Navitar
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| Founded | 1973 |
| Headquarters | Rochester, New York |
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Number of employees | 100+ |
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| Website |
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Navitar is an optical design and manufacturer headquartered in Rochester, New York. The company has three divisions: Navitar Imaging Solutions, Navitar Projection Optics, and Special Optics.
Navitar’s optical technology dates back over 60 years with Navitar founder, David Goldstein’s first endeavor, Elgeet Optical. In 1954, the Navitar brand was 1st introduced by Elgeet on lenses that were developed for the U.S. Navy for missile tracking. David Goldstein went on to form D.O. Industries in 1972, which became the modern day Navitar, Inc.
David Goldstein’s sons Julian and Jeremy Goldstein who both lived in Japan and studied Japanese optical manufacturing techniques in the 1980s. The Goldstein brothers purchased Navitar from their father in 1994 and continue to own the company.
Prominent Products
- High Magnification Zoom 6000 Lens
- High Magnification 12X Zoom Lens
- 12X ZFL Fluorescent Microscope System
- Precise Eye Lens
- SWIR Hyperspectral Lens
- NanoVue Deep UV Lens
- NuView Projector Replacement Lens
- ScreenStar Projector Conversion Lenses
- HemiStar Dome Projection Lens
- Optical Wizard
Historical Timeline
1946 David Goldstein (founder of Navitar, Inc.) and two of his colleagues form Elgeet Optical.
1954 Navitar brand name introduced by Elgeet Optical for a 259mm lens sold to the U.S. Navy for use on the CZR-1 missile tracking camera.
1955 World’s first mass-produced aspheric lens element used in the Elgeet Golden Navitar 12mm f/1.2 wide angle lens developed for 16mm movie cameras.
1956 Elgeet Optical appointed as exclusive U.S. distributor for the microscope product division of Olympus Optical of Japan. The microscopes were all branded Elgeet-Olympus.
1958 Elgeet-Navitar branded X-ray imaging optics developed for firms like GE Medical, which later becomes modern day Navitar’s longest running customer.
1960 Designed for NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense, the Elgeet-Navitar 8mm F1.5 wide angle lens was produced for TIROS-1, the world's first Television and Infrared Observation Satellite. Tiros 1 and Navitar lens are currently on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
1972 David Goldstein becomes founder and sole owner of D.O. Industries, Inc.
1978 The first Navitar Slide Projection lenses developed for the entertainment and AV presentation industry.
1993 D.O. Industries, Inc. changes name to Navitar, Inc.
1994 Buhl Optical in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was purchased to produce projection lenses for the growing LCD video projector market.
2006 The Optical Wizard - the first online automated optics selection tool is introduced and receives patent from US Government.
2008 Special Optics in Wharton, New Jersey was purchased leading to major expansion of custom optical design and rapid prototyping capability.