Digital photography

Nikon created some of the first digital SLRs (DSLRs) as research projects for NASA in 1991. After a late-1990s partnership with Kodak to produce digital SLR cameras based on existing Nikon film bodies, Nikon released the Nikon D1 SLR under its own name in 1999. Although it used an APS-C-size light sensor only 2/3 the size of a 35 mm film frame (later called a "DX sensor"), the D1 was among the first digital cameras to have sufficient image quality and a low enough price for some professionals (particularly photojournalists and sports photographers) to use it as a replacement for a film SLR. The company's Coolpix line became popular with consumers as well, as digital photography became increasingly prevalent through the early 2000s.

Nikon retained a strong professional and enthusiast following with its DSLRs and lenses, especially as it remedied their autofocus performance with its AF-S lens line, while largely maintaining compatibility with older lenses. Still, through the mid-2000s, Nikon remained in second place behind Canon in SLR camera sales, and Canon had several years' lead in producing professional DSLRs with light sensors as large as traditional 35 mm film frames. All Nikon DSLRs from 1999 to 2007, by contrast, used the smaller DX size sensor.

Then, 2005 management changes at Nikon yielded a more aggressive approach to camera design. With the introduction of the full-frame Nikon D3 in late 2007, and the Nikon D700 a few months later -- as well as several new introductory and mid-range SLRs -- Nikon regained much of its reputation among professional and amateur enthusiast photographers as a leading innovator in the field, especially because of the speed, ergonomics, and low-light performance of its latest models.The mid-range Nikon D90, introduced in 2008, was also the first SLR camera to record video