Yashica Future 127
The Yashica Future 127 is a 4×4cm prototype camera with automated exposure, announced by Yashica in 1959. It was the first Japanese camera with auto-exposure, a feature called "Electric Eye" at the time.
Context and announce
In 1957, the release of the 4×4cm Baby Rolleiflex and that of various 4×4cm Brownie cameras caused a brief upsurge of interest for this format. Various Japanese 4×4cm TLRs followed, including the Yashica-44 released in 1958.
In 1958–59, a trio of American 4×4cm auto-exposure cameras was released in quick succession: the Electric Eye 127 by Bell & Howell, the Eye-Matic EE 127 by Revere and the Brownie Starmatic by Kodak. These were among the first popular cameras with automatic exposure, after Agfa's expensive Automatic 66.
In that context, Japanese manufacturers undertook their own research on auto-exposure cameras, and the first two prototypes officially shown to the public were the Yashica Future 127 and Olympus Eye 44. The Future 127 came first: it was announced in Japanese magazines dated April 1959,[1] certainly indicating that it was presented to the press in February or March,[2] whereas the Olympus Eye 44 was shown to the press on May 6, the same day as the Olympus Pen.[3] (The same year 1959, Ricoh launched the Ricohmatic 44, another 4×4cm camera with easy exposure settings, but it did not have true automatic exposure.)
At the period, the 4×4cm camera boom was already coming to an end, and both the Yashica and Olympus were shelved. A single functional example of the Future 127 was made, followed by a mock-up for further research.[4] The experience gained with this camera was used for later 35mm auto-exposure models, such as the 1961 Flash-O-Set and 1962 Yashica 35EE.
Description
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 1710.
- Shibano Daisuke (柴野大輔). "Tasai ni tenkai suru mittsu no burando: Yashika, Kontakkusu, Kyōsera no kamera" (多彩に展開する三つのブランド・ヤシカ、コンタックス、京セラのカメラ, Three brands developing in various ways: Yashica, Contax and Kyocera). In Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.26, September 1993. No ISBN number. Yashika Kyōsera Kontakkusu no subete (ヤシカ・京セラ・コンタックスのすべて, special issue on Yashica, Kyocera and Contax). Pp.8–11.
- Shirai Tatsuo (白井達男). "Yashica Futura 127". Pp.57–66 of Maboroshi no kamera o otte (幻のカメラを追って, Pursuing phantom cameras). Gendai Kamera Shinsho (現代カメラ新書). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1982. ISBN 4-257-08077-9. (First published in Kamera Rebyū / Camera Review. no.7, May 1979.)
- Someha Keiichi (染葉桂一), of the Yashica Corp. planning department (㈱ヤシカ企画部). "IAN Spotlight: Yashica Future 127" (IANスポットライト・ヤシカ・フチュア127). Article in Kōgei News volume 27 no.4. Available in pdf version in the AIST Tohoku website
The Future 127 is not listed in Sugiyama.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.410, lists the April issues of Asahi Camera and Shashin Salon, and Shirai, p.59 of Maboroshi no kamera o otte, lists Asahi Camera and Camera Mainichi.
- ↑ Shirai, p.59 of Maboroshi no kamera o otte.
- ↑ Shirai, p.59 of Maboroshi no kamera o otte.
- ↑ Shirai, p.58 of Maboroshi no kamera o otte.
