Nikon - Nikkormat slide projector

 

Nikon products have been imported in the United States of America by a man who had a good nose for marketing and public relations. This man, the late Joseph Ehrenreich, owner and president of Ehrenreich Photo-Optical Industries (EPOI) in New York, managed to get the sole import of Nikon products. It is not an overstatement to say that Ehrenreich made Nikon a success in the USA. Many times he traveled to Tokyo to convince Nikon managers to produce a certain camera, lens or accessory. Unfortunately not always with success.

Nikkormat slide projector GC-2 with remote control and Rotor ay slide tray

The mid 1960´s amateur photography was booming; Nikon introduced the successful Nikkormat series, enabling amateur photographers to use the excellent Nikkor lenses. Ehrenreich stated that if you take a picture with a 100% quality lens, you should be able to present that picture or slide with a lens of the same quality. Nikon, however, wasn´t willing or able to produce a slide projector, so Ehrenreich contracted Sawyer´s Inc. in Portland (Maine, USA), known for its View-Master system. Sawyer´s made a slide projector, based on an existing model, but Ehrenreich managed to get the permission to use the brand ´Nikkormat´ and ´Nikomat´ while Nikon Corporation even produced a special lens for it: the Pro-Nikkor 3.5/4 inch (100mm.).

Pro-Nikkor 3.5/100mm projection lens

The projector, priced at $ 150.-, has two models: the GC-1 without - and the GC-2 with autofocus .....and two names: projectors with the name ´Nikkormat´ are rather easy to find, but with the name ´Nikomat´, which was used in some markets, are rare. Both models - however - are technically identical: forward and backward transport, automatic timer (max. 30 sec. interval), adjustable condenser for various slide formats, remote control, tape recorder connector and capable to use 5 different slide stacks (TDC-type) and trays (Rototray, EasyEdit, etc.). A minor feature for European users is the impossibility to use the Leitz-system trays, used by many other manufacturers and the 110 Volts/500 Watt lamp. The projector was destined - however - for the American market, and, thus, wasn´t sold elsewhere. If used in Europe (or anywhere else with a 220 Volt net) a voltage converter of at least 750 Watts should be used.

Clockwise: single slide preview window, single slide entry, power indicator, focus and timer wheel, remote control with forward/reverse & slide change buttons.

If one compares the performance of this projector (read: the condenser and the lens), this projector is in no way inferior to the Leitz Pradovit + Super Colorplan or Zeiss-Ikon Perkeo + P-Planar.

In the folders and manual, that came with the projector, was stated that more PRO-Nikkor lenses would become available. However, those promised lenses (of focal lengths of 3, 5 and 6 inches) have never been spotted. After a production period of less than 10 years the curtain dropped in the early 1970´s.

The Nikomat/Nikkormat slide projector model was used for other brands as well. Below you´ll see a ´brother´ of the Nikkormat projector: the almost identical Minolta Autopack AFT slide projector; only the projection lens - P-Rokkor 2.8/4 inch = 100mm. - is different. All parts, even the remote control, are interchangeable.

two identical projectors with their own lens and ´tartan´.