Who else did Nikon make lenses for?

Steve Smith · Jan 16, 2014

I have recently bought a Bronica S2 with a couple of Nikon lenses and I already have some Nikkor lenses for 35mm.

I know about the Plaubel Makina 67, but which other camera manufacturers (if any) used lenses made by Nikon?

Steve.

Nick Merritt · Jan 16, 2014

I believe the Airesflex TLR of the '50s had Nikkor taking lenses.

Ricardo Miranda · Jan 16, 2014

Apart the Large Format lenses, Nikon also did lenses in LTM for Canon and a range of Japanese cameras like Tower or Nicca. See: http://www.dantestella.com/technical/nikoleic.html

ic-racer · Jan 16, 2014

Any large format camera

E. von Hoegh · Jan 16, 2014

Steve Smith said:
I have recently bought a Bronica S2 with a couple of Nikon lenses and I already have some Nikkor lenses for 35mm.

I know about the Plaubel Makina 67, but which other camera manufacturers (if any) used lenses made by Nikon?

Steve.

Canon, pre WWII. Canon was using Nikkors long before Nikon made a camera.
I had a Nikon lens on my Deardorff at one point, but it was not a lens bespoke by Deardorff.

snapguy · Jan 16, 2014

Canon

The first Canon cameras all had Nikon lenses. Canon did not make lenses then and Nikon had been making precision optical products since the 1920s.

eclarke · Jan 16, 2014

I think Nikon made lenses for Wista at one time.

Cybertrash · Jan 17, 2014

I believe they also made lenses that fit the Contax rangefinders (might be mistaken though)? Allthough I guess that was more of a "third party" situation than a partnership.

Ian Grant · Jan 17, 2014

Cybertrash said:
I believe they also made lenses that fit the Contax rangefinders (might be mistaken though)? Allthough I guess that was more of a "third party" situation than a partnership.

It was photojournalists covering the Korean war buying Nikon lenses for their Contaxs that created the demand for their lenses and then cameras outside Japan leading the way to the dominance of Nikon in that market for around half a century.

Ian

lxdude · Jan 17, 2014

ic-racer said:
Any large format camera

And lots of enlargers.

E. von Hoegh · Jan 17, 2014

Cybertrash said:
I believe they also made lenses that fit the Contax rangefinders (might be mistaken though)? Allthough I guess that was more of a "third party" situation than a partnership.

Nikon's RF cameras used the Contax mount. So the Nikon lenses would fit on the Contax cameras - but IIRC the flange distance was slightly different, the Nikkors had to be shimmed/adjusted to track properly with the Contax rangefinder and vice versa. You can put a Nikkor on a Kiev, too.

Regular Rod · Jan 17, 2014

Steve Smith said:
I have recently bought a Bronica S2 with a couple of Nikon lenses and I already have some Nikkor lenses for 35mm.

I know about the Plaubel Makina 67, but which other camera manufacturers (if any) used lenses made by Nikon?

Steve.

Pre WWII they made them for Hansa Canon!

RR

2bits · Jan 25, 2014

Nikon's Rifle scopes are some of the best available. In some cases, surpassing Leupold.

Xmas · Jan 25, 2014

E. von Hoegh said:
Nikon's RF cameras used the Contax mount. So the Nikon lenses would fit on the Contax cameras - but IIRC the flange distance was slightly different, the Nikkors had to be shimmed/adjusted to track properly with the Contax rangefinder and vice versa. You can put a Nikkor on a Kiev, too.

Nikon made lenses specifically for the Contax rangefinder tracking (as suggested earlier) they looked like they were for the Nikon but had a C engraved on them rare if you were a collector eg only 3883 in 85mm.

If you shoot the Kiev 85 is pretty good and cheap

Who else did Nikon make lenses for?

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