR lens lineup. This camera was the K-01 2014: The world's first to achieve a score above 100 at DxO. The camera was the 645Z with a 101 DxO score 2016: Pentax was the first to introduce a weather resistant and backside illuminated flexible tilt type LCD monitor with their first professional full frame DSLR. This camera was the Pentax K-1 2023: Pentax announced they are developing a new 35mm film camera under the project title Pentax Film Camera Project, although it appears to have been canceled. 2024: Pentax releases a new compact film camera, the Pentax 17. Camera uses 35mm film and takes pictures in half-frame format
Screw mount cameras
Asahiflex Series
Asahi Optical introduced its first 35 mm camera in 1952. Asahi was unusual in deciding to start with a high-quality 35mm camera that was not a copy of something else. Its designers were convinced of the inherent superiority of the SLR and so proceeded along these lines. This effort resulted in the Asahiflex I, which was also the first Japanese 35mm SLR. There has always been a close design relationship between the products of Asahi, and those made in Germany (and later East Germany) by a variety of manufacturers, most notably Zeiss Ikon. In the case of the Asahiflex, study should be made of the immediate pre-war and immediate post-war models of the Praktiflex, which could be properly called the inspiration for the Asahiflex. This is, however, not very likely, since the cameras are very different in mechanical construction and form, although the specifications show many similarities. According to other sources, it was a pre-war Reflex Corelle, owned by president Mr. Matsumoto, that inspired the Asahiflex. The camera was designed by two engineers who had previously worked at Konishi (Konica). The Asahiflex I had a non-interchangeable waist-level viewfinder, with a direct optical viewfinder for eye-level use. The Asahiflex I had a non-returning mirror and shutter speeds from 1/25 to 1/500. The camera used the M37 screw mount. It went through some minor modifications for flash use, resulting in the IA. With the IIB a key advance was made: the quick-return mirror. The problem of mirror black-out was one of the main problems with prior SLR designs, greatly reducing usability and a major reason for the greater popularity of the rangefinder. With the IIB there emerged the first practical quick-return mirror, a vital innovation and one which was quickly adopted by other manufacturers. With the final model in the series, the IIA, the Asahiflex gained slow speeds from 1/25th of a second to 1/2 of a second.
Asahiflex I (1952–1953) Asahiflex IA (1953–1954) Asahiflex IIB (1954–1956) Asahiflex IIA (1955–1957)
Asahi-Pentax Series (pre Spotmatic)
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