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'' (), also known as 'Nikon' or 'Nikon Corp.', is a Japanese company specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication. It was founded in 1917 as ''Nippon Kōgaku''; the company was renamed Nikon Corporation, after its cameras, in 1988. Nikon is one of the Mitsubishi companies.
The name ''Nikon'', which dates from 1946, is a merging of ''Nippon Kōgaku'' (日本光学: "Japan Optical") and an imitation of Zeiss ''Ikon''. Nikon is pronounced differently around the world. The Japanese pronunciation of the name is , but in the United States people also use and .^[1]
Among its famous products are Nikkor camera lenses (notably those designed for the company's own F-mount SLR cameras), Nikonos underwater cameras, the Nikon F-series of professional 135 film SLR cameras, and the Nikon D-series digital SLRs. Nikon has helped lead the transition to digital photography with both the Coolpix line of consumer and prosumer cameras as well as system cameras like the Nikon D200, D80, D70s and D50, and professional DSLRs including the D2 series (see below).
Nikon's main competitors include Canon, Kodak, Sony, Pentax, Fujifilm and Olympus.

Contents

History

Shareholders

Holdings

Cameras

Digital compact cameras

Optics

Sport optics

Binoculars

Spotting scopes

Other lenses

Flash guns

Film scanners

References in popular culture

Notes and references

See also

External links

History

Nikon Corporation was established in 1917 when two leading optical manufacturers merged to form a comprehensive, fully integrated optical company known as Nippon Kogaku K.K. Over the next 60 years this growing company became a leading manufacturer of optical lenses and precision equipment used in cameras, binoculars, microscopes and inspection equipment. During World War II the company grew to 19 factories and 23,000 employees, supplying items such as binoculars, lenses, bomb sights and periscopes to the Japanese military. After the war it reverted to its civilian product range with a single factory.
Nikon lenses were popularised by the American photojournalist, Douglas David Duncan's use at the time of the Korean War.^[2] Fitting Nikon optics to his Leica rangefinder cameras produced high contrast negatives with bitingly sharp resolution at the centre field.
Besides cameras, Nikon Corporation (Nikon) is recognized as a world leader in development and manufacturing of advanced optical and precision photolithography equipment. In 1980, the first stepper, the NSR-1010G, was produced in Japan. Since then, Nikon has introduced over 50 models of steppers and scanners for the production of semiconductors and liquid crystal displays. Nikon currently designs and manufactures precision equipment for use in semiconductor and liquid crystal display (LCD) fabrication, inspection, and measurement. Nikon also designs and manufactures visual imaging products including cameras; instruments such as microscopes; and other products such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems, binoculars, surveying instruments, eyewear, sport optics, and optical measuring and inspection equipment.
In 1982, Nikon Precision Inc. (NPI) was established in the United States. NPI is the North American sales and service arm specifically for Nikon Corporation's semiconductor photolithography equipment and is headquartered in Belmont, California. Fueled by a rapidly growing customer base, the company quickly expanded. In 1990, NPI opened its current headquarters and the facility now includes corporate offices, a fully equipped world-wide training center (WWTC), service operations, applications engineering, technology engineering, quality and reliability engineering, training, technical support, sales, and marketing for Nikon equipment serving the wafer, photomask, flat panel display, and thin-film magnetic head industries. Today, NPI is an industry leader in supplying and supporting advanced photolithography equipment used in the critical stages of semiconductor manufacturing.
Nikon Corporation also has research and development operations in the U.S. under Nikon Research Corporation of America (NRCA), which directly supports R&D efforts of the Precision Equipment Division in Kumagaya, Japan. By leveraging its strong and long-standing customer relationships, global brand recognition, and technological expertise, Nikon has positioned themselves to maintain their market leadership through its emphasis on leading-edge research and development and its ability to adapt its products to meet its customers' rapidly changing needs. The Nikon brand has recently slipped behind rival Canon in total sales. Nikon, once the industry leader, has found itself playing catch up to Canon, who was quicker to market with such innovations as image stabalization and pizeo-electric (ultra sonic motor) focusing.
Today, Nikon Group Companies total nearly 17,000 employees worldwide.
In January 2006, Nikon announced it would stop making most of its film camera models and all of its large format lenses, and focus on digital models^[3].

Shareholders

Nikon is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange under number 7731.
(As of September 2004)

★ The Master Trust Bank of Japan, Ltd. (8.5%)

★ Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company (5.6%)

★ The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Ltd. (3.3%)

★ Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd.(2.9%)

★ Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (2.7%)

★ State Street Bank and Trust Company (2.7%)

★ The Mitsubishi Trust and Banking Corporation (2.5%)

★ Nippon Life Insurance Company (2.4%)

★ The Joyo Bank, Ltd. (1.8%)

★ JP Morgan Chase Oppenheimer Funds (1.7%)

Holdings

The companies held by Nikon form the Nikon Group

Cameras

In January 2006 Nikon announced [1] it will stop production of all but two models of its film cameras, focusing its efforts on the digital camera market. It will continue to produce the low-end FM10 and high-end F6, and announced a commitment to service all of the film cameras for a period of ten years after production ceases. [2]

Film 35 mm SLR cameras with manual focus

★ Nikon FM3A

★ Nikon FM10

★ Nikon FE10

★ Nikon FA

★ Nikon FE

★ Nikon FE2

★ Nikon FG

★ Nikon FG20

★ Nikon FM

★ Nikon FM2 series

★ Nikon F series ''(labeled in Germany as Nikkor)''

★ Nikon F2 series

★ Nikon F3 series

★ Nikkormat F series ''(known in Japan as Nikomat)''

★ Nikkormat EL series ''(known in Japan as Nikomat)''

★ Nikkorex series

★ Nikon EL2

★ Nikon EM

★ Nikon F301 ''(known in North America as the N2000)''

★ Nikon F601m ''(known in North America as the N6000)''

Film APS SLR cameras

★ Nikon Pronea S (1997) [3]

★ Nikon Pronea 600i ''also known as the Pronea 6i'' (1996) [4]

Film 35 mm SLR cameras with autofocus

★ Nikon F50 ''(known in the U.S. as the N50)''

★ Nikon F60 ''(known in the U.S. as the N60)''

★ Nikon F70 ''(known in the U.S. as the N70)''

★ Nikon F401 ''(known in the U.S. as the N4004)''

★ Nikon F401S ''(known in theU.S. as the N4004s)''

★ Nikon F401X ''(known in the U.S. as the N5005)''

★ Nikon F501 ''(known in North America as the N2020)''

★ Nikon F601 ''(known in the U.S. as the N6006)''

★ Nikon F801 ''(known in the U.S. as the N8008)''

★ Nikon F801S ''(known in the U.S. as the N8008s)''

★ Nikon F90 ''(known in the U.S. as the N90)''

★ Nikon F90x ''(known in the U.S. as the N90s)''

★ Nikon F55 ''(known in the U.S. as the N55)''

★ Nikon F65 ''(known in the U.S. as the N65)''

★ Nikon F75 ''(known in the U.S. as the N75)''

★ Nikon F80 ''(known in the U.S. as the N80)''

★ Nikon F100

★ Nikon F3 (F3AF variation)

★ Nikon F4

★ Nikon F5

★ Nikon F6

Rangefinder cameras

★ Nikon I (1948) [5]

★ Nikon M (1949) [6]

★ Nikon S (1951 [7]

★ Nikon S2 (1954) [8]

★ Nikon SP (1957) [9]

★ Nikon S3 (1958) [10]

★ Nikon S4 (1959) [11]

★ Nikon S3M (1960) [12]

★ Nikon S3 2000 (2000) [13]

★ Nikonos line of underwater cameras

Digital compact cameras

★ Nikon Coolpix series

Digital single lens reflex cameras

'Professional range'

★ Nikon D1

★ Nikon D1X

★ Nikon D1H

★ Nikon D2X

★ Nikon D2H

★ Nikon D2Hs

★ Nikon D2Xs

★ Nikon D3, 23 August 2007
'Semi-pro range'


★ Nikon D100, 21 February 2002

★ Nikon D200, 1 November 2005

★ Nikon D300, 23 August 2007
'prosumer range'

★ Nikon D70

★ Nikon D70s

★ Nikon D80
'entry-level range'

★ Nikon D40x

★ Nikon D40

★ Nikon D50
Nikon's raw image format format is NEF, for Nikon Electronic File. The "DSCN" prefix for image files stands for "Digital Still Camera - Nikon."
Nikon designs its own sensors for their professional D Series (except for the D2X, which used a Sony-manufactured CMOS sensor); a majority of their DSLRs have Sony-manufactured CCD sensors.

Optics

Lenses for 35 mm and digital single-lens reflex cameras

★ See Nikon F-mount

Sport optics

Binoculars

★ Sprint IV

★ Sportstar IV

★ Travelite v

★ Mikron

★ Action VII

★ Action VII Zoom

★ Sporter I

★ Venturer 8/10x32

★ Venturer 8x42

★ Roof Prism

★ Monarch

★ Action EX

★ StabilEyes

★ Superior E

★ Marine

Spotting scopes

★ Spotter XL II WP

★ Spotting Scopr R/A II

★ Spotting Scope 80

★ Field Scope III

★ Field Scope ED 82

Other lenses

★ See Nikkor

Flash guns

Nikon uses the term ''Speedlight'' for their electronic flash guns.
'Nikon Speedlights'

★ SB-800

★ SB-600,

★ SB-400,

★ SU-800 (wireless commander unit),

★ SB-R200 (remote macro flash),

★ R1 Wireless Close Up Speedlight Flash System (2 SB-R200s and accessories) ,

★ R1C1 Wireless Close Up Speedlight Flash System (2 SB-R200s, SU-800, and accessories),

★ SB-80DX,

★ SB-50DX,

★ SB-30,

★ SB-29s,

★ SB-29,

★ SB-28DX,

★ SB-28,

★ SB-27,

★ SB-26,

★ SB-25,

★ SB-24,

★ SB-23,

★ SB-22s,

★ SB-22,

★ SB-21A,

★ SB-20,

★ SB-19,

★ SB-18,

★ SB-17,

★ SB-16B,

★ SB-16A,

★ SB-15,

★ SB-14,

★ SB-140 UV-IR,

★ SB-12, the first Nikon TTL flash gun

★ SB-11,

★ SB-10,

★ SB-E,

★ SB-9,

★ SB-8E,

★ SB-7E,

★ SB-6,

★ SB-5,

★ SB-4,

★ SB-3,

★ SB-2,

★ SB-1
'Nikon Marine Speedlights'

★ SB-105,

★ SB-103,

★ SB-102
'Nikon Bulb Flash Units'

★ BC-7,

★ BC-6,

★ BC-5,

★ BC-4,

★ BC-3,

★ BC-B,

★ BC-2,

★ BC-1

Film scanners

★ Coolscan 2000 (35mm),

★ Coolscan IV ED (35mm),

★ Coolscan 4000 ED (35mm),

★ Coolscan 8000 (35mm and medium format),

★ Coolscan V ED (35mm),

★ Super Coolscan 5000 ED (35mm),

★ Super Coolscan 9000 ED (35mm and medium format)

References in popular culture

A "Nikon camera" occurs in the lyrics to

★ the Paul Simon song "Kodachrome" (''Kodachrome / They give us those nice bright colors / They give us the greens of summers / Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, Oh yeah / I got a 'Nikon camera' / I love to take a photograph / So mama don't take my Kodachrome away'')

★ the Oak Ridge Boys song "American-Made" (''Seems everything I buy these days / Has got a foreign name / From the kind of car I drive / To my video game / I got a 'Nikon camera' / A Sony color TV / But the one that I love is from the U.S.A. / And standing next to me'')
The character 'Lord Nikon' played by Laurence Mason in the movie Hackers is inspired by the company name, and the company logos are also imitated in the movie.
In the film Death Wish 3, Paul Kersey (played by Charles Bronson) successfully lures a criminal into the open by using an expensive Nikon camera as bait. The criminal steals the camera and is immediately shot by Paul Kersey.
The lead character in Brewster McCloud steals a brand new Nikon F from a Houston, TX camera store, which he uses to photograph exotic birds at the Houston Zoo.
In the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, the hitmen Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd are seen with a Nikon F.
In the television series , Nikon is the only camera featured.
In Superman Returns, Jimmy Olsen uses a Nikon camera.
In the movie Spider-Man 3, Eddie Brock, Jr. uses a Nikon as his main camera.
In the movie Hot Fuzz, Timothy Messenger uses a Nikon camera to take a picture of police officer Nicholas Angel.

Notes and references

1. Discussion of pronunication at dpreview.com
2. http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/online/ddd/timeline/1950.html Douglas David Duncan meets a young Japanese photographer, Jun Miki, who introduces him to Nikon lenses. Working in Tokyo when the war in Korea breaks out. From July, 1950, to January, 1951, covers the Korean War.
3. Nikon Strengthens Digital Focus for 2006

See also

★ Nikkor

★ Nikon F-mount

★ Nikonian

External links

★ Nikon Corp. website

★ Yahoo! - Nikon Corporation Company Profile