Upholding the banner of ‘trustworthiness and creativity’, Nikon’s imaging journey inspires awe
When you think of cameras, and you want the best of the best, one name that pops up instantly is Nikon. This world-renowned brand, now a subsidiary of The Nikon Group, embodies everything you could possibly want from an imaging products manufacturer. Whether you are investing in your first camera to record your holiday snaps, or you are capturing the latest fashion trends on a shoot for Vogue as a professional, Nikon will have the perfect camera for you. Not to mention, steppers, scanners, semiconductor inspection equipment, measuring instruments, microscopes, ophthalmic lenses and much more.
Nikon is a company that was founded on the basis of creating a product and a company that you can trust and depend on completely to provide you with the ability to be creative. They have a passion for the development of lenses and enhancing the power of light in order to achieve the best results possible. Not only is the technology important to what they do but at the heart of Nikon’s vision. They aspire to think outside the box, to be curious and investigate the market to see what people want, to be broad-minded, to be excellent problem solvers, to communicate effectively and to be sincere and honest in everything they do. It is a tall order that they give themselves. But it seems to be one that they are more than capable of living up to.
The story began in 1917 in Japan. Two of Japan’s leading optical manufacturers team up to form Nippon Kogaku K.K. The company began as an optics and glass specialist but quickly moved into the development of binoculars and microscopes. The founding group soon gained a reputation for an outstanding commitment to research and skillful production.
The first Nikon product to be launched was the Tenyu binoculars, an astounding piece of craftsmanship for its time and a design they inherited from Fuji Glassworks, a company whom Nikon had bought out. From this central starting point, the company has grown into one of the most recognised brands on the planet.
In 1932, ‘Nikkor’ became the official brand for the company’s production of lenses and it has remained so ever since, producing lenses for everything from compact cameras to NASA telescopes.
An immeasurable range of products, some of which hardly ever saw the light of day, is kept recorded in the archives at the head office in Tokyo. One such piece is the 1947 Nikon 1 model No 6091 which was a prototype of the first small sized camera to be produced by Nikon. Only 20 were made and this one is believed to have sat in the archive untouched for 20 years.
During the 1950’s and 60’s, the company expanded rapidly, setting up corporations across Europe and the US, with the New York Times commenting on the superior quality of Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses. This took them to the next level of recognition and the meteoric heights of respectability that they command today. This trademark for reliable brilliance manifests itself in all Nikon products you buy today. You choose to invest in a new and improved version of the company’s original Tenyu binoculars, in the form of the ‘EDG’ brand, the ‘finest instrument in the field of sport optics’. And if you are trying out your hand at some serious photography and want just the right camera, there is simply no better semi-professional digital SLR on the market than the Nikon D300, so you would be silly to look anywhere else.
With four main categories of production, the group now subdivides its company into specialist branches who deal with Imaging Products, Sports Optics, Precision Equipment and Instrument products. Alongside this, in the more than 90 years that Nikon has existed, they have collected a huge range of valuable assets which has allowed its expansion to cover the globe and it now exists as the Nikon Group which includes a huge range of business franchises. The variety of ventures that the group has invested in all come within a specific category, but with one aim: “contribute to society through technologies that make use of light.” A notion which is at the heart of their vision.
From working with NASA to create telescopic lenses for space shuttles and far reaching solar telescopes, to working with medicinal companies developing new technologies or the improvement an enhancement of sight, or the creation of specialist microscopes and probing devices used in revolutionary surgical procedures, Nikon has their fingers in many many pies.
From a company as huge as Nikon, you might expect them to have lost their personal touch. But with this group, you see quite the opposite. They are devoted to their customers and the feedback that they provide. They are also responsible in terms of ensuring that their carbon footprint is as minimal as possible; that they give fair terms of employment to local people in and around their factories, outlets and offices; and make a philanthropic contribution to good causes on a regular basis.
But what can Nikon offer you in a world that is becoming increasingly globalised and over-crowded with every sort of new technology? Can this figurehead of the photographic world keep up?
Well, yes.
Yes, because, not only does Nikon have a reputation for outstanding quality, it also really appreciates and values its customers’ point of view. In 2007, the company enacted: “Our Aspirations — Meeting needs. Exceeding expectations” as the new vision to create a new Nikon for the future. “Despite the current global economic turmoil, the operations of our Precision Equipment, Imaging and Instruments Companies will never be allowed to stagnate… we’re constantly revitalising our organisation… and such initiatives will enable Nikon to continue growing in the generations to come, assuring us of a truly exceptional role in the world,” says Michio Kariya, the President of The Nikon Group.
Clearly, the future of Nikon looks to be in safe hands, both for those who work for the company and for loyal customers who continue to invest in this top of the range product for its reliability, flexibility and ability to inspire creative flair through the annual Nikon Photo Contest International, Nikon Salon and Nikkor Club. Picture perfect indeed.
Nikon milestones
1917- Founded in Japan as Nippon Kogaku K.K
1921 – Nikon released their first compact binoculars – Mikron
1932 – Nikkor adopted as brand name for camera lenses
1945 –With the end of World War II, production shifted to cameras, microscopes, binoculars, surveying instruments, measuring instruments and ophthalmic lenses
1950 – The New York Times commends the superior brand of Nikon cameras
1959 – Nikon market their first SLR camera, the Nikon F
1972 – Nikon sunglasses make it to the market
1980 – Nikon SLR cameras delivered to NASA for use on the space shuttle
1983 – Nikon L35AF, Nikon’s first autofocus compact camera, launched
1989 – Nikon establish their first digital imaging showroom
1992 – Nikonos RS, world’s first underwater autofocus SLR camera, launched. In the same year, ‘Nikon ism’ Hearing Aid is introduced
1993 – Selpeed, the world’s first EC (electrochromic) sunglasses, with lenses that change colour in response to brightness, launched
1997 – Coolpix 100 digital camera hits the market
2001 – D1x digital SLR camera launched
2007 – Nikon India becomes fully incorporated subsidiary of Nikon Tokyo
2007 – Nikon D Series digital SLR cameras are recognized as ‘Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Digital SLR cameras’, according to JD Power and Associates 2007 Digital Camera Satisfaction Study
2007 – Nikon Corporation, the parent company of Nikon Inc., c
elebrates its 90th anniversary and announced the production of over 40 million Nikkor SLR interchangeable lenses
2008 – D3 digital SLR camera launched
2009 – NASA orders D3S digital SLR cameras and interchangeable lenses from Nikon. In June, the company celebrates the 50th anniversary of Nikon F-mount, the camera that started it all
2010 – Nikon Corporation receives Intel’s ‘preferred quality supplier’ award
2010 – Nikon nominated as one of the ‘leaders’ by the investor coalition formed by signatories to the UN-backed Responsible Investment Initiative