Nikon's products include cameras, camera lenses, binoculars, microscopes, ophthalmic lenses, measurement instruments, rifle scopes, spotting scopes, and equipment related to semiconductor fabrication, such as steppers used in the photolithography steps of such manufacturing.

Nikon's main competitors in camera and lens manufacturing include Canon, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Pentax, and Olympus.

Founded on July 25, 1917 as Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō Kabushikigaisha (日本光学工業株式会社 "Japan Optical Industries Co., Ltd."), the company was renamed to Nikon Corporation, after its cameras, in 1988.

During World War II the company operated thirty factories with 2,000 employees, manufacturing binoculars, lenses, bomb sights, and periscopes for the Japanese military.

[12] Fitting Nikon optics (especially the NIKKOR-P.C 1:2 f=8,5 cm)[13] to his Leica rangefinder cameras allowed him to produce high contrast negatives with very sharp resolution at the centre field.

Nikon popularized many features in professional SLR photography,[citation needed] such as the modular camera system with interchangeable lenses, viewfinders, motor drives, and data backs; integrated light metering and lens indexing; electronic strobe flashguns instead of expendable flashbulbs; electronic shutter control; evaluative multi-zone "matrix" metering; and built-in motorized film advance.

Through the mid-2000s, Nikon's line of professional and enthusiast DSLRs and lenses including their back compatible AF-S lens line remained in second place behind Canon in SLR camera sales, and Canon had several years' lead in producing professional DSLRs with light sensors as large as traditional 35 mm film frames.

Nikon regained much of its reputation among professional and amateur enthusiast photographers as a leading innovator in the field, especially because of the speed, ergonomics, and low-light performance of its latest models.

The first cameras in the series were the Z 6 and the Z 7, both with a Full Frame (FX) sensor format, In-Body Image Stabilization and a built-in electronic viewfinder.

The Nikon Z fc is the second Z-series APS-C (DX) mirrorless camera in the line up, designed to evoke the company's famous FM2 SLR from the '80s.

It offers manual controls, including dedicated dials for shutter speed, exposure compensation and ISO.

It includes a 46 megapixel Full Frame (FX) format stacked CMOS sensor which is stabilized and has a very fast readout speed, making the mechanical shutter not only unneeded, but also absent from the camera.

The series comprised three 20 megapixel 1"-type CMOS sensor cameras with Expeed 6A image processing engines: DL18-50 f/1.8-2.8, DL24-85 f/1.8-2.8 black and silver and DL24-500 f/2.8-5.6.

Nikon described the range as a premium line of compact cameras, which combines the high performance of Nikkor lenses with always-on smart device connectivity.

The cameras had a special gate and claw system to improve image steadiness and overcome a major drawback of Super 8 cartridge design.

Nikon has shifted much of its manufacturing facilities to Thailand, with some production (especially of Coolpix cameras and some low-end lenses) in Indonesia.

This will be achieved through the integrated strengths of Nikon's strong brand backed up by advanced optical technology and strong sales network in Japanese market, coupled with the high productivity and worldwide marketing and sales network of Essilor, the world leader in this industry.

[45] Nikon-Essilor Co. Ltd. started its business in January 2000, responsible for research, development, production and sales mainly for ophthalmic optics.

The cameras came in all price ranges from entry-level fixed-lens-cameras to the top model Nikon 35Ti and 28Ti with titanium body and 3D-Matrix-Metering.

VIDEO: HD video / Video AF / Uncompressed / 4k video ⋅ SCREEN: Articulating A , Touchscreen T ⋅ BODY FEATURE: In-Body Image Stabilization S , Weather Sealed High-end (Professional – Intended for professional use, heavy duty and weather resistance) High-end (Prosumer – Intended for pro-consumers who want the main mechanical/weather resistance and electronic features of the professional line but don't need the same heavy duty) Midrange and professional usage cameras with DX sensor Upper-entry-level (Consumer) – DX sensor Along with the D750 and D500 above, these are the only Nikon DSLR's with the articulated (tilt-and-swivel) display.

The resolution of the following LED based Coolscan model didn't increase but the price was significantly lower.

Products include Optical Laser Probes, X-ray computed tomography, Coordinate-measuring machine (CMM), Laser Radar Systems (LR), Microscopes, Portable CMMs, Large Volume Metrology, Motion Measurement and Adaptive Robotic Controls, Semiconductor Systems, Metrology Software including CMM-Manager, CAMIO Studio, Inspect-X, Focus, and Automeasure.

Significant growth for the microscopy division occurs over the next 50 years as Nikon pioneers development of polarising and stereo microscopes along with new products for measuring and inspection (Metrology) markets.

These new products include devices targeted for industrial use such as optical comparators, autocollimators, profile projector and automated vision based systems.

Nikon Metrology products include a full range of both 2D & 3D, optical, tactile, non-contact, and X-Ray Metrology solutions ranging from nanometer resolution on microscopic samples to μm resolution in volumes large enough to house a commercial airliner.

In contrast, ASML, a Dutch company, has grabbed over 80 percent of the lithography systems market as of 2015 by adopting an open innovation method of product development, which includes the acquisition of US-based light source manufacturer Cymer.

[110] In 2017, Nikon announced that it would cut nearly 1,000 jobs mainly in the lithography systems business and halt its development of next-generation equipment.

[111][112] In February 2019, Nikon, ASML and Carl Zeiss AG, a leading supplier to ASML, have entered into a definitive settlement and cross-license agreement relating to multiple disputes over patents for lithography equipment that had been underway since 2001 and agreed to drop all the world-wide lawsuits regarding the issue.

[124] The company sponsors the Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of the Year award, as well as the Nikon Photography Prizes, which are administered by the Walkley Foundation in Australia.

BODY FEATURE: In-Body Image Stabilization S , Weather Sealed Nikon Z cameras >>PROCESSOR: Pre-EXPEED |