Pentax's Slogans & Taglines

Pentax is a Japanese imaging and optical brand with roots dating back to 1919, when Kumao Kajiwara founded Asahi Kogaku Goshi Kaisha in Tokyo to manufacture spectacle lenses. The company evolved into Asahi Optical Company in 1938 and introduced the Pentax name in 1957 with the launch of Japan’s first 35mm SLR camera featuring a pentaprism viewfinder. Over subsequent decades, the brand built a reputation for rugged, compact camera bodies and precision optics, producing iconic models such as the Spotmatic and K1000. The company was acquired by Hoya Corporation in 2007 and its imaging division was subsequently transferred to Ricoh in 2011, where it continues to develop DSLR cameras, interchangeable lenses, sport optics, and CCTV systems.

Brand messaging has evolved from the tactile, design-led promise of the 1960s, Just hold a Pentax, to the emotional positioning of Focus on your feelings and For your precious moments in the 2000s, and later to the lifestyle-oriented Pix your life in 2011, reflecting its shift from pure engineering credibility to a broader creative-consumer identity.