Zuiko
Zuiko is the name of the camera lenses made by Olympus, from the first one, mounted in 1936 on the Semi Olympus, to the present day. All the Olympus cameras use the Zuiko lenses made by the company.
Zuikō is written 瑞光 in Japanese and can be translated as "auspicious optics" or "auspicious light". The name was adopted after a contest open to the company employees,[1] being a contraction of the first characters of "Mizuho Kōgaku Kenkyūjo" (瑞穂光学研究所, meaning Mizuho Optical Research Institute), name of a branch of Takachiho Seisakusho (the later Olympus) founded to develop the camera lens.
Where a lens is denominated with a letter before the Zuiko name (e.g. D.Zuiko or F.Zuiko) it represents the number of optical elements in the lens. The letter's placing in the alphabet corresponds to the number of elements present — so a D.Zuiko lens has 4 elements, and a F.Zuiko has 6.
Contents
Zuiko interchangeable lenses
- OM series: see Olympus OM lenses
- M42 (FTL) series: see 42mm screw lenses
- Pen F series: see Olympus Pen F lenses
- Ace series: see Olympus Ace
- Exakta lens: see Exakta lenses
- Leica screw lens: see 39mm screw lenses
- Olympus Standard lenses: see Olympus Standard
- Zuiko Digital series for the Four-Thirds system: see Four-Thirds lenses
Zuiko for other companies
The Zuiko lenses were also mounted on some cameras made by other Japanese companies:
- Airesflex by Aires
- Elmoflex by Elmo
- Mamiya Six by Mamiya
- Wagoflex by Walz
- Wester Chrome Six R by Nishida
- perhaps some Semi Minolta by Chiyoda Kogaku
List of Zuiko lenses
13.5×18mm lenses
A range of 'Zuiko Digital'-branded lenses developed for the Four-Thirds digital SLR system. See Four-Thirds lenses for further details.
18×24mm lenses
A range of interchangeable SLR lenses for the half-frame Pen F system — see Olympus Pen F lenses for further details.
24×36mm lenses
A single Zuiko 4cm f/2.8 lens was made in Leica screw mount; see 39mm screw lenses.
A single Zuiko 4cm f/3.5 lens was made in Exakta mount; see Exakta lenses.
A small range of interchangeable lenses in 42mm screw mount was developed for the Olympus FTL; see 42mm screw lenses for further details.
A large range of interchangeable lenses for the 35mm OM system was developed over a period of thirty years; see Olympus OM lenses for further details.
4×4cm lenses
- 60/2.8 Olympus D.Zuiko, 4 elements, taking and viewing lens of the Eye Flex B
- 60/3.5, elements unknown, taking and viewing lens of the Eye Flex A
4×5cm lenses
Interchangeable lenses of the Olympus Standard: see Olympus Standard.
4.5×6cm and 6×6cm lenses
The first prototype lenses made by Takachiho in 1936 include the 75/4.5 mounted on the Semi Olympus, a 105/4.5 for 6.5×9cm format (listed below), and perhaps a 75/3.5.[2]
- 75/4.5, four elements, three groups
- marked Takatiho Tôkyô Zuikô 1:4.5 f=75mm. No.1xxx, black face:
- marked Zuikô 1:4,5 f=7.5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxx, black face:
- marked Zuiko 1:4,5 f=7.5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxx, black face:
- one isolated example of the Semi Olympus
- Semi Olympus II
- Olympus Six I
- 75/3.5, four elements, three groups
- marked Zuiko 1:3,5 f=7.5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxxx, white face:
- Olympus Six II
- Olympus Six (postwar)
- Chrome Six I
- Mamiya Six, some
- marked Zuiko 1:3.5 f=7.5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxxx, black face:
- Elmoflex, some
- marked Olympus Zuiko Coated 1:3.5 f=7.5cm No.xxxxx, white face:
- Chrome Six IIIA, some
- marked Olympus Zuiko Coated 1:3.5 f=7.5cm No.xxxxx, red Zuiko, white face:
- Mamiya Six, some
- marked Olympus Zuiko C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm No.xxxxx, red C., white face:
- Chrome Six I
- Chrome Six IIIA, some
- marked Olympus Zuiko C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm No.xxxxx, red Zuiko C., white face:
- Mamiya Six, some
- marked Olympus Zuiko C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm No.xxxxxx, black C., white face:
- marked Olympus Zuiko F.C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm xxxxxx or No,xxxxxx, white face:
- Chrome Six IIIA, some
- Mamiya Six, some
- Wester Chrome Six R, some
- marked Olympus Zuiko F.C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm, black face:
- Olympus Flex BII, taking lens
- Olympus Flex A3.5, viewing lens on all, taking lens on some (?)
- Olympus Flex A3.5 II, viewing and taking lens on some
- Wagoflex, viewing and taking lens on some
- recomputed, marked Olympus D.Zuiko F.C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm xxxxxx, white face:
- Chrome Six IIIA, some
- Chrome Six IVA
- Chrome Six RIIA, some (black depth of field plate)
- marked Olympus D.Zuiko F.C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm xxxxxx, black face:
- Chrome Six VA (white depth of field plate)
- Chrome Six RIIA, some (white depth of field plate)
- Olympus Flex A3.5, taking lens on some
- Olympus Flex A3.5 II, viewing and taking lens on some
- Mamiya Six, some
- Mamiyaflex, some
- marked Zuiko 1:3,5 f=7.5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxxx, white face:
- 75/3.5, five elements:
- marked Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxxx Zuiko-S 1:3.5 f=7.5cm, white face:
- Olympus Six, some
- marked Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxxx Zuiko-S 1:3.5 f=7.5cm, white face:
- 75/2.8, four elements, three groups
- marked Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxxx Zuiko 1:2.8 f=7.5cm, black face:
- marked Olympus Zuiko Coated 1:2.8 f=7.5cm No.xxxxx, black face:
- marked Olympus Zuiko C. 1:2.8 f=7.5cm No.xxxxxx, black face:
- marked Olympus Zuiko F.C. 1:2.8 f=7.5cm xxxxxx or No,xxxxxx, black face:
- Chrome Six II
- Chrome Six IIIB
- Chrome Six IVB
- Chrome Six VB
- Chrome Six RIIB
- Olympus Flex I, viewing lens
- Olympus Flex BI, viewing lens
- Olympus Flex BII, viewing lens
- Olympus Flex A2.8, viewing lens on all, taking lens on some
- marked Olympus D.Zuiko F.C. 1:2.8 f=7.5cm xxxxxx, black face:
- Olympus Flex A2.8, taking lens on some
- 75/2.8, six elements, four groups
- marked Olympus F.Zuiko F.C. 1:2.8 f=7.5cm xxxxxx, black face:
- Olympus Flex I, taking lens
- Olympus Flex BI, taking lens
- marked Olympus F.Zuiko F.C. 1:2.8 f=7.5cm xxxxxx, black face:
6.5×9cm lens
- 105/4.5, four elements, three groups, first prototype lens made by Takachiho, intended for 6.5×9cm plate cameras[3]
Aerial lenses
- 200/4.5, four elements, three groups, marked ZUIKO 1:4.5 f=200mm Takatiho Noxxxx, for the Type 100 Small Aerial Camera (SK-100, 100式小航空写真機)[4]
- 250/4.5, four elements, three groups, for an Automatic Aerial Camera (自動航空写真機)[5]
- 400/5.6, four elements, four groups, for the Type 100 Small Aerial Camera (SK-100, 100式小航空写真機)[5]
Enlarging lenses
- 50/4.5 enlarging lens, sold ¥60 in 1941[6]
- 75/4.5 enlarging lens, four elements, three groups, marked Olympus Zuiko C. 1:4,5 f=7,5cm xxxxxx[7]
- 75/3.5 enlarging lens, four elements, three groups[5]
Notes
- ↑ Maitani, "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken"; Sakai, p. 7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20; Francesch, p. 19.
- ↑ The 75/3.5 is only mentioned in Sakai, p. 7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20.
- ↑ Hagiya, p. 13 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20.
- ↑ "Orinpasu renzu hoi", p. 81 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20, and example observed for sale at a dealer.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Mentioned in "Orinpasu renzu hoi", p. 81 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20.
- ↑ Advertisement dated 1941, reproduced in Nostalgic Camera by Toshio Inamura.
- ↑ "Orinpasu renzu hoi", p. 81 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 20. The example pictured has no. 104603.
Bibliography
- Hagiya Takeshi (萩谷剛). "Orinpasu kamera no subete 1: supuringu kamera <senzen-hen>" (オリンパスカメラのすべて1・スプリングカメラ戦前編, "All of Olympus cameras 1: folding cameras [prewar]"). 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. 20, 25 March 1992. No ISBN number. Orinpasu no subete (オリンパスのすべて, special issue on Olympus). Pp. 13–5.
- Maitani Yoshihisa (米谷美久). "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken" (カメラ創りへの冒険, "Venturing into camera production"). Volume 1 of Haikei — Sekkeisha yori (拝啓・設計者より, "Dear Sir, from the designer"). Published in the Zuiko Club website, belonging to the Olympus Imaging Corp.
- "Orinpasu renzu hoi" (オリンパスレンズ補遺, "Olympus lens appendix"). Anonymous column about various Zuiko lenses. 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. 20, 25 March 1992. No ISBN number. Orinpasu no subete (オリンパスのすべて, special issue on Olympus). P. 81.
- Sakai Shūichi (酒井修一). "Orinpasu no rekishi" (オリンパスの歴史, "History of Olympus"). 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. 20, 25 March 1992. No ISBN number. Orinpasu no subete (オリンパスのすべて, special issue on Olympus). Pp. 6–9.
- "Zadankai: Orinpasu no michi" (座談会・オリンパスの道, "Conversation: the way of Olympus"). Interview of Sakurai Eiichi (桜井栄一), Maitani Yoshihisa (米谷美久) and Kawazoe Mitsuo (河添光男), by Saeki Kakugorō (佐伯恪五郎). 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. 20, 25 March 1992. No ISBN number. Orinpasu no subete (オリンパスのすべて, special issue on Olympus). Pp. 64–71.
Links
In Japanese:
- Advertisement for the Zuiko 50/4.5 enlarging lens published in 1941, reproduced in Nostalgic Camera, a page by Toshio Inamura