About Nikon

Originally founded as Nippon (Japan Optical Industries Corporation) in 1917, the company was renamed after its cameras in 1988 as Nikon Corporation. Nike is one of the companies of the Mitsubishi Group. Formed when three leading optical manufacturers merged, Nippon produced optical lenses for camera, microscopes, binoculars, periscopes, bombsights and cameras before and during World War II. The first Nikon camera was produced in 1948.

Nikon is one of the world's leaders in precision optics, digital imaging and photo imaging technology. Cameras, flashes, scanners, Nikon lenses, accessories and imaging software are produced by the company for worldwide distribution. Also known as Nikon Corporation, Nikon is a multinational corporation headquartered in Toyko, Japan. Nikon products also include binoculars, measurement instruments, Nikon digital cameras, microscopes, steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, photographic enlargers and single-lens reflex cameras.

Americans were introduced to Nikon camera through the war photojournalist David Duncan during the Korean War through a Japanese photographer. Nikon's SLR (single lens reflex) F-series was the most widely used small-format camera among professional photographers and the United States space program.

Nikon became the camera company to beat, with many popular features, such as interchangeable lens, data backs, viewfinders, motor drives, integrated light metering, lens indexing, strobes (instead of flashbulbs), electronic shutter control, matrix metering and built-in motorized film advance.