Nikon A Century of Innovation and the Key to Future Photography For over a century, The Nikon brand has been at the heart of photography, growing from a small Japanese optics company into one of the most iconic camera brands in the world. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or someone who simply loves taking photos, chances are you’ve picked up a Nikon camera—or at least heard stories of its legendary reputation. Founded in 1917 in Tokyo as Nippon Kogaku , Nikon started life as a maker of precision optics—producing lenses, binoculars, microscopes, and other finely crafted instruments. Before they ever put their name on a camera, Nikon was already known for building tools with incredible attention to detail and quality. But it wasn’t long before they turned their expertise toward photography—and that changed everything , the story started from 1917. It was Nikon’s Nikkor lenses that first caught the attention of photographers worldwide. These lenses offered stunning sharpness and clarity, and soon, photographers were pairing them with other popular camera bodies to get the best image quality. But the moment Nikon truly left its mark on the world of photography came in 1959, with the launch of the Nikon F. The Nikon F wasn’t just another camera. It was a revolution—the first fully professional, modular 35mm single-lens reflex (SLR) camera system, designed to take anything a working photographer could throw at it. Rugged, reliable, and brilliantly engineered, the Nikon F quickly became a favorite among photojournalists, war photographers, and professionals everywhere. From the front lines of Vietnam to the world’s biggest sporting events, the Nikon F was there, capturing history in the making. Since then, Nikon has become a trusted companion for photographers of every kind—from journalists and wildlife experts to portrait artists, wedding photographers, and everyday hobbyists. Their cameras have told the story of the modern world, documenting everything from war and peace to love and adventure. But Nikon’s story isn’t just about its cameras—it’s about how the brand has constantly adapted and innovated. As photography shifted from film to digital in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Nikon stayed at the cutting edge. The launch of the Nikon D1 in 1999 brought professional-level digital SLRs (DSLRs) to photographers for the first time, forever changing how we capture and share images. Yet, this book isn’t just about gear—it’s about the people who use Nikon to capture life’s most important moments. It’s about the photojournalists who risked their lives to tell stories that mattered, the explorers who brought back images from the farthest corners of the world, and the everyday photographers who used Nikon to document family memories, celebrations, and personal milestones. It’s about the deep connection between a photographer and their camera, and how Nikon has helped nurture that connection for over a hundred years.