Since their inception in 1919, Olympus has been steadily proving itself to be a leader in camera technology. Based in Tokyo, Japan, Olympus began its legacy of innovation with the much acclaimed PEN models of cameras that were introduced in 1959. These cameras were ahead of their time then, and Olympus has successfully stayed at the forefront of technology since that time.
Like many of the top camera manufacturers in the world, Pentax is a company based out of Japan. Pentax, formerly known as Asahi, has been making waves in the camera community since 1952 when they introduced what was the first Japanese SLR style camera, the Asahi I. Since that time, Pentax has continued to create world-class cameras and camera equipment.
While most of us have at one time or another used standard and perhaps even medium format cameras and camera equipment, the use of large format cameras is much less prevalent. Large format cameras, strictly speaking, are those that use either film or a digital processor that is six by nine centimeters or larger. These large-scale cameras offer a host of benefits for those who are willing to invest a little effort.