Visit the Factory Where Nikon’s Lens Elements are Made from Scratch

At the core of every Nikkor lens, is Hikari glass. The company’s factory in Japan’s pristine Akita Prefecture churns out the lens elements that make or break the quality of your Nikkor lenses, and this short video gives us a peek at how it’s done.

This short installment is Volume 6 of Nikon’s “Philosophy of NIKKOR” series, and it’s packed full of interesting factoids and fascinating footage for the camera-obsessed glass geeks out there.

The detail we found most amazing is easy to miss. Around 4 minutes, one of the employees, Akiko Kimura, says the plant guarantees a precise refractive index. How precise? Within 6 decimal points. It’s that kind of precision, that kind of dedication to quality, that sets great glass apart.

If you’re at all nerdy about camera gear and optics, click play up top—you won’t regret it. And if you want to see even more, check out this old video tour of the same factory from 2013.

(via Digital Trends)