Total Production of NIKKOR Lenses for Interchangeable Lens Cameras Reaches 85 Million

January 16, 2014

TOKYO - Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce that total production of NIKKOR lenses* for Nikon interchangeable lens cameras reached eighty-five million at the beginning of January 2014.

*Interchangeable lenses for Nikon SLR cameras and Nikon 1, Advanced Cameras with Interchangeable Lenses

In 1959, Nikon (then Nippon Kogaku K.K.) released the Nikon F as well as the first NIKKOR lenses for Nikon SLR cameras, including the NIKKOR-S Auto 5cm f/2. The NIKKOR tradition has continued over the many years since that first lens was released. What's more, Nikon continues to expand its lineup of interchangeable lenses for Nikon 1 advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses, the first of which was released in October 2011, bringing total lens production to eighty-five million.

Nikon has steadily expanded its lineup of NIKKOR lenses incorporating advanced optical technologies cultivated over the years.

In August 2013, Nikon announced the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, an approximately 7.8x high-power normal zoom lens that covers a broad range of angles of view and is compatible with Nikon DX-format digital SLR cameras.

In October 2013, Nikon added the AF-S NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G, a fast normal lens compatible with Nikon FX-format digital SLR cameras that proposes new photographic creativity possible only with NIKKOR lenses, to its lineup. Since its release, the AF-S NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G has been extremely well received for its ability to minimize sagittal coma flare* for rendering of point light sources as sharp points with no distortion or fringes across the entire frame, even at maximum aperture.

*A phenomenon with which the edges of pinpoint light sources in photos of night landscapes and the like appear distorted to resemble the outspread wings of a bird in flight

In September 2013, Nikon announced the world's first* waterproof and tough 1 NIKKOR AW 11-27.5mm f/3.5-5.6 (included in the Nikon 1 AW1 waterproof zoom lens kit) and 1 NIKKOR AW 10mm f/2.8 along with the Nikon 1 AW1 advanced camera with interchangeable lenses. The current 1 NIKKOR lineup is comprised of eleven lenses, and Nikon will continue to expand and enrich this lineup.

*Among interchangeable lenses for digital cameras with interchangeable lenses available as of September 9, 2013. Statement based on Nikon research.

In September 2013, Nikon deployed its Optical Performance and Total Image Analyzer (OPTIA), a new measurement device that is able to measure all forms of aberration in interchangeable lenses for cameras, as well as a dedicated image simulator. Utilization of OPTIA and the dedicated image simulator not only enables greater control over resolution, but also development of lenses with control over varying characteristics of individual lenses, an aspect for which NIKKOR lenses have always been so well received.

The NIKKOR brand

NIKKOR is Nikon's brand of photographic lenses. The NIKKOR name arose from adding "r "—a common practice in the naming of photographic lenses at the time the name was established—to "Nikko", the Romanized abbreviation for Nippon Kogaku K.K., the original name used when the company was established.

Nikon's own high-quality standards are applied to all stages from initial design and development to final product release for design that responds to user needs, and production system and inspections that ensure the superior quality of NIKKOR lenses.

Nikon's lineup of lenses for cameras with interchangeable lenses currently consists of more than 80 types of lenses, including ultra wide-angle to super-telephoto lenses, fisheye lenses, zoom lenses, micro lenses, and PC-E lenses that support a wide variety of applications, as well as 1 NIKKOR lenses for advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses.

In 2013, Nikon celebrated the 80th anniversary of NIKKOR lenses with a variety of activities conveying the advantages of NIKKOR lenses, including creation of the "Eyes of Nikon" photo collection, a collection of images by photographers active globally. Nikon will continue to develop and release high-quality products that appeal to users the world over.