Apollo and Mikado

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The Apollo and Mikado are Japanese 4.5×6 folders, made from 1949 and differing only by the name.[1]

Origin and attribution

The Apollo and Mikado are attributed to Sumida Kōki and Nishida Kōgaku.[2] They are a continuation of the Roavic made from 1940 by Miyoshi Kōgaku, itself the successor of the Semi Prux by Proud and Miyoshi. In view of this and of the SUMIDA OPTICAL WORKS markings found on some examples, it is most likely that the actual maker of the body was Sumida, while Nishida was providing the lenses and shutters (and maybe marketed the camera).

The Apollo and Mikado were maybe produced for export only: today the camera is not uncommon in the West, while Kokusan kamera no rekishi does not mention any Japanese advertisement for the Apollo, and does not mention the Mikado at all.[3]

General description

The camera is a horizontal folder, nearly identical to the earlier Roavic. The body and folding struts are copied on the Duo Six-20 Series II by Kodak AG, except that the back is hinged to the left. The optical finder is enclosed in the middle of a chrome top housing. The advance knob is on the right end, as seen by the photographer, and the body release is next to it. There is an accessory shoe on the left, and the folding bed release is just in front of it. There is a chrome bottom plate, with a tripod thread in the middle and film flanges at both ends. The lens standard consists of a chrome plate, supporting the lens and shutter assembly.

Evolution

Two production variants of the Apollo and Mikado are distinguishable. The early variant has a back latch copied on Kodak designs, a small advance knob with a recessed top inherited from the Roavic and no depth-of-field dial. There are two rectangular red windows in the back near the bottom, protected by a common cover sliding under a metal plate. Given their position, these red windows correspond to the numbers from 1 to 16 marked on the rollfilm's paper back for the 4.5×6 format, thus the rationale for having two of them is unclear.

The medium variant have a flat back latch covered by a rectangular leather piece, a larger advance knob with a flatter top and a depth-of-field dial on the left end of the top plate. The late variant is similar but has a single red window: the right-hand red window was suppressed, leaving space for a SUMIDA OPTICAL WORKS engraving. It is also said that the covering was changed from leather to vulcanite at some time.[4]

Lens, shutter and markings

The lens is usually a Wester Anastigmat 75/3.5 made by Nishida, but some examples are reported with a S.O.W. Anastigmat 75/3.5 lens.[5] These initials probably stand for Sumida Optical Works.

The shutter is usually a Northter Model II on the early variant and an NKK on the late one, both made by Nishida and both giving T, B, 1–200 speeds. The last examples have flash synchronization. A late example of the Mikado has been observed with a Proud-Rapid shutter, reportedly giving B, 1–500 speeds.[6] Another example of the Mikado has been reported with a Wester Anastigmat 75/3.5 lens in a NKS Tokyo shutter (B, 1–200).[7]

Markings are found on the top housing above the viewfinder and on the back. The serial number is engraved in the top housing, it seems that there is a common sequence for the Apollo and Mikado cameras, and it is perhaps common with the Roavic too. Markings observed so far are:

  • APOLLO on top, APOLLO 120 embossed in the back;[8]
  • "Apollo II" and description as the 1950 model on top, "Apollo 120" embossed in the back, metal plate in the rear marked "Sumida Optical Works";[9]
  • MIKADO on top (uppercase), nothing in the back;[10]
  • Mikado on top (lowercase, different font), Mikado 120 embossed in the back, SUMIDA OPTICAL WORKS engraved in the red window plate;[11]

Notes

  1. According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 345, the Apollo II was mentioned in Japanese camera magazines in December 1949 and March 1950.
  2. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 345, only mentions the "Apollo II", attributing it to both companies. Sugiyama, items 1269 and 1350, attributes the "Apollo Semi II" and "Mikado Semi" to Nishida. McKeown, pp. 737–8 and 907, tries to distinguish between the "Apollo 120" (or "Apollo Semi II") and "Mikado" attributed to Nishida, and the "Mikado 120" and "Mikado Semi" attributed to Sumida. These distinctions seem pointless.
  3. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 345.
  4. Change from leather to vulcanite covering: McKeown, p. 738.
  5. S.O.W. lens: McKeown, pp. 738 and 907.
  6. Example pictured in McKeown, p. 907.
  7. Description of an eBay auction for which the pictures were no more available.
  8. Example observed in an eBay auction, late variant with two red windows, s/n 13741, Wester lens s/n 7441, NKK shutter.
  9. Direct observation.
  10. Example observed in an eBay auction, early variant, s/n 13215, Wester lens s/n 8560, Northter shutter. The same variant is pictured in McKeown, p. 738, with s/n 13157.
  11. Example observed in an eBay auction, late variant with one red window, s/n 14547, Wester lens s/n 7773, NKK shutter.

Sources / further readings

  • 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 366; unusually, the book does not show any advertisement for the Apollo II, whose makers it names as both Sumida and Nishida.
  • 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). Pp. 737–8 and 907.
  • 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. Items 1269 and 1350.

Links

In Japanese:

  • Picture of the Mikado Semi here and there (the folder on the left) at the AJCC