Nikon Corporation is one of the major companies of the Mitsubishi Group, a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and specializing in optics and imaging.

Nippon Kogaku K.K., or Japanese Optical Society (afterwards became known as Nikon Company) was formed at July 25, 1917 as a result of merging of three firms: Tokyo Keiki Seisaku-sho's optical division, Iwaki Glass Seisaku-sho и Fujii Lens Seizo-sho. The new company was aimed at manufacturing high-quality optics for Imperial Japanese Navy. And up to 1945 it actually was their main goal that determined the company’s philosophy and traditions. The first president of Nippon Kogaku K.K. was Yoshihira Wada.

Apart from military equipment the company produced microscopes, telescopes and other measuring instruments for industry and science. From 1932 they started serial production of Nikkor lenses for photo cameras. It’s an interesting fact that between 1937 and 1947 Nikon manufactured a series of 50 mm f/4.5, f/3.5 and f/2.0 lenses specially for Canon cameras!

After the WW II Nippon Kogaku K.K. manufactured its own camera –a rangefinder Nikon 1 – and stopped manufacturing lenses for Canon. The new camera appeared already Nikon-branded. Unlike, their lenses became known under the trademark Nikkor.

In April 1959 Nikon Company manufactured their first professional DSLR camera Nikon F.

For this camera Nikon launched their first zoom lens auto Nikkor Tele zoom 85-250 mm f/4-4.5 and also their first Fisheye lens - Nikkor 8mm f/8.

It’s worth mentioning that it was Nikon Company who suggested using aspheric lenses in the 60th, which allowed them to create super wide-angle and high-aperture optics with almost no distortion.

In 1970th they started using extra-low dispersion glass (ED) to eliminate chromatic aberrations. And in 1976 came into existence famous Nikkor ED lenses: Nikkor 300 f/4.5 ED, Nikkor 600 f/5.6 ED, Nikkor 800mm f/8 and Nikkor 1200mm f/11 ED.

In the same year the longest zoom lens 360-1200 mm expanded the line-up of Nikkor lenses. And a year later the outstanding zoom lens was unveiled - a very sharp Zoom Nikkor auto 80-200mm f/4.5.

Nowadays, Nikon Coproration makes 35mm SLRs, Nikon Coolpix digicams, film scanners, Nikkor lenses, digital SLRs - from their entry-level to their top-of-the-line pro models, and a full range of accessories for their 35mm and digital SLRs.