This photo of my photoalbum was taken in Okinawa.

Founded in 1914 as the Russian Optical and Mechanical Company, it manufactured gun sights during World War I. Today LOMO makes military optics, scientific research instruments, criminological microscopes, medical equipment, and a range of consumer products. It produced the first Russian camera in 1930. Known as GOMZ (State Optical-Mechanical Plant), the company was transformed under the directorship of Mikhail Panfilov, who united several industries and founded the LOMO Association in 1962. Panfilov was the General Director until 1984, when he retired and was replaced by Georgy Khizha as Director General. In 1990 - 1997 Ilya Klebanov was the Director General of LOMO Association. The company went public in 1993, and was renamed LOMO PLC; it is traded on the RTS Classic Stock Market. The company is ISO 9001 certified and exports world-wide. Night-vision devices and telescopes account for 30% of the company's exports. Germany is the largest importer of LOMO products. Medical equipment, fiber optic cables and Endoscopes, optical components and cameras are consumed mainly by the Russian market and other states of the former Soviet Union. Military equipment and science research instruments make a significant share of production for export to such countries as Israel, India, USA, Canada, Mexico, and other international markets. Its Maksutov telescope range is highly regarded by amateur astronomers. The word LOMO is often used to refer to the Lomo LC-A and other LOMO branded consumer cameras; while the cameras have a large following around the world, the cameras themselves are a minor product for LOMO PLC. For more information about LOMO branded consumer cameras such as Zenith and Smena 8M, see lomography. In 1980 - 1990, LOMO is also currently a manufacturer of die-cast models in 1:43 scale. LOMO factory mass produces 1:43 scale models of the 1930's-1950's vehicles on AMO, ZiS, ZiL and GAZ chassis.

Contax was a camera brand noted for its unique, and sometimes odd, technical innovation and a wide range of Zeiss lenses, noted for their high optical quality. Its latest incarnation was a line of 35 mm, medium format and digital cameras engineered and manufactured by Kyocera, featuring modern optics engineered by Carl Zeiss, which has an outstanding reputation for high quality photographic equipment. On April 12, 2005, Kyocera announced that they will no longer produce Contax cameras.