 The ESOT was unusual in that it gave employees 100 percent ownership of the company and transferred ownership without requiring contributions from individual employees.The National School Studios introduced a prototype of its Micro-Z camera at the July 1980 sales meeting, a system that Richard Erickson had brainstormed with the company's chief design engineer, Tal Hopson, for handling NSS’ information and sales volume.Despite innovations, photographers were reluctant to accept it after using the Model 5 for 15 years.