
Originally, Asahi Pentax produced lenses for several camera manufacturers. In 1951 the company began to manufacture its own cameras. The
first
of these, the Asahiflex, was also the first
Japanese 35mm SLR. The 'Pentax' trademark was acquired by Asahi from Zeiss Ikon in 1957. Many Pentax
cameras
were also sold under the 'Honeywell' name,
by the Honeywell company, which was a distributor, not a manufacturer. In 2002 Asahi company was renamed to
Pentax (see post-2002 cameras in that section). On March 31, 2008, Pentax merged with the Hoya Corporation.
You can
find quite a bit of information about Pentax
SLR cameras at Bojidar Dimitrov's Pentax K-Mount Page.
If you are looking for Asahi/Pentax collectible lens prices, check the Asahi Lens Price Guide. |