1949 Arrival of the Nikon M.

Main innovation, image window of 24 x 34 mm. The main axle is now fixed to the body, to facilitate loading of film.

Last versions have a double flash  sinc(S and F ).

About 17 000 cameras without  sync, and about as much with sync, were produced until December  1950.

It is the first model who got some interest from the public, and this mainly because of te Corean war, during which many War photographers bought a set of camera plus lenses. Time Life, atthat time, through un unknown Importer did got about 20 sets .

Some cameras were delivered in black, certainly at the request of some reporters.

1951  Arrival of the Nikon S.

First Camera who will lead to the knowledge of the Nikon Company all over the world.

Built to near 37 000 samples, between 1951 and 1955, it is the first commercial success of Nikon.

Two major events will help Nikon in this lightning ascension.

In 1950, the already very famous Photographer David Douglas Duncan (DDD for friends ...), made for Time-Life,

a subject in Japan, where he met a correspondant of the journal, named Miki.

Miki was in possession of Nikkor lenses mounted on his Leica, and DDD became very quickly enthousiasmed

by these lenses .

He got the chance to visit the factory (guided by Horace Bristol, US Photographer based in Japan), and

and very soon got himself a set of these lenses for his Leicas.

(by the way , the first Nikon camera that DDD evervused, was the Nikon F,

when he definitely dropped his Leica bodies ..)

This will be very important for the future, because this certainly contributed to decide Joe Ehrenreich, future importer

of Nikon in the US, who imported the Nikon S and his lenses and accessories on a regular basis, abd

this as soon as 1953.

The second major event; the Corean War , who drove many photographers to Japan, and made

them discover and appreciate the Nikon equipment of those days.

Joe Ehrenreich (EPOI in the USA)  was lucky to have chosen that period to import Nikon cameras in the US...

Because on June 28th 1953, Nikon introduced the prototyp of the NIKON S2.