Arsen
The Arsen (アルゼン) is a Japanese camera taking 4×4cm exposures on 127 film, based on the 3×4 Gelto and made between 1938 and 1944 by the same company Tōa Kōki, perhaps called Takahashi Kōgaku at the beginning.[1] It was sold by Ars (アルス), the publisher of the magazine Ars Camera, and it was probably named Arsen for that reason.
Contents
Description of the body
The Arsen is extremely similar to the prewar Gelto, except for the picture format. Both cameras are inspired by the Picny, itself a copy of the Wirgin Gewirette. The body is die-cast metal and has angled edges. The lens and shutter assembly is collapsible and is mounted on a focusing helical. There is a tubular optical finder offset to the left an accessory shoe at the left end of the top plate. The advance knob is at the right end. Unlike the Gelto, the Arsen has an auto-stop advance mechanism contained in a small housing under the advance knob, with an exposure counter window. This feature was necessary because the paper backing of 127 film was not marked for 4×4cm pictures at the time.
The top plate is removable for film loading, in the same spirit as the bottom loading of the Leica screw models. It is locked in place by a key placed above the advance housing. There is a single one red window in the back, protected by a horizontally sliding cover. It is used to set the position of the first exposure.
Under the camera, the serial number is engraved on a round plate to the left and the tripod screw is offset to the right. The name ARSEN is embossed in the front leather.
Lens and shutter equipment
The shutter gives T, B, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, 250 speeds and is inscribed ARSEN at the bottom. It was made by the company Tōa Kōki itself.[2] The lens is a three-element Anastigmat Grimmel 50/4.5, made by Fujita Kōgaku Kikai.[3] The focusing helical goes down to 0.5m and the aperture scale goes from 4.5 to 32. Three lens bezel variants are known:
- black bezel, focal length in millimetres: 50mm;
- metal bezel, focal length in millimetres: 50mm;
- metal bezel, focal length in centimetres: 5.0cm.
The lens cap is engraved Arsen and is attached to the focusing tab by a chain.
Advertising
In an advertisement dated July 1940, the Arsen was offered for ¥95 and the only company name was Ars.[4]
The camera was listed in the Template:Kakaku1940 short compiled on October 25, 1940 and published in January 1941, for ¥95 with no further detail.[5]
The Arsen was mentioned as made by Tōa Kōki Seisakusho and distributed by Ars in the "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), listing the Japanese camera production as of April 1943.[6]
In an advertisement dated March 1944, the camera was offered for ¥125, the picture was the same as in July 1940 and the only company name was Ars again.[7]
Auxiliary rangefinder
The Gelto rangefinder (ゲルト距離計) was offered by the distributor Matsuzaki Shashinki-ten in an advertisement perhaps dated February 1941.[8]. It was sold in two versions, one for the Gelto and another for the Arsen, both at ¥16.50. It is not known what could be the difference between the two versions, and it seems that this accessory can be mounted on any camera.
The March 1944 advertisement cited above also offered an accessory rangefinder for ¥24.30.[9]
Rangefinder conversions
The Cyclon coupled rangefinder conversion offered in 1943 and 1944 for the Gelto was also available for the Arsen.[10] Various surviving examples have been observed, with the auto CYCLON focus nameplate screwed above the top housing. The conversion is described in detail in this section of the Gelto page. It is not known if the earlier conversion with separate range- and viewfinder, called Suzuki coupled device, was offered for this camera.
Notes
- ↑ Made by Tōa Kōki: "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), item 138. Most modern sources attribute the Arsen to Takahashi: Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 334, Sugiyama, item 3004, McKeown, p. 912. This page at Asacame says that the Arsen was made by the same Takahashi company as the Gelto, and Sugiyama, items 3017–8, attributes the early Gelto models up to 1938 to Takahashi.
- ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), shutter item 18-P-28.
- ↑ Three elements, made by Fujita Kōgaku Kikai: "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), lens item Jc6.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Camera Club, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 58.
- ↑ Template:Kakaku1940 short, type 1, section 9.
- ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), item 138.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Shashin Kagaku, reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
- ↑ Advertisement published in 1941 and reproduced in Nostalgic Camera, a page by Toshio Inamura.
- ↑ Advertisement dated March 1944 cited above.
- ↑ Advertisements dated July 1943 and May 1944 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp. 111–2.
Bibliography
- 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. Item 10.
- "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" (国産写真機ノ現状調査, Inquiry into Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943. Reproduced in Supuringu kamera de ikou: Zen 69 kishu no shōkai to tsukaikata (スプリングカメラでいこう: 全69機種の紹介と使い方, Let's try spring cameras: Presentation and use of 69 machines). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2004. ISBN 4-87956-072-3. Pp.180–7. Item 148.
- Template:Kakaku1940
- McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). P. 912.
- Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Item 3004.
Links
In English:
- Arsen: lot 85 of the March 25, 2006 Photographica and Film auction by Auction Team Breker
In Japanese:
- Arsen in the A-Z 127 film cameras at Asacame
- Arsen in a page of the AJCC website
- Advertisement for the Arsen published in the March 1944 issue of Shashin Kagaku, reproduced in the Japanese camera page of the Gochamaze website
- Advertisement for the Gelto auxiliary rangefinder published in 1941 and reproduced in Nostalgic Camera, a page by Toshio Inamura