Canon Inc. (キヤノン株式会社) Kiyanon kabushiki-gaisha is a Japanese multinational corporation that specialises in the manufacture of imaging and optical products, including cameras, camcorders, photocopiers, steppers and computer printers. Its headquarters are located in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan.
The company was originally (until 1947) named Seikikōgaku kenkyūsho (jap. 精機光學研究所, Precision Optical Industry Co. Ltd.), founded by Goro Yoshida. In 1934 it produced a prototype for Japan’s first-ever 35 mm camera with a focal plane shutter. It was a copy of the Leica design and was named Kwanon. During these first years the company did not have the facilities to produce their own optical glass, so the first cameras came with Nikkor lenses from Nippon Kogaku K.K. (the later Nikon Corporation). In 1947 the company name was changed to Canon and the first own Serenar lenses were made.
Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory is the predecessor of Canon Inc. and was founded in Tokyo in 1937 by Takeshi Mitarai,…