NIKKOR lenses for interchangeable lens cameras reach a total production of 100 million

MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA – Creating a historic milestone for the NIKKOR brand of lenses since its inception in 1932, an impressive production of 100 million NIKKOR lenses^*1 has been produced as of June this year, as proudly announced by Nikon Middle East FZE today.

NIKKOR's illustrious history began in 1932 with Nikon's, then Nippon Kogaku K.K., registration of the NIKKOR trademark. It soon followed in 1933 with the release of Aero-Nikkor aerial photographic lenses. In 1959, Nikon released the Nikon F SLR camera as well as its first NIKKOR lenses for Nikon SLR cameras including the NIKKOR-S Auto 5cm f/2.

• Nikon F mount, running parallel to NIKKOR lenses for more than 50 years

The mount used by Nikon for its SLR cameras and interchangeable lenses in more than half a century that has passed since Nikon released its first SLR camera in 1959, the Nikon F, has been the Nikon F mount. Since the introduction of the Nikon F mount in 1950, a bayonet mount has been adopted, with the usage of stainless steel, a property known for its superior durability and corrosion resistance, and the mount's basic design foresaw the increase in lens diameters. Throughout its history, the cutting-edge technologies of the time, including aperture control and autofocus, have been adopted for the F mount, and Nikon will continue to do so, ensuring support for the latest digital cameras and lenses.

• NIKKOR lens characteristics achieved with OPTIA

While developing the latest optical technologies and commercialisation of products utilising these technologies, Nikon continues its work in the research and development of means of evaluating optical performance. In 2013, Nikon began development and deployment of OPTIA^*2, a device for measuring all forms of aberration^*3 occurring with photographic lenses that was originally developed as a means of measuring aberration in IC steppers and scanners, as well as a dedicated image simulator that is used with OPTIA. OPTIA and the dedicated image simulator are still used to evaluate and verify NIKKOR lens characteristics today.

In addition to resolution, camera lens performance is also indicated by characteristics such as “bokeh”, reproduction of textures and sense of depth. The application of OPTIA’s aberration measurement to Nikon lenses has always been highly reputable.

The image simulator, a software developed alongside OPTIA, enables simulation at the design stage that is equivalent to actual photography with lens prototypes. With this, lenses can be developed with greater control over not only resolution, but also a wide variety of lens characteristics.

Adoption of the new design concept formulated with the use of OPTIA and the image simulator will enable more effective development of high-performance lenses with unique characteristics, thus allowing Nikon to provide customers with interchangeable lenses experience that offer new forms of value.

One of the lenses designed using OPTIA is the new AF-S NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED, released today. This lens embodies the "three-dimensional high-fidelity”, superior reproduction characteristics, design concept that represents Nikon's ideal with more natural three-dimensional reproduction of three-dimensional objects on the two-dimensional field known as a photograph. It enables photos with a natural sense of depth and in which the primary subject is impressively rendered, while expressing beautiful bokeh characteristics that change gradually as the distance from the focus position increases.

Nikon will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2017 with expectations to continue developing high-quality, appealing products that exceed expectations with more advanced technologies and even stricter quality control, and to offer the services our users need.

¹ Interchangeable lenses for Nikon SLR cameras and Nikon 1 Advanced Camera with Interchangeable Lenses

² Optical Performance and Total Image Analyzer

³ Aberration occurs when light from one point of an object does not converge into a single point after transmission through an optical system, causing image "bleed" or "blur". Aberration may also cause the image of an object to be formed in a different shape from that of the object

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About Nikon

Nikon. At the Heart of the Image. Nikon is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognised for setting new standards in product design and performance for its award-winning consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Middle East FZE distributes consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, NIKKOR optics, Speedlights and system accessories; Nikon COOLPIX compact digital cameras; Nikon sports optics as well as the Nikon 1 advanced cameras with interchangeable lens system in over 50 countries. For more information, visit http://nikon-asia.com. Connect with Nikon and other photographers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NikonAsia and get the latest news and information from Twitter by following @NikonAsia.