Today, Nikon celebrates its 109th anniversary!
On July 25, 1917, Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō Kabushikigaisha (Japan Optical Industries Co., Ltd.) was established in Tokyo through the merger of the optical instruments division of the Tokyo Keiki company and the mirror division of Iwaki Glass with Fujii Lens Manufacturing. This merger gave rise to Nippon Kogaku K.K. and, subsequently, the Nikon of today. The new firm focused on producing optical glass, lenses, rangefinders, microscopes, and other precision instruments at a time when Japan was building its domestic optical industry.
The company that would become Nikon gradually expanded. It introduced the NIKKOR brand for lenses in the early 1930s, released its first camera (the Nikon Model I) in 1948, and launched the iconic Nikon F SLR in 1959 – a camera that helped define professional 35mm photography for decades. Throughout its history, Nikon has introduced many iconic products that have helped shape photography, including the legendary Nikon F, the Nikon F2, the Nikon F3, and the Nikon D1. What began as an optics manufacturer evolved into one of the world’s most influential camera companies. Key milestones along the way include:
- 1917 – Foundation of Nippon Kōgaku.
- 1932 – Registration of the NIKKOR lens brand
- 1948 – Launch of the first Nikon camera (Nikon Model I)
- 1959 – Introduction of the Nikon F, the professional SLR that defined an era
- 1999 – Release of the D1, Nikon’s first professional digital SLR
- 2018 – Debut of the Z-mount mirrorless system
- 2024 – Acquisition of RED Digital Cinema and the subsequent launch of the Nikon ZR cinema camera
Check out those old blog posts related to the history of Nikon:
Nikon Museum Special Collection exhibition coming on April 2nd
Nikon’s 100 years of imaging excellence (brief history of Nikon)
Take a look at the SLR cameras announced in 1959 (including the first Nikon F SLR camera)
From Optical Instruments to Icons: A Brief Timeline
1917 – The Founding
Nippon Kogaku K.K. was established through the merger of the optical instruments division of Tokyo Keiki, the mirror division of Iwaki Glass Manufacturing, and Fujii Lens Manufacturing – orchestrated by Koyata Iwasaki, president of Mitsubishi. The company’s first products were rangefinders, binoculars, and microscopes. Cameras were not on the roadmap.
1932 – NIKKOR Is Born
Nikon settled on “NIKKOR” after combining the “NIKKO” abbreviation of Nippon Kogaku with the letter “R,” often used as a suffix for photographic lens names at the time. The name was registered as a trademark in 1932. The first Aero-NIKKOR aerial photography lenses followed shortly after, crafted entirely by hand.
1946 – The “Nikon” Name
In September 1946, a new compact camera was named “Nikon” — originating from “NIKKO,” the abbreviation of Nippon Kogaku K.K., to which the letter “n” was added to give a more masculine impression. The name that would eventually become one of the most recognized brands in photography was originally just a model designation for a single camera.
1950 – Korea and the LIFE Photographers
The moment Nikon truly broke onto the world stage came during the Korean War. Renowned LIFE Magazine photographer David Douglas Duncan visited Nikon’s Ohi Plant, compared Nikkor lenses against Leitz and Zeiss glass, determined that the Nikkors were superior, and headed to the front line with Nikon-equipped cameras. The resulting images – and the awards they won – sent shockwaves through the global photography market and put NIKKOR lenses on the maps of professional photographers worldwide.
1959 – The Nikon F Changes Everything
The Nikon F, introduced in April 1959, was Nikon’s first SLR camera and one of the most advanced cameras of its day. It was revolutionary in combining interchangeable prisms and focusing screens, depth-of-field preview, mirror lock-up, a large bayonet mount, a titanium-foil focal plane shutter, and a fully removable back – all in one camera. The “F” was chosen because the intended name “reflex” began with a letter whose pronunciation isn’t available in many Asian languages (this is the commonly cited story that was never confirmed by Nikon). The Nikon F3, released in 1980, went on to become the basis for a single-lens reflex camera supplied to NASA for use on the Space Shuttle.
1988 – The Name Finally Matches the Brand
In April 1988, Nippon Kogaku K.K. officially changed its name to Nikon Corporation — nearly 42 years after a compact camera had borrowed the name and made it famous. The company had finally caught up to its own brand.
2009 – Nikon in Space, Digitally
In 2009, Nikon delivered eleven D3S digital SLR cameras and seven AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lenses to NASA for recording images aboard the International Space Station. The relationship between Nikon and space exploration, which began with film cameras on Apollo missions, had gone fully digital.
Also check the full, detailed Nikon history on this page.
