This year, 2008, is a commemorative year, marking 60 years of Nikon Cameras and the 75th anniversary of NIKKOR camera lenses. The first NIKKOR lens was introduced in 1933, and in 1948 came the introduction of the first Nikon compact 35mm camera, the Nikon I.
The history of Nikon dates back to 1917 when three of Japan’s leading optical manufacturers merged to form a fully integrated optical company. By the end of the century Nikon would have accumulated an immense poll of know-how and experience to become a world leader in not only optics and imaging but also industrial equipment and health and medicine sector.
Today Nikon designs, develops, manufactures and markets a gamut of optical, photographic and optoelectronic products globally. You will find them at work in virtually every corner of the earth. If it has something to do with light, Nikon has something to do with it.
The driving force behind Nikon is technology. Not only in manufacturing and assembling the finest lenses or most comprehensive photography system in the world, but also in making the glass itself. That is why Nikon products have gained worldwide customer satisfaction, and even professional recognition worldwide.
About the NIKKOR brand
NIKKOR is the brand name for Nikon camera lenses. It was created by adding an “R” to “NIKKO,” an abbreviation of Nippon Kogaku K.K., the original company name of Nikon Corporation at the time of its founding. In 1933, Nikon marketed its first camera lens under the NIKKOR brand name, the “Aero-NIKKOR,” for aerial photography applications.
Since then, NIKKOR has developed extensively into both consumer and industrial markets, becoming a synonym for Japan’s leading high-performance lenses. Nippon Kogaku K.K. first began manufacturing lenses for consumer-type cameras in the post-war period, and NIKKOR lenses have come to be cherished as interchangeable camera lenses by photographers around the world. In 1950, The New York Times commented that Nikon cameras and NIKKOR lenses used by photographers for Life magazine were superior to those made in Germany, significantly enhancing the reputations of both Nikon and NIKKOR far and wide.
NIKKOR has always been a leader in innovation, and in 1968 introduced a fisheye lens for SLRs, the OP Fisheye-Nikkor 10mm f/5.6, the world’s first SLR lens featuring an aspherical lens.
The Ultra Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8 introduced in 1962 was the template for projection lenses employed in Nikon semiconductor manufacturing devices that currently boast the world’s highest level of resolution.
Nikon continuously introduces new and innovative manufacturing technologies to interchangeable NIKKOR lenses for SLRs. One recent example is Nano Crystal Coat, which originated in the development of the most precise semiconductor manufacturing devices, virtually eliminating internal lens element reflections to effectively reduce ghosting and flare.