Tomioka
Tomioka was founded in 1924 in the outskirts of Tokyo. In 1943 the company was called Tomioka Kōgaku Seiki Seizōsho (冨岡光学精機製造所) and based in Tokyo, Omori.[1]
Tomioka Optical Company Ltd. supplied lenses to a number of Japanese camera makers like Yashica and Royal Camera Company. A rather well-known example is the Tessar-like Lausar lens. Other types and brand names of this company include Tominon, Tominor, Tri-Lausar, Tomi-Kogaku, Auto-Tominon, Tomi-Yashinon, Yashimar, Yashikor, Yashinon, Heliotar and Lumaxar. Yashinon lenses have a reputation of good quality.
Tomioka gained such a good name that this was the plant where Carl Zeiss licensed optics were made for Japanse cameras, like for Contax.
Sources
- Camera Magazine 1996-2: pp. 24–27. Article in Dutch.
- "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.
Links
- Article on Tomioka in the TLR-cameras website. (Used as a source for this page.)
- Tomioka today as part of the Kyocera group.
- Tomioka lenses and Yashica cameras on Yashica guy's site.
- a Tomioka company history.
- The end of the Tomioka plant?.
