Pentax is a historic optics brand now owned by Ricoh Imaging Company, best known for cameras, lenses, and sport optics. Founded in 1919 as Asahi Kogaku in Tokyo, the company originally produced spectacle lenses before expanding into camera and cine lenses. Renamed Asahi Optical in 1938, it supplied optical instruments during World War II and later resumed consumer production. In 2007, Pentax merged with Hoya Corporation, which focused on medical optics, while camera manufacturing shifted to Southeast Asia. In 2011, Hoya sold the Pentax camera business to Ricoh, forming Ricoh Imaging Company, which continues the Pentax photography legacy today.