About Tamron

Today, Tamron is recognized the world around for our unparalleled camera lenses. We proudly serve as namesake for Mr. Uhyoue Tamura, an optical designer whose dedication to our company laid the groundwork for our present success, but our storied past took many turns before we settled into our identity as one of the world’s most prominent camera lens manufacturers. More than 70 years have passed since Tamron was founded, and each of them has been filled with expansion, drive, and commitment.

In 1950, Tasei Optical Equipment Manufacturing was established in Urawa-city. In its fledgling days, our company produced cameras and binocular lenses, a pursuit which has obviously stood the test of time. Two years later, the company was incorporated with 2.5 million yen of capital, and seven years later, our production of camera lenses expanded to include a 135mm F/4.5 lens. In 1958, Tamron Brand was registered as a trademark. At that point, the company’s head office and main plant found a home in Hasunuma, Omiya-city, where they remained for more than 16 years.

The 1960s were a period of phenomenal growth for Tamron. We began mass-producing telephoto zoom lenses and other interchangeable mount lenses, as well as manufacturing optical equipment like television broadcasting lenses and photocopier lenses. This production boom was made simpler by the establishment of our Hirosaki Plant in Aomori Prefecture.

In April of 1970, the company’s name was officially changed to Tamron Co., Ltd., and the business went international over the course of the next decade. Our head office was moved to Tokyo, and our U.S. subsidiary was established in New York City, sparking the decades of expansion into international markets that followed. It was also in the ‘70s that Tamron’s “Adaptall” lens and “Super-Performance Series” were introduced.

By the early 1980s, Tamron had established a second production building at our Hirosaki Plant and expanded into the German market. In the years that followed, Tamron began production on integrated video lenses, and took the company public with the Tokyo Stock Exchange, increasing capital to 3,835,575,000 yen, a clear sign that the business which had been a small production 30 years earlier was not slowing down anytime soon. It was in this decade that Tamron began producing molds and dyes for a high degree of manufacturing precision, even establishing a dedicated molding plant in Owani-machi, Aomori Prefecture.

After four decades of steady growth, Tamron celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1990. Throughout the next decade, our company established subsidiaries in Mexico, Hong Kong, and China, before absorbing the long-standing company Bronica Co., Ltd.; at the turn of the millennium, Tamron put down roots in France and celebrated its 50th anniversary with a commemoration event.

As our product lineups continued to expand and hone into the area of DSLRS lenses and mirrorless lenses, many of our plants began to achieve ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certification in the early 2000s. Our head office moved once more in 2005, settling in Hasunuma, Minuma-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture.

In the 21st century, Tamron has further expanded into Shanghai, Russia, India, and Vietnam, and has been listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange making clear that Tamron is a global force in the camera lens manufacturing space.

Today, Tamron is proud to offer the opportunity to buy new Tamron lenses through our robust network of authorized Tamron dealers, providing our customers with the same level of quality we have been committed to providing for more than 70 years.