Nikon is quickly approaching its 100th anniversary, and the company is celebrating this incredible achievement by releasing a limited-edition collection of top-tier products and accessories with unique finishes and collectible items. So, if you are a die-hard Nikon fan, have been waiting to pick up that new camera or lens, or just love photographic history, this is your chance to get your hands on collectible cameras, lenses, and other gear from one of the world’s most respected camera and optics companies.
Leading the pack in more ways than one is the 100th Anniversary Edition D5 DSLR. As Nikon’s current flagship camera, it offers nearly unmatched performance and signifies the dramatic advancements in imaging the company has made over many decades of engineering and innovation since the release of the Nikon F in 1959. This version comes with dual XQD card slots and sports a metallic-gray finish, along with the Nikon 100th-anniversary logo, an exclusive body cap, and a commemorative message signifying Nikon’s contribution to space exploration. Owners can also get a personalized engraving if they so choose, and the camera comes with a premium Italian leather strap, a booklet about Nikon’s work with space projects, and a metal travel case that is engraved with your camera’s serial number.
While not as storied as the full-frame camera legacy, Nikon has the D500 to represent the power and portability of its DX-format DSLRs. The 100th Anniversary Edition of this camera offers all the speed and performance of the base model, but with a metallic-gray finish, a commemorative logo, and an exclusive body cap. As with its bigger brother, the D5, the D500 comes with its own custom metal travel case and premium Italian leather strap, both customized with 100th-Anniversary logos.
It isn’t just cameras that get the anniversary treatment; you can also pick up the AF-S NIKKOR 70-200m f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens in a 100th Anniversary Edition, which was chosen for its reliability and performance that make it a staple of many professional bags. This model, of course, features the metallic-gray finish and commemorative logo found on the cameras, but also includes a collector’s display that shows off all 22 of the lens’s elements and includes an engraved plate with your lens’s serial numbers.
If one lens just isn’t enough, Nikon is putting together a 100th Anniversary Edition Triple Lens Set that includes the holy trinity of its f/2.8 zooms. NIKKOR existed for over a decade before the first Nikon camera and the company’s optics have always been among the best you could get. This collection provides you with the AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR, and AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR, all with custom metallic-gray finishes and commemorative logos. And, as is to be expected at this point, all three lenses are packaged in a custom metal travel case with a plate engraved with the serial number that all three lenses share.
Since Nikon was an optics company first, it has made sure to recognize some of its other achievements in the optical world with a few limited editions of its renowned binoculars. The 8x30 EII is among the models getting a 100th Anniversary edition treatment, with a metallic-gray finish and the commemorative logo. This binocular represents the beauty and quality of a classic design, reminiscent of the MIKRON A Type (8x30A) released in 1959; it features a lightweight Porro prism body, made from magnesium alloy, and outstanding ergonomics with a smooth central focus knob. It also comes with its own 100th-Anniversary Soft Case and Strap, but you need to act fast—only 400 copies of this edition will be produced.
While some of Nikon’s cameras have traveled to space, its latest WX series binoculars let us Earth-bound folk look up and see the night sky clearly. Available in WX 7x50 IF and WX 10x50 IF models, these signify some of the absolute best quality possible from a stargazing binocular by using outstanding optics, a wide field of view, and a Field Flattener Lens System, all developed over a century of optical engineering. They each feature a metallic-gray finish and a 100th-Anniversary logo, as well as a commemorative leather strap. But, with only 100 being made of both sizes combined, these will become true collector’s items extremely quickly.
You don’t need to buy brand new equipment to get some 100th-Anniversary Nikon flair, however, because they are making available a Premium Camera Strap for you to personalize your existing equipment. Made from a premium Italian leather that is designed to wear with grace, this strap will offer comfort, in addition to style. The strap also sports both the 100th-Anniversary logo and a classic company logo along with an embossed Nikon across the center. This strap will be available in brown or black. Alongside this strap is a brown Premium Leather Bag that will be sure to hold your gear secure and protected.
Along with all this gear, Nikon has a couple of items geared specifically to the collector looking for some items for the desk or to display on a wall. This includes a Miniature Nikon F Camera, which is an incredibly accurate 1/2-scale replica made from die-cast metal. The camera was Nikon’s first SLR in 1959 and, here, it is equipped with the classic NIKKOR-S Auto 50mm f/1.4 lens—and some parts can even be moved. It also comes with a black resin display plate with a clear acrylic cover and includes a replica of the original user manual cover. If you are looking for more style, Nikon has developed the Crystal Creation Nikon Model 1, which is a near life-size Swarovski crystal model of the first camera with the Nikon name.
Another collector’s item is the 100th-Anniversary Pin Collection, a set of 25 pewter pins that show off Nikons most important camera models, some of Nikon’s incredible binoculars, and the original company logos. These pins come with a special metal frame engraved with a serial number and a booklet that goes into detail about each featured model. If you want to show your Nikon pride as you go about your day, there is going to be a 100th-Anniversary NIPPON KOGAKU T-Shirt in women’s and men’s sizing.
