Pentax Corporation was a Japanese optics company, producing cameras, sport optics (e.g. binoculars), etc. The company was merged with and into Hoya Corporation on March 31, 2008. Currently, Pentax is a business division and brand name of Hoya. The corporation is best known for its "Pentax" brand cameras, starting with the pivotal "Asahi Pentax" single-lens reflex camera of 1957, which followed Asahi's first series of cameras, the Asahiflex of 1952. The success of the Pentax series was such that the business eventually renamed itself "Pentax Corporation" after the product. Although the corporation ultimately merged into Hoya Corporation, Hoya continues to develop and market cameras under the Pentax brand.