Are you a huge Nikon fan like me? Then you absolutely have to watch this retro documentary about the legendary optical manufacturer’s history. I first caught wind of The Eye of Science – Nikon via Japanese news outlet Digital Camera Life, which linked to the YouTube video by @NPO法人科学映像館 (below).
This 30-minute documentary was produced in 1966. For context, that’s the same year that England won the World Cup and Star Trek debuted on TV. But in Nikon terms, it was the year after the Nikon F Photomic T and Nikkormat FT/FS were released.
And indeed, the film showcases the aforementioned then-latest additions to the Nikon line-up being manufactured and carefully assembled by hand. The film also includes Nikon F cameras undergoing shutter durability tests: said to be “approaching 150,000 consecutive cycles”.
Perhaps the most interesting process is the manufacturing of lens elements. They start life as huge, rugged blocks of glass that are chipped down into carefully selected cubes. They’re then heated, pressed and precisely ground into spherical lens elements before being polished and assembled.
The film doesn’t just lift the lid on the company’s manufacturing processes; it also touches upon Nikon’s then-impact on the wider world, including the Nikon F’s Motor Drive, which enabled 4-fps burst shooting. That’s nothing today, but it was revolutionary back then. Even Nikon’s waterproof 35mm film camera, the Nikonos (I), makes an appearance.
And of course, Nikon’s business is much more than just its imaging division. The documentary also touches upon the company’s other optical products, including microscopes, telescopes, medical equipment and more. If you have any interest in Nikon or camera manufacturing in general, and have a spare 30 minutes, this video is definitely worth watching.
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