Activities in the Optical Device Business

In 2007, a lunar explorer named “KAGUYA” was launched to elucidate the origins and evolution of the Moon. Three different types of FUJINON lenses (six lenses in total) are mounted on this lunar orbit satellite: (1) two lenses for a terrain camera capable of taking stereoscopic images of the Moon landform to create detailed topographic maps; (2) two lenses for a multi band imager to explore rock distribution on the Moon by collecting geological data through photography using specific visible and nearinfrared light; and (3) two lenses for a high-definition camera that shoots the Moon’s surface and the Earth seen from the moon. All these lenses, which played a part in the second fully-fledged lunar exploration program after the Apollo program, were developed based on the technologies that the Fujifilm Group has accumulated over 20 years.

FUJINON lenses are also mounted on IBUKI, which was launched in January 2009. IBUKI has an important mission to measure greenhouse gases that are causing serious problems on Earth, thereby contributing to relevant research projects. To full this mission, the satellite has been collecting valuable data from about 700 km above the Earth.

In Japan, black-and-white broadcasting started in 1953 and TVs had spread rapidly to many households by 1959, when the Crown Prince (the present Emperor) was married. In 1960, colorcasts started, and subsequently in 1962, when everyone in the broadcasting field were developing technologies for colorcasts of the Summer Olympics to be held two years later in Tokyo, the Fujifilm Group also began developing lenses for TV cameras used for colorcasts. In a very short time span, the Group completed development of four types of highperformance lenses, thereby contributing to the success of the world’s first colorcasts of the Olympic Games.

Subsequently, we developed a series of advanced products, including large-diameter 10x, 14x, and 22x zoom lenses. We also created the lenses for small and light cameras used for news reporting that would become standards in their class and thus established the “FUJINON” brand in the broadcasting industry.

The broadcasting industry has undergone multiple changes, including the start of colorcasts and satellite broadcasting. The industry is now at another turning point: it will soon shift to digital terrestrial broadcasting. With digitization, high-definition (HD) broadcasting will also become the norm, which will enable people to enjoy watching clearer images on large screens. FUJINON lenses have been making various contributions to HD technology. For example, in 1979, at the request of the NHK Science and Technology Research Laboratories, the Fujifilm Group developed the world’s first lenses for HD cameras. Subsequently in 1988, FUJINON lenses were used for the trial high-definition broadcasting of the Summer Olympics held in Seoul, which continued for 17 days in a row. The Fujifilm Group developed smaller and lighter lenses and epoch-making autofocus lenses called “Precision Focus (PF)” lenses for high-definition cameras, because it proved difficult even for professional photographers to adjust the focus on these cameras. These lenses are now used by many broadcasting stations both inside and outside Japan. In the broadcasting industry, the development of technologies for super HD and stereoscopic images has already started, and FUJINON lenses are expected to play an important role in the next generation technologies.