1917n Two of Japan’s leading optical manufacturers – the Optical

Instruments Department of Tokyo Keiki Seisakusho and Reflecting Mirror Department of Iwaki Glass Manufacturing – merged with capital investment from Koyata Iwasaki, the President of Mitsubishi, to form a comprehensive, fully integrated optical company known as Nippon Kogaku K.K. (Merged with Fujii Lens Manufacturing immediately after establishment).

1918n Oi Dai-ichi Plant (now Oi Plant) is completedn Research on manufacture of optical glass is initiated

1921n Inviting German engineers and developing the Anytar Lens

1927n Established the mass production of optical glass

1932n NIKKOR is adopted as the brand name for camera lenses

1946n Pointal ophthalmic lens is marketedn Nikon brand name is adopted for small-sized cameras

1950n The New York Times introduces the superior features of Nikon cameras and

NIKKOR lenses to the world

1952n Nikkor Club is established to promote

photography culture

1958n Nikon SP, together with the NIKKOR lens and optical glass, won the grand prix

at the 1958 World Expo held in Brussels

1968n Rotary encoder RIE digital measuring instrument is marketed

1969n Call for entry for the 1st Nikon Photo Contest International

(now Nikon Photo Contest)

1971n Nikon Photomic FTN is mounted on Apollo 15n Ruling Engine No. 2 is completedn Development of Extra-low Dispersion (ED) Glass

1917 1980

1925JOICO Microscope

Domestic Production of Optical Instruments and Original Manufacturing of Optical Glass 1946

Becoming the Comprehensive Optical Instrument Manufacturer of the World

Nikon’s history began in 1917. Since then, we have held two constants: our awareness of customers’ demands, and the uncompromising quality of our manufacturing to satisfy them. This spirit has uninterruptedly been handed down in Nikon.

Nikon technology: developed through our 100-year history, sustainable into the future.

19318-inch astronomical telescope

Cooperation: The National Museum of Nature and Science

1980NSR-1010G Step-and-Repeat System (stepper) for manufacturing VLSIs

1986NSR-L7501G large substrate exposure system

1982OPTISTATION IC wafer inspection system

1948Model I profile projector

1954Model SM stereoscopic microscope

1955Phase contrast microscope

1976Biophot and Metaphot microscopes

1983Alphaphot YS biological microscope

1921MIKRON 4×15 and 6×15 ultra-small-prism binoculars

1982Nikon Fieldscope ED

1959Binoculars Type A (7×35A/8×30A/9×35A)

19786×20/8×20DCF compact roof (Dach) prism binoculars

1950Special astronomical telescope 10cm coronagraph

1933Aero-NIKKOR lens for aerial photography

1962Ultra Micro-NIKKOR high-resolution optical lenses

1984NT-1000 35mm film direct telephoto transmitter

1948Nikon Model I small-sized camera

1957Nikon SP rangefinder camera

1980Nikon F3 SLR camera

1959Nikon F SLR camera

1963NIKONOS all-weather camera

1971Nikon F2

1977n Development of the Nikon F2 Titanium Uemura Special

1981n NASA-specification Nikon F3 is equipped on the Space Shuttle Columbia

1988n Corporate name is changed to Nikon Corporation

2000n Optical-infrared Subaru Telescope employs Nikon’s High Dispersion Spectrograph

(HDS) and Faint Object Camera And Spectrograph (FOCAS)

HDS is permanently installed on the Subaru Telescope.

FOCAS is installed on the Subaru Telescope.

2003n New Brand Symbol for Nikon Group is introduced

2009n Metris NV becomes Nikon Metrology NV, a wholly

owned subsidiary of Nikon Corporation in Belgium

2010n D3S and D3X digital SLR cameras, and NIKKOR lenses are used in the International

Space Station (ISS)

2013n SPRINT-A HISAKI – the Spectroscopic Planet Observatory for Recognition of Inter-

action of Atmosphere is equipped with a primary mirror developed by Nikon

2015n U.K.’s Optos Plc becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Nikon Corporationn The Nikon Museum is opened

2016n Achieved a total production of 100 million NIKKOR lenses for interchangeable lens

cameras

1999

2016FX-68S FPD scanner

Expansion of Business Domains, the Challenge of Digital Technologies

Realizing the Possibilities of Light, Becoming a Truly Global Company

© National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

© National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

35

2006NSR-S609B ArF immersion scanner

2009FX-101S FPD scanner

2009NSR-S620 ArF immersion scanner

1995NSR-S201A lens-scanning KrF excimer stepper

2000FX-21S FPD scanner

2016NSR-S631E ArF immersion scanner

2001NSR-S306C lens-scanning ArF excimer stepper

2010HN-6060 non-contact multi-sensor 3D metrology system

1986TRISTATION 600 and 600M three-dimensional coordinate measuring machines

1995NEXIV VM-500N CNC video measuring system

1996ECLIPSE E800 biological microscope for research

2007BioStation CT cell culture observation system

2010N-SIM and N-STORM super resolution microscopes

2015California Ultra-Wide Field Retinal Imaging Device

1996Nikon Fieldmicroscope

2016MONARCH HG 8×42/10×42 binoculars

199010×70IF SP WP waterproof binoculars

198810×25CF WP compact waterproof binoculars

19858-16×40CF zoom binoculars

2017WX 7×50 IF/WX 10×50 IF binoculars

2016MONARCH Fieldscope 82ED-S/60ED-S/ 82ED-A/60ED-A

2011EDG Fieldscope 85 VR/ 85-A VR

1984NT-1000 35mm film direct telephoto transmitter

1988LS-3500 35mm film scanner

1995E2 and E2s SLR-type digital cameras

1999D1 digital SLR camera

2012D4 digital SLR camera

2015COOLPIX P900 compact digital camera

2007D3 digital SLR camera

2016KeyMission action camera series

1983Nikon F3AF SLR Camera

1983Nikon L35AF autofocus compact camera

1986Nikon F-501 autofocus SLR camera

1992NIKONOS RS underwater AF SLR camera

1997COOLPIX 100 and 300 digital cameras

2011Nikon 1 J1 and V1 advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses

2013Nikon 1 AW1 advanced camera with interchangeable lenses

2004Nikon F6 SLR camera

2016D5 digital SLR camera