Airesflex
The Aires Reflex, Airesflex and Aires Automat are 6×6 TLRs made by Aires in the early 1950s. Until summer 1953, and perhaps later, it was distributed in Japan by Tōyō Shashin Kizai (東洋写真機材).
All have 75mm f/3.5 lenses, focus by moving the entire lens assembly, and have some degree of automation for film advance.
The Aires Reflex Y was advertised in early 1951. It has Nishida Excelsior triplet lenses and a Nishida Wester shutter (B, 1–200) with self-timer and flash synchronization.[1] The nameplate says AiresReflex; under the nameplate, Aires Camera Ind. Co., Ltd.[2]
The Aires Reflex YII (advertised in spring and summer 1951) has an NKK shutter (same specifications as before, but with Kodak-style flash terminal) and a magnifying glass in the hood. The nameplate says "Airesreflex.
The Aires Reflex YIII (advertised from summer 1951 until summer 1953) is based on the YII but has semi-automatic film advance (align the "start" arrow with a marker; thereafter wind, cock and fire). Early examples have the Excelsior lenses; later ones Coral lenses.
The Aires Reflex Z (advertised from summer 1951 until spring 1954) is based on the YIII but has a Seikosha Rapid shutter (B, 1–500, synchronized), and, for the most part, four-element Nikkor lenses (the view lens of which is f/3.2). Variants have Zuiko and Coral lenses. Export models have Seikosha MXL shutters. The nameplate of the domestic model says AIRESFLEX, with an underline extending the A and so that it almost touches the X; that for export says AIRES and below it reflex. The Z was well-received outside Japan, where Nikkor lenses were highly regarded: in 1953 when the Rolleicord IV cost $149 in the US, the Z with Coral lens cost $99 but the Z with Nikkor cost $165.[3]
The Airesflex U (later, Airesflex U, advertised from autumn 1951 until autumn 1954) exists in a number of versions:
- Zuiko, Seikosha Rapid
- Zuiko, Copal
- Coral, Seikosha Rapid
- Coral, Copal
- Excelsior, Copal
in which the Copal shutter has speeds of B, 1–200 with flash synchronization and self-timer. The nameplate says AIRESFLEX.
The Airesflex IV (advertised in the second half of 1954) is a simpler version, with a red window for film advance. It has Coral lenses and a new Copal shutter (B, 1–300, with self-timer and flash synchronization). The nameplate says AIRESFLEX and underneath it Model IV. In summer 1954 it cost ¥17,000 including case.[4]
The Aires Automat (advertised from spring 1954 until mid-1955) is the final model and the most advanced. It is based on the Airesflex U; film advance is semi-automatic and it is wound by crank and has a self-cocking shutter. The shutter is a Seikosha rapid with M and X flash synchronization, and the lens is a Nikkor or Zuiko. The nameplate says AIRES AUTOMAT. In spring 1955 it was priced at ¥43,000 including case, remarkably high for a TLR.[5]
Notes
- ↑ Lens and shutter: Hagiya, p. 98.
- ↑ Photograph: Hagiya, p. 92.
- ↑ From US Camera, November 1953; cited by Hagiya, p. 99.
- ↑ Advertisement placed in the May 1955 issue of Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 114.
- ↑ Advertisement placed in the July 1954 issue of Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 113. The IV appears in this ad together with the U and Automat, whose prices are not mentioned.
Sources / further reading
In Japanese:
- Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. 347–53. (See also the advertisement for item 355.)
- Hagiya Takeshi (萩谷剛). "Airesu no kamera: Yarūfurekkusu soshite 6×6han niganrefu, 35mm kamera e (アイレスのカメラ:ヤルーフレックスそして6×6判二眼レフ、35mmカメラへ, The Aires cameras: From the Yallu Flex to 6×6 TLRs and 35mm cameras). Chapter 5 of Zunō kamera tanjō: Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari (ズノーカメラ誕生:戦後国産カメラ10物語, The birth of the Zunow camera: Ten stories of postwar Japanese camera makers). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1999. ISBN 4-257-12023-1 In Japanese only. First published in issue 22 (September 1992) of Kamera rebyū: Kurashikku kamera senka (カメラレビュー・クラシックカメラ専科).
Links
In English:
- Aires Camera Co. TLRs at tlr-cameras.com
- Airesflex series, in particular the Airesflex Z and Aires Automat, at Nikkor lenses for medium-format cameras, by Hiura Shinsaku. (See also Hiura's tests of the Nikkor-Q.C. lens on the Airesflex Z [comments in Japanese], and sample photos from the Aires Automat.)
- Airesflex at Bob Monaghan's site
- Airesflex Z at the Online Collectible Camera Catalogue
In Italian:
- Aires cameras including the TLR models, at Innovative cameras
In Japanese:
- Airesflex IV from this page of old advertisements
- Takasaki Motohiro's repair/maintenance pages (text in Japanese, plus pictures):
- Airesflex specifications (in Japanese)
- Airesflex Z repair, by H. Arai (in Japanese, pictures)
- Aya's camera (text in Japanese, and pictures):
- Sample photos from an Airesflex U
- Aires Automat from Kawamasu Camera