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To most people, Nikon means cameras. But the camera business is now a small part of the story. Nikon is one of only three companies on Earth that can build the lithography systems used to print semiconductors — and a precision-optics powerhouse reaching from microscopes to eye care to digital manufacturing.
More than a camera brand
Founded in 1917 as Nippon Kogaku (“Japan Optical”), Nikon spent a century mastering the bending of light. Cameras made the brand famous, but as that market shrank in the smartphone era, Nikon leaned into the higher-value precision applications where its optics expertise is hardest to replace.
Printing the patterns of the chip age
The crown jewel is lithography. Nikon is one of just three makers of the steppers and scanners that project circuit patterns onto silicon wafers — alongside the Netherlands’ ASML and fellow-Japanese Canon. While ASML dominates the cutting-edge EUV segment, Nikon remains an important supplier of immersion and i-line systems and of the precision-measurement equipment fabs rely on. Beyond chips, Nikon is a leader in microscopes and scientific imaging, a growing player in eye-care and medical imaging, and is pushing into digital manufacturing, including metal 3D printing and riblet processing — turning a century of optics into new industrial markets.
Why it matters for global partners and investors
- Investors get a turnaround story: a legacy brand redeploying world-class optics from declining cameras into semiconductors, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing.
- Research and industry partners rely on Nikon precision optics in fabs, laboratories, and clinics — a deep, trusted technology base.
- The watch item is execution of the pivot: how quickly the precision, healthcare, and digital-manufacturing businesses grow relative to the shrinking camera market.
Frequently asked questions
What does Nikon make besides cameras?
Nikon is one of three global makers of semiconductor and flat-panel lithography systems, plus microscopes and scientific instruments, eye-care and medical imaging products, and digital-manufacturing technology such as metal 3D printing.
Is Nikon a major chip-equipment company?
Yes. It is one of only three makers of lithography systems, alongside ASML and Canon. ASML leads the cutting-edge EUV segment, while Nikon supplies immersion and i-line systems and precision-measurement tools.
Why is Nikon moving beyond cameras?
Smartphones shrank the camera market, so Nikon is redeploying its century of precision-optics expertise into higher-value fields: semiconductors, healthcare, and digital manufacturing.
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