Some readers are probably not aware that photographer David Douglas Duncan (1916-2018) made the Nikon and Nikkor brand names known all over the world when he was covering the Korean war in 1950: "Mr. Duncan shot in black and white, with lightweight Leica cameras and Nikkor lenses, made by the Japanese company Nikon, that he helped popularize in the West. He focused on the eyes and inner anguish of such Marines as Capt. Ike Fenton, whose men ran out of ammunition during one engagement with the enemy, and Cpl. Leonard Hayworth, a machine-gunner reduced to tears." (Washington Post) "In 1950, an encounter took place that immensely changed the fate of Nikon and NIKKOR lenses. At the beginning of June that year, David Douglas Duncan, who was a LIFE magazine photographer, Horace Bristol, a Fortune magazine photographer and Japanese photographer Jun Miki visited the Ohi Plant of Nikon Corporation (Nippon Kogaku K.K. at that time). What had prompted their visit was Mr. Duncan’s portrait taken by Jun Miki, who was then the only Japanese LIFE photographer with a NIKKOR P.C 8.5cm f/2 lens. Mr. Duncan was so surprised by its sharpness that he suggested visiting Nikon Corporation, arranging it with a single phone call that would ultimately have great consequences. At the plant, Nikon personnel showed them a lens performance comparison between the Leitz and ZEISS lenses, which were carried by Mr. Duncan and Mr. Bristol at that time, and NIKKOR lenses, by using a test projector. Directly after they...
Published By: Nikonrumors - Sunday, 10 June, 2018