Apollo and Mikado
The camera often referred to as Apollo II is a Japanese 6×4.5 folder, made in 1949.
There is no rangefinder; the small viewfinder is within a diecast housing. The lens is a Wester 75mm f3.5 (from Nishida Kōgaku) with front-cell focussing; the shutter is NKK (B, 1–200) with single-pin flash synchronization.
The top plate of the camera is marked "Apollo II" and also describes it as the 1950 model; the leather on the back is stamped "Apollo 120".
The rear of the Apollo II has a metal plate marked Sumida Optical Works.
Advertisements for the Apollo II have been found in the December 1949 and March 1950 issues of Japanese camera magazines.
Source / further reading
- 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 In Japanese only. The Apollo II is item 366; unusually, the book does not show any advertisement for this camera, whose makers it names as both Sumida and Nishida.