The Nikon Story - Instruments Division
Today Nikon is a world-renowned brand, firmly established as a market leader in optical instrumentation and the only microscope company to manufacture its own glass, ensuring the very finest quality assurance throughout production. With over 90 years expertise in the field, Nikon has always been at the forefront of optical and technological innovation, promoting creativity and trustworthiness as part of the company’s global mission statement.
The Nikon story began back in 1917 when 3 Japanese optical manufacturers merged to form a company known as Nippon Kogaku KK (‘Japan Optics’), producing precision optical glass. In 1925 the brand expanded to produce the first microscope with a revolving nosepiece and interchangeable objectives - the Joico microscope.
The next few decades brought considerable growth to the microscopy division; ground-breaking polarizing and stereo microscopes were introduced in addition to products for the increasing measuring and inspection market.
In the 1970’s the CF Optical system was established and Nikon unveiled the Optiphot and Labophot microscopes. In the 1980’s Nikon launched more than 80 new products and the first test tube babies were conceived in the UK (1978) and the USA (1980) with the assistance of a Nikon inverted Diaphot microscope.The 1990’s brought even more innovation with the introduction of the Eclipse range of infinity optics. With science advancing at a record pace, Dolly the sheep was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell using a Nikon Diaphot microscope in the process. The new Millennium saw the birth of digital imaging solutions for microscopy and Nikon once again led the market in providing superior and practical cameras to do this. The introduction of the DS camera series and the Coolscope heralded further advances in the transfer of images across the globe. The future as always is unclear but what is obvious is the pace at which changes happen.
Applications and disciplines which were once totally separated are now becoming closer in fields such as Lab-on-a-Chip and Biophysics, and these have led to the development unique interdisciplinary products including the AZ100 and LV-UDM microscopes. Cell studies are now demanding the ability to study live, in situ cellular interactions and movements for which Nikon has responded with the very latest in Cellogy and Cell Care - the BioStation series. Nikon has risen to the challenge every step of the way, assisting research with some truly memorable achievements.
Your Nikon Family
Owning a Nikon is not just about making a purchase; it is about joining a growing family and becoming part of the future. Nikon provides you with the opportunity to enter a new world that you can help shape and define. We want to assure you that we will expend every effort to ensure our products and services will enhance your experience of imaging and help deliver you the results you want to achieve. Every aspect of our business from product development to customer service is constantly reviewed and adapted to an ever changing market to ensure that your needs are met and expectations are exceeded. Our corporate goal is to instill trustworthiness and our future creativity truly depends on your input. With optics at the heart of every imaging system, it’s essential to choose the leading brand. With over 90 years of expertise in the field, Nikon has achieved a level of optical excellence unrivalled by any other. Combined with innovative technology and intuitive software you can be reassured that your Nikon equipment is second to none.
Owning a Nikon Imaging System is just the beginning.
The Extended Nikon Family
As well as leading the field in Bioimaging and Industrial Metrology and Inspection, Nikon’s experience in optical fields extend to all aspects of consumer and business life. Below are some links to other groups within the Nikon family.
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Nikon Imaging Company |
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Nikon Precision Company |
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Nikon Surveying Equipment |
