Tsubasa Spring
The Tsubasa Spring is a Japanese folding camera taking 4×6.5 and 3×4 pictures on 127 film. It was made by Optochrom in 1938 and 1939.
Description
The Tsubasa Spring is a vertical folder, with incurved folding struts. It has a small top housing on the top plate, supporting an accessory shoe and containing the viewfinder. There are two lines in the viewfinder to indicate the field of view for 3×4cm exposures. There is a large button on the right to release the folding bed and a smaller shutter release on the left. The advance key is at the bottom right and the back is hinged to the left. The front leather is embossed TSUBASA.
The lens is a Lucomar Anastigmat 75/4.5. The shutter is a Tsubasa with T, B, 25–100 speeds and a body release. The shutter plate is marked TSUBASA SHUTTER at the top and NEW GOLD at the bottom with a NE logo on the right.
Evolution
The camera was first advertised at the beginning of 1938 as the Tsubasa Spring A (ツバサスプリングA), and it was featured as such in the new products column of the June 1938 issue of Asahi Camera.[1]
An advertisement dated June 1938[2] listed the camera as the Tsubasa Spring (ツバサスプリング), for ¥34. It was pictured with a Tsubasa accessory rangefinder, offered separately for ¥14.
In advertisements dated September 1938 and February 1939,[3] the camera was called Tsubasa Spring Camera (ツバサ・スプリング・カメラ). The price of the camera was the same but the price of the rangefinder had raised to ¥15.
In an advertisement dated April 1939, the camera was called Tsubasa A Chrome (ツバサA型クローム) and was priced ¥38 (rangefinder for ¥16).[4]
Despite the various names, no change is visible in the advertising pictures. The lens rim is thin and no focusing control is apparent. Only one surviving example has been observed so far, pictured in Sugiyama, with a front-cell focusing lens and a different lens bezel.[5]
The camera is mentioned in the Template:Kakaku1940 short listing the official prices as of October 25, 1940, under the name "Tsubasa Spring B" (¥45), with no further detail.[6]
Notes
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 337 (item 145).
- ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 78.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Camera September 1938, reproduced in the Gochamaze website. Advertisement published in Asahi Camera February 1939, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 78.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 79.
- ↑ Sugiyama item 1252.
- ↑ Template:Kakaku1940 short, type 2, section 6A.
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 145–7. (See also the advertisement for item 144.)
- 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. 465.
- 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 1252.
Links
In Japanese:
- Advertisement published in the September 1938 issue of Asahi Camera, reproduced in the Japanese camera page of the Gochamaze website
Timeline
Kigawa timeline ( ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
3×4 | rigid | Baby Chrome | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Baby Oso | Tsubasa Oso | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tsubasa Arawashi | ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4×6.5 | telescopic | Tsubasa Chrome | ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
folding | Tsubasa Spring | ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4.5×6 | strut folding | Semi Chrome B | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
horizontal folding | Tsubasa Super Semi | ... | _ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tsubasa II Super Semi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tsubasa Nettar | Tsubasa Kiko Three | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
vertical folding | Semi Chrome A | Semi Sixteenth (dates unclear) |
Semi Kulax | Kiko Semi | ... | _ | Tsubasa Semi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6×6 | horizontal folding | Gotex | ... | ... | Poppy Six (dates unknown) |
... | Carl Six | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TLR | Kiko Flex | Tsubasaflex | Graceflex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16mm | subminiature | ... | Poppy (dates unknown) |
... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manufacturer: | ... | Kigawa Seimitsu | ... | Kigawa Kōgaku | Carl Kōgaku | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shin Nippon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributor: | Optochrom-sha | ... | Nichiei Shōkai | Kikō Shōji | ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cameras whose actual existence is dubious are in a lighter shade. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cameras in yellow are variants sold and maybe assembled by other companies. |