Chinon
35mm Chinon Bellami; 1981 red suede edition commemorates 50 years of Chinon USA image by Nick Hahn (Image rights) |
Chinon Industries Inc. was established by Chino Hiroshi in September 1948 and was originally known as Sanshin Seisakusho. Its name changed in 1962 to Sanshin Optics Industrial Co. Ltd, finally becoming Chinon Industries Inc in 1973. It is now owned by Kodak Japan Limited, the Japanese daughter company of Eastman Kodak Co. It sells digital cameras to Kodak and provides assistance to Kodak Electronic Products (Shanghai), the manufacturer of its cameras. The takeover by Kodak took place in January and February 2004. Before that time Chinon had been an independent manufacturer of optics and cameras since 1948.
Currently (as of 2010) Chinon produce digital cameras such as the Superheadz/Digital hedgehog retro 110 style toy camera and the Tachyon helmet camera. They also produce film scanners and various other non camera related devices.
Contents
Company Timeline
- 1948 - Sanshin Seisakusho established as a maker of camera lens frames and lens barrels in the city of Chino, Nagano Prefecture.
- 1953 - Sanshin Seisakusho reorganized into a stock-holding company.
- 1954 - Head office transferred to the city of Suwa, Nagano Prefecture.
- 1956 - Manufacturing 8mm movie camera lenses begins.
- 1959 - Develops and manufactures world's first 8mm zoom lens.
- 1962 - Manufactures and exports own-brand 8mm movie cameras to Europe and America. Company name changed to Sanshin Optics Industrial Co. Ltd.
- 1971 - Manufacturing of 35mm cameras begins.
- 1973 - Company name changed to Chinon Industries, Inc. Stock listed on second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
- 1974 - First in Japan to develop and manufacture a simultaneous sound recording 8mm movie camera.
- 1979 - Manufacturing video camera lenses begins.
- 1981 - First in Japan to develop a near-infrared auto focus system.
- 1982 - Enters the emerging information device field with the development and production of information storage devices.
- 1983 - Develops and markets world's first twin programmed SLR camera.
- 1985 - Begins producing 35mm cameras for Eastman Kodak Company on an OEM basis.
- 1993 - Begins supplying Kodak with digital cameras on an OEM basis.
- 1997 - Kodak becomes majority shareholder (50.1%). Chinon strengthens digital camera design and production operations.
- 1998 - Digital camera production surpasses 1 million units.
- 2000 - Digital camera production surpasses 3 million units.
- 2002 - Digital camera production surpasses 5 million units.
35mm SLR
- Chinon AM-3
- Chinon CA-4
- Chinon CE Memotron
- Chinon CE II Memotron
- Chinon CE-3 Memotron
- Chinon CE-4
- Chinon CE-4s
- Chinon CE-5
- Chinon CG-5
- Chinon CM-1
- Chinon CM-4
- Chinon CM-5
- Chinon CM-7
- Chinon CP-5 / CP-5s
- Chinon CP-6
- Chinon CP-7m (only program K-mount body using just standard K-mount lenses)
- Chinon CP-9AF
- Chinon CP-X Program
- Chinon CS
- Chinon CS-4
- Chinon CX
- Chinon CX II
- Chinon DP-5
- Chinon DSL
- Chinon Genesis (GS-7)
- Chinon Genesis II (GS-8)
- Chinon Genesis III
- Chinon Genesis IV
- Chinon M-1
- Chinon SLR
- Chinonflex TTL
35mm Power Winders
- Chinon PW 510
- Chinon PW 534/545
- Chinon PW 540
- Chinon PW 600/610
Chinon info back
- Chinon info back 2 (data back)
- Chinon info back 3 (Interval timer)
Point & Shoot
- Chinon 35 (35mm)
- Chinon 35EE (GAF Memo) (35mm)
- Chinon 35F-A (35mm)
- Chinon 35F-EE
- Chinon 35F-M
- Chinon 35FA II (35mm)
- Chinon 35FA Super (35mm)
- Chinon 35FS-A (35mm)
- Chinon 35FX-III (35mm)
- Chinon 35FX-IV (35mm)
- Chinon AP600S / AP300 (APS)
- Chinon AP700S (APS)
- Chinon Auto 357Z (35mm)
- Chinon Auto 386Z (35mm, 38-60mm zoom)
- Chinon Auto 2001 (35mm)
- Chinon Auto 3001 (35mm)
- Chinon Auto 3301 (35mm, 35-70mm zoom)
- Chinon Auto 4001 (35mm, 35-70mm zoom)
- Chinon Auto 5501 / 6001 (35mm)
- Chinon Auto GL (35mm, fixed focus)
- Chinon Auto GL-II (35mm)
- Chinon Auto GL-AF (35mm)
- Chinon Auto GL-S (35mm)
- Chinon Auto GLX (35mm)
- Chinon Auto GLX Tele Date (35mm)
- Chinon Auto GX (35mm)
- Chinon Belami AF (35mm)
- Chinon Bellami (35mm)
- Chinon Flash II
- Chinon Handyzoom 5001 (35mm)
- Chinon InfraFocus 35F-MA (35mm)
- Chinon Micro 35 EF
- Chinon Monami 35 FS
- Chinon Pocket 77 (110 film)
- Chinon Pocket Dual-AF-P (Minolta P-Twin)
- Chinon Pocket Zoom (35mm)
- Chinon Splash AF (35mm)
- Chinon Splash GX (35mm)
Digital
Super 8 Film Cameras
- 133 PXL Silent Camera
- 60 RXL Sound Camera
8mm Movie Projectors
- 3000GL Silent Projector
- SP-330 Sound Projector
Links
- User manuals for almost every Chinon SLR and many point and shoots on Mike Butkus' Orphan Cameras at butkus.org.
- Official Chinon company sites for Japan and USA.
- Chinon Timeline at www.collection-appareils.com by Sylvain Halgand.
- Chinon page at Collection G. Even's site.
- Chinon Cameras Price Guide at collectiblend.com.