Nikon’s Wild New Lens Isn’t for Your Camera, It’s for Your Car
Nikon’s latest innovation breaks the mold. It’s not a lens you can hold but a new in-vehicle system making its debut inside a truck at the upcoming CES 2025 event in Las Vegas.
Developed in partnership with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), the new Nikon optics combine telephoto and wide-angle capabilities into a single lens.
A Nikon Lens That Hopes to Save Lives
First seen on DIY Photography, these optics look to impress and keep people safe. This collaboration between Nikon and MFTBC is driven by a shared goal of improving driver safety and visibility. Current Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) often rely on multiple cameras to deliver complete coverage, a setup that increases costs and complexity. Nikon’s system redefines this standard by integrating telephoto and wide-angle views into one lens. This dual-field optical innovation simultaneously captures distant and peripheral areas, reducing hardware requirements and maintenance while enhancing clarity and reliability.
“The integration of telephoto and wide-angle functions in an optical lens system enables the camera to capture images both far away and in the close periphery simultaneously. The optical axes of the far-away and periphery shots are the same, which prevents parallax. As such, when used as an in-vehicle camera and the AI performs image recognition to collect road information that requires tracking signs or other vehicles in the distance, the camera system reduces the issue of losing track of the object or seeing a double image,” Nikon explains.
For drivers, this means fewer blind spots, better hazard detection, and a safer road experience. The system’s ability to provide seamless, 360-degree coverage is a significant leap forward, replacing traditional multi-camera arrays with a streamlined solution that delivers exceptional performance.
At its core, the Nikon system reimagines how we think about optics. This approach lowers costs and minimizes distortion — a critical factor in ensuring accurate imaging in real-time driving conditions.
The possibilities extend beyond the road. From disaster response to surveillance, this system’s adaptability could solve imaging challenges in a range of demanding industrial and commercial environments. It offers a glimpse into a future where optics serve dual purposes with unparalleled efficiency.
Spotlight at CES 2025
Nikon’s innovation will take center stage at CES 2025 through VR demonstrations to showcase its real-world capabilities. These demos will show how the lens tracks distant objects while maintaining sharp peripheral awareness. For Nikon, this marks a bold step into new territory that underscores the power of collaboration across industries.
Image credits: Nikon
