With Olympus products, you can take pictures of people or look inside of them. Although best known for its cameras, the company is a world leader in endoscopes and other medical equipment. Its medical systems group also designs and manufactures other endosurgery and ultrasound equipment. Olympus is neck-and-neck with Sony as the #1 maker worldwide of digital cameras. Other imaging system products include binoculars, optical components, and digital audio recorders. The company's life science group makes medical microscopes and associated image capturers while its industrial unit handles non-medical microscopes, chemical analyzers, and industrial videoscopes. Olympus started in 1919 as Takachiho Seisakusho.