ROCHESTER, NY-Navitar Inc.’s optical technology dates back more than 60 years, when the company’s founder, David Goldstein, pioneered his way into the optics industry. Originally forming Elgeet Optical in 1946, Goldstein set out to make innovative optics for the most revolutionary applications and industries. His decision to develop and manufacture optical technologies for military applications was fundamental in establishing the Navitar name brand.

Goldstein first launched the Navitar brand in 1954 with the Elgeet-Navitar 259-millimeter lens designed for use by the United States Navy’s CZR-1 missile tracking camera. Using the 259-millimeter lens, the CZR ribbon frame camera tracked the missile during the first 1,000 feet of launch and provided photographs of the missile along a predetermined flight path. CZR-1 cameras were used for years in ballistic missile testing programs and were still being used in 1986 by NASA to compile photographic data on the Space Shuttle Challenger accident.

In 1960, the Elgeet-Navitar 8-millimeter f/1.5 wide-angle lens was introduced. The 8-millimeter lens was produced exclusively for TIROS-1, the world’s first Television and Infrared Observation Satellite designed by NASA and the United States Department of Defense. Satellite pictures of the Earth revolutionized the science of storm prediction and opened up vast possibilities for the use of aerial surveillance for military purposes.

Today, Navitar Inc. is comprised of a network of companies that design, develop, manufacture and distribute precise optical and electro-optical technologies and systems. All three divisions, Navitar Machine Vision, Navitar Presentation Products and Navitar Special Optics, produce optics widely used for military, defense and homeland security applications.

“My brother Julian and I are proud to carry on the legacy of innovation created by our father and, without a doubt, Navitar will stay progressive and continue to provide leading-edge optical technologies to the U.S. Military and commercial companies well into the next generation,” says Jeremy Goldstein, co-president of Navitar Inc.

For more information, visit www.navitar.com or call Craig Fitzgerald, vice president of product development at (800) 828-6778 / (585) 359-4000.