Nikon Announces 70 Millionth Nikkor Lens

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

MELVILLE, N.Y. – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce that total production of NIKKOR lenses for Nikon SLR cameras and Nikon 1 advanced cameras with interchangeable-lens reached seventy million at the end of May 2012. Moreover, total production of AF-S lenses equipped with the Silent Wave Motor (SWM), the autofocus motor developed by Nikon, has reached thirty million.

Seventy Million NIKKOR Lenses

In 1933, the large-format lens for aerial photography was released as the first NIKKOR lens. After that, lenses for SLR cameras continued to evolve based on Nikon's own cutting-edge technology. Last year, the new Nikon 1 advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses and the 1 NIKKOR line of dedicated lenses were released to the market. The 1 NIKKOR lenses, which are incredibly compact and lightweight, have inherited all of the optical technology, superior quality, and advanced technology Nikon has cultivated over the years to provide sharp rendering with both still photos and movies. Additionally, the retractable lens mechanisms found in these 1 NIKKOR lenses enable the Nikon 1 cameras to be supremely compact and lightweight.

In October 2011, the production of NIKKOR lenses reached 65 million. Since then, Nikon has continued to actively develop new products under the NIKKOR brand including four 1 NIKKOR lenses with simple designs and various color offerings which are perfectly suited for the ultra-portable, compact and lightweight Nikon 1 J1 and Nikon 1 V1, the first two cameras in the new Nikon 1 series. Additionally, the new FX-format compatible NIKKOR lenses maximize the potential of high-performance cameras such as Nikon's new flagship digital-SLR camera, the Nikon D4, as well the new Nikon D800 and Nikon D800E which are equipped with image sensors with an effective pixel count of 36.3-million pixels for incredible definition and image quality.

Thirty Million Silent Wave Motion-Equipped NIKKOR Lenses

The Silent Wave Motor (SWM) is an ultrasonic autofocus motor developed by Nikon. Nikon’s SWM converts “traveling waves” into rotational energy to focus the optics in the lenses. This enables extremely smooth, quiet and comfortable autofocusing. The Ai AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8D IF-ED, released in 1996, was among the first lenses which Nikon adopted the SWM. Since then, the SWM has been built into a total of 58* different lenses of all types including ultra wide-angle lenses, super telephoto DX and FX-format lenses, zoom lenses, and even Micro lenses. It has been adopted by more than ninety percent of NIKKOR lenses currently manufactured.

NIKKOR lenses are used by a wide variety of photographers, from those new to digital-SLR photography to seasoned professionals.

About NIKKOR

The brand name for Nikon lenses, NIKKOR has become synonymous with high-performance, high-quality SLR lenses. The NIKKOR name comes 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. In 1933, the large-format lens for aerial photography was released with the name Aero-Nikkor.

NIKKOR lenses incorporate optical technologies that are always ahead of the times. 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 the world’s highest level of resolution. 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 wide range of wavelengths.

From initial design and development, production and quality is controlled in accordance with Nikon’s strict standards. The superior quality of NIKKOR lenses that fully satisfies users is ensured with the highest quality designs and manufacturing, as well as very strict final inspection.

The current NIKKOR brand offers a rich lineup of more than 70 lenses, including fisheye lenses, super wide-angle to super telephoto lenses, zoom lenses, Micro lenses, and PC-E lenses.