 1951 Nikon S |
 1955 Nikon S2 |
Nippon Kogaku K.K. (Nikon) was formed
from merging smaller Optical firms into one entity in 1917. Nippon
Kogaku was virtually unknown outside of Japan until after WWII. Prior
to the war they manufactured a huge variety of items: binoculars,
transits, telescopes, microscopes and other optical and scientific
instruments as well as Leica copy lenses for Kwanon cameras (Canon).
When World War Two hit the stage Nippon Kogaku was chosen by the
Japanese military establishment to be their main producer of Optical
ordinance. Nippon Kogaku grew to include as many as twenty factories by
the end of the war. During the Allied Occupation Nippon Kogaku was
reorganized to produce only civilian products and only one
factory was allowed to operate. Production of pre war items such as
microscopes and binoculars began almost immediately after the war. The
decision to produce a camera was made and in 1947 the first camera was
introduced to the public as the Nikon (NIppon KOgaku) The
new Nikon was essentially a mix of the best features of the Leica and
the Contax. The camera had a striking resemblance to the Contax with a
Leica style focal plane shutter. Even the bayonet mount lenses
were interchangeable with the Contax mount. In 1959 the Nikon F SLR was
introduced and Nikon cameras quickly became the benchmark for all other
manufacturers. Nikon continues to create innovative cutting edge
cameras.