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Nikon publishes Nikkor lens 80th anniversary video

Feb 7, 2013 at 01:05:00 GMT

LENS NEWS ANNIVERSARY LENSES NIKKOR

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Nikon has offered a behind-the-scenes look at its lens manufacturing process. The YouTube video follows the process from creating the glass through to final assembly and has been posted to celebrate the 80th anniversary of its Nikkor lenses. The company has also listed out few milestones of the brand's history, which started with the Aero-Nikkor aerial photography lenses in 1933.

Nikkor lens production backstage video

Press Release:

NIKKOR Celebrates Its 80th Anniversary

TOKYO - Nikon Corporation celebrates the 80th anniversary of the launch of its NIKKOR photographic lenses this year

In commemoration of NIKKOR's 80th anniversary, Nikon hopes to strengthen and increase awareness of the historic and reliable NIKKOR brand with various promotions in 2013. The first step toward achieving this objective is the creation of a NIKKOR 80th anniversary logo that will be used in Nikon product brochures, advertisements, and various other forms of communication. The anniversary logo will embody NIKKOR's image of taking the lead in every age based on optical technologies developed over its long history.

NIKKOR's history began in 1932 with Nikon's (then Nippon Kogaku K.K.) registration of the NIKKOR trademark, soon followed in 1933 with the first shipment of Aero-Nikkor aerial photographic lenses. Since then, Nikon has continued to develop lenses for both film and digital cameras. Always loaded with cutting edge optical technologies of the times, NIKKOR has grown to be a brand known for high-performance lenses.

In 1959, Nikon (then Nippon Kogaku K.K.) released its first SLR camera, the Nikon F as well as its first lens for Nikon SLR cameras, the NIKKOR-S Auto 5cm f/2. The Nikon F mount, adopted for the Nikon F, continues to be the mount used in the latest Nikon digital-SLR cameras. In addition, with the release of the new Nikon 1 series of advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses incorporating the new 1 mount, Nikon has steadily released dedicated 1 mount lenses developed with optical technologies cultivated over the years, advanced technologies, and offering the superior image quality users have come to expect since 2011. As a result, total production of NIKKOR lenses for cameras with interchangeable lenses reached 75 million in November 2012.

NIKKOR lenses are not limited to use by cameras with interchangeable lenses but are also integrated into Nikon's COOLPIX series of compact digital cameras. Thus, NIKKOR lenses have been well received by a broad range of users, from entry-level to professional photographers. Nikon's lineup of lenses for cameras with interchangeable lenses currently consists of more than 80 types of lenses, including fisheye lenses, ultra wide-angle lenses, super-telephoto lenses, zoom lenses, micro lenses, PC-E lenses, and 1 NIKKOR lenses for advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses. Nikon will continue to develop high-quality NIKKOR lenses that attract a wide variety of photographers.

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.

The OP Fisheye-Nikkor 10mm f/5.6 fisheye lens for SLR cameras, released in 1968, was the world's first lens to incorporate aspherical lens elements. The Ultra Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8, released in 1962, served as the template for projection lenses employed in Nikon IC steppers and scanners that currently boast some of the highest resolutions in the world. What's more, NIKKOR lenses for the latest SLR cameras utilize a number of cutting-edge technologies that originated with the development of IC steppers and scanners, including Nano Crystal Coat, which virtually eliminates internal lens element reflections across a broad range of wavelengths.

From initial design to final packaging, production and quality is controlled in accordance with Nikon's strict standards. The superior quality of NIKKOR lenses that respond to the needs of users is ensured with the highest quality designs and manufacturing, as well as very strict quality inspections.

Comments

Total comments: 30

Well... video is evocative but not informative..

0 upvotes

I started a thread about this video on the Nikon SLR Lens forum (after reading about it on NoFilmSchool) and the thread tanked big time.

There was zero interest in the thread and not a single person bothered to reply or AFAIK, watch the short video. That was surprising as if Nikon users aren't interested in a short like this, who is?

Anyway, filmed on the D800, it's an nice inside look at what it takes to create some of the finest lenses in the world. Thanks DPR.

0 upvotes

most people cant be bothered replying unless they are insulted. I wouldnt worry too much, the video is done really well and you can see why they cost so much. I have seen a video on utube which is worthwhile watching too on how cameras lenses are made.

3 upvotes

Neil, it didn't bother me, but was surprising with all the mundane and repetitive threads on many of these forums.

It was definitely odd for the Nikon LENS Forum to be so disinterested in the manufacturing of Nikkor LENSES.

I thought the video was fascinating and wished it were longer with even more details like how they design the optical formulas, the barrels, etc. Good stuff, wonderful lenses.

0 upvotes

I have never had a bad Nikkor lens (camera or enlarger) in my 40 years of professional photography.

1 upvote

Beautiful video. I use Sony bodies with Canon and Minolta legacy lenses most of the time (Yes, NEX-series user here) but I'm always looking at Nikkor lenses to get. They have my respect.

1 upvote

I always found the Canon FD breech mount fiddly to convert. I bought a Canon 50 1.8, and the aperture needed the "toothpick hack" to operate properly. That was my first and last time buying an FD lens. FD lenses are cheap but with AIS Nikkors, I can also use them on my DSLR, so it's worth the added cost. Optically they are great.

0 upvotes

Nice video, Nikon is still the best on DSLR Cameras and lenses.

1 upvote

"The OP Fisheye-Nikkor 10mm f/5.6 fisheye lens for SLR cameras, released in 1968, was the world's first lens to incorporate aspherical lens elements."

Untrue. The Leitz Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 of 1966 was the first serial-production aspheric lens for 35mm format.

3 upvotes

Not what I expected from a "Nikon Infomercial" I was expecting to see some assembly of an actual lens! Not cutting glass and putting on lens caps.
Hey, as long as my stuff still works on the job, they can run an episode of "Family Guy", I don't care what the video looks like.
It's all about making $$$$ and my Nikon does it for me.

0 upvotes

I'm glad I started with Nikon. Nikkor glass is second to none. Even the "cheaper" lower end stuff are really really good. And anyway, no matter what you hold on your hands to take a shot. If you have no sense of composition, light, colour, creativity etc, you're just some idiot pretending to be a "photographer" with a "big camera" with "big specs". You may impress the common people, but if you're crap you take crap shots. Then you log on to dpreview and crap on other equipment that you're not using. I say ALL makes and models have their strengths and I respect each in their own right. But Nikkor is my personal preference.

2 upvotes

"There's nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy idea" - Ansel Adams.

5 upvotes

I never imagined it as such a manual and industrial process. Nice.

3 upvotes

youtube "how to make a camera lens" there are a couple of extraordinary videos on the full process

2 upvotes

The purpose of this video is obviously to give a brief overview of the major steps in producing Nikkor lenses from raw material to finished product, not a detailed blow-by-blow account so I think many of the comments here are downright moronic and irrelevant.

7 upvotes

What's new?

1 upvote

HAHA! So true!

0 upvotes

Dpreview used to be a site full of useful and interesting information and still is in my opinion. But it is getting more and more degenerated and corrupted by people who believe that posting meaningless and frustrated comments on each article contributes to the quality of information. Why not discuss photography instead of behave as grumpy old man?

13 upvotes

80th Anniversary year and still no D400.

0 upvotes

80 years and a thank you for the D800! :-)

1 upvote

I'm looking forward to Nikkor lenses in Micro Four Thirds mounts.

0 upvotes

I saw this after watching Sigma's and Canon's lens making videos. :)

1 upvote

Now I'm curious if they used Nikkor lenses and camera to film this. But I didn't like the purple fringing at 0:17. Doh!

1 upvote

Who was that designed to impress? Dreadful 'musak' and hardly informative. Having watched the video I still know nothing about how lenses are made, let alone Nikon's. Maybe the makers of the clip did not know either.
Chris

1 upvote

Did you expect them to reveal all of their secrets or manufacturing process? It wasn't intended to be a documental =/

0 upvotes

The video was mostly out of focus. I don't think they really want anyone to know what they are doing.

1 upvote

"The video was mostly out of focus."
Because they use Nikon lenses :-)

0 upvotes

What an uninspiring bit of video

1 upvote

Meanwhile at the Canon factory, everyone stays the uninspired course.

1 upvote

OH : They forgot to tell you that the first bit of video was at the "HOYA" factory that supplies the glass and the rest is in China where the assemble them and then back to Japan for packaging

3 upvotes

Total comments: 30


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