Nikon launched special edition cameras for its 100th anniversary, but the company now has an even more unusual camera on the record: a human one. In June, Nikon’s distributor for Italy broke the world record for the largest human camera, with Guinness World Records confirming the record on Monday, July 3.
Guinness World Records said that Nikon only needed 250 people to break the record, but the human camera involved 1,454 people outside the Palazzina di Caccia in Italy. The group created the classic look of a Nikon DSLR camera, using white, gray, black, and red t-shirts and ball caps to create the lens, viewfinder, shutter release and the iconic red mark on the grip.
The camera was made up of Nikon collaborators and colleges, as well as customers and photo fans that wanted to be in on the record (or wanted the free t-shirt and ball cap).
An official Guinness World Records adjudicator attended to verify the final number in the human camera — and of course make sure that it actually looked like a camera. While the event took place on June 17, Guinness World Records only recently confirmed that the stunt was indeed a record. The official record now reads, “The largest human image of a camera has 1,454 participants and was achieved by NITAL S.p.A. (Italy) in Turin, Italy, on 17 June 2017.”
2017 marks Nikon’s 100th year in business. The imaging company is celebrating with a number of different events throughout the year, from the human camera to a display of never-released prototype cameras at the Nikon Museum in Tokyo. Nikon also included a special 100th-anniversary category in its annual photo contest.
Nikon’s centennial celebration also includes limited edition gunmetal exteriors on the D5 and D500, along with a trio of gunmetal lenses. The 100th-anniversary mark is also available on several smaller collectibles, including a camera strap and models of vintage Nikon film cameras.
The 100th anniversary comes shortly after the company announced a restructuring plan to focus on high-end cameras. The company’s DL line of advanced compact cameras was squashed when delays pushed the launch date back too far. Just this year, Nikon launched the D5600 and D7500 DSLR as well as a number of new lenses.
