The Ultra Micro-NIKKOR: The Industrial Lens That Laid the Foundation for Japan's Semiconductor Industry
The Ultra Micro-NIKKOR 29.5mm F1.2 achieved a resolution of 1,260 lines per millimeter — far beyond what had been thought possible at the time.(1964)
In 1964, a lens was born in pursuit of ultimate resolving power.What began as lens manufacturing technology for a specialized industrial application eventually became the foundation for an era in which Japan was known as a "semiconductor powerhouse".Why did a lens designed to observe a tiny world gain the power to transform an entire industry?
In November 1964, a single lens overturned the conventional wisdom of photography. The Ultra Micro-NIKKOR 29.5mm F1.2 achieved a resolution of 1,260 lines per millimeter — far beyond what had been thought possible at the time.
Until then, photographic lenses were believed to have a practical resolution limit of about 300 lines/mm, but this lens instantly delivered more than four times that performance.
Using this lens, an entire 350-page book was photographed and miniaturized onto an area the size of a then-10-yen postage stamp (22.5 x 18.5 mm), and then successfully enlarged back to its original size with the same lens, preserving the original resolution.
This feat was presented at the International Optical Congress in September 1964, causing a worldwide sensation among researchers and engineers.
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