Semi Rosen
The Semi Rosen (セミ・ローゼン) is a series of Japanese 4.5×6 folders. At least three different cameras share the name "Semi Rosen". They were distributed by Ōsawa Shōkai, which was probably the owner of the Rosen name. Their maker is unclear,[1] perhaps it was the company Proud which made the Baby Rosen and Rosen Four. (A proposed attribution to K.S. Fabrik is surely a mistake.)[2]
Contents
The original model
The original Semi Rosen is certainly a name variant of the Semi Dymos. It is an Ikonta copy, with the typical Ikonta struts. There is a folding optical finder in the middle of the top plate. Its front part folds above the back one and it is perhaps of the Newton type. There is no body release, the folding bed release is on the right of the viewfinder and the film advance key is at the bottom right — as seen by the photographer holding the camera horizontally. The back is hinged to the left and the back latch is covered by a leather handle. There is a special device for advance control (捲取特種装置), similar to the "talkie numbers" of the Semi Dymos, with a square plate on the camera's back and a red window at the extreme left, protected by a vertically sliding cover, probably to set the first exposure. The brand name ROSEN is embossed in the front leather in capital letters.
This model was briefly advertised in early 1937.[3]. In an advertisement dated April 1937,[4] the camera was offered with a Rosen Anastigmat f/4.5 lens and a Rosen shutter giving T, B, 5–250 speeds, for ¥58 — case extra ¥5. The Rosen shutter was certainly a name variant of the Light B mounted on the Semi Dymos. An auxiliary rangefinder called Cosmos (コスモス) was offered too, apparently in two versions, graduated in meter or in feet, both for ¥15.
The Semi Rosen III
The only record of the Semi Rosen III is found in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, itself based on the new products column of the April 1940 issue of Asahi Camera. This model is said to be a Baldax copy with a folding optical finder and a body release. The lens and shutter combinations mentioned are a Rosen 75/4.5 lens on a Rex shutter and a Keef or Welta 75/4.5 lens on a Prontor II shutter.[5]
No record of a Semi Rosen II has been found yet.
The Semi Rosen U
The Semi Rosen U is another Ikonta copy, advertised in 1942[6]. Its body looks different from the original model: it is more angular, has metal trimming and seems to be die cast metal instead of pressed steel. The Semi Rosen U has a folding optical finder and a body release. It is embossed Rosen in the front leather. It is offered in an advertisement dated January 1942[7] with a shutter called Presto[8] or Rapid-Presto[9], giving T, B, 1–500 speeds, and two lens options:
Two other lens and shutter combinations are presented in the book Kamera Zukan by Sugiyama and Naoi:[10]
- f:5.6 Coronar lens, Prouder II shutter, giving T, B, 1–175 speeds;
- f:4.5 Hildar lens, Rapid-Presto shutter, giving T, B, 1–500 speeds.
The shutter plate of the Presto-equipped variant is engraved PRESTO near the top, RAPID-PRESTO at the bottom of the speed ring, and something else near the bottom, apparently ending in FABRIK (maybe K.S. FABRIK, see the K.S. Fabrik page).[11]
However, a Semi Rosen U has been reported[12] with a K.S. Nippon marking on the back. It was equipped with a Rapit Anastigmat 75mm f:3.5 lens and a shutter marked K.K.S.
The postwar Rosen
A postwar Japanese 4.5×6 folder called Rosen has been observed once.[13] Its body completely differs from the Semi Rosen described above. It is thought to be a version of the Tsubasa Semi and is described in the corresponding page.
Notes
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi attributes the Semi Rosen to Ōsawa Shōkai, but it was probably a distributor only.
- ↑ McKeown describes the Semi Rosen U in two places: on p. 804 under the name "Rosen Semi", attributing it to Proud, and on p. 572, under the same "Semi Rosen", attributing it to K.S. Fabrik. The latter attribution is probably a confusion with the company making the shutter, see K.S. Fabrik.
- ↑ Dates: advertisements listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 104.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343. "Rex" inferred from the katakana レックス, "Keef" inferred from the katakana キーフ, "Welta" inferred from the katakana ウエルタ.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343.
- ↑ Advertisement published in the January 1942 issue of Hōdō Shashin, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 105.
- ↑ Name given in the January 1942 advertisement.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343; McKeown, p. 572 and 804.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343. These combinations are also mentioned in McKeown, pp. 572 and 804, probably after Sugiyama.
- ↑ Example of the Semi Rosen U pictured in McKeown, p. 804. McKeown calls this model the "Rosen Semi".
- ↑ In an eBay auction.
- ↑ In a Yahoo Japan auction.
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. Items 328–30.
- 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). Pp. 572 and 804.
