Difference between revisions of "Arco"
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| − | '''Arco''' was a Japanese camera maker in the 1950s, | + | '''Arco''' was a Japanese camera maker in the 1950s, manufacturer of the [[Arco 35]]. |
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| + | The company was founded in May 1946 under the name '''Asaka Seikō''' (アサカ精工), by <U>Ka</U>tō Shigeru (加藤繁) and <U>Asa</U>mi Katsuzō (浅見勝蔵), hence the name Asaka.<REF> Hagiya, p.53 of ''Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari''. </REF> It made various mechanical parts, and began to make tripods after a couple of years. The name was changed to '''Arco Shashin Kōgyō K.K.''' (アルコ写真工業{{kabu}}) in July 1949.<REF> Hagiya, pp.54–5 of ''Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari''. </REF> The company continued making various tripod models and various camera accessories, such as Arco H.C. filters, an Arco rangefinder and the Apro close-up attachment.<REF> All of these are pictured in Hagiya, pp.55 and 58 of ''Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari''. There is also a list of product codes for all the Arco products on pp.56–7 of the same. </REF> | ||
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| + | The company's involvement into cameras is early: it is said the president Katō Shigeru asked the designer Abe Masao (阿部正雄) to work on a camera design in 1947. The initial project was for a 6×6 SLR with focal-plane shutter and interchangeable lenses and backs, reportedly because Katō Shigeru was fond of SLR cameras. A patent was filed in 1950 for the shutter. However the project was abandoned because it was too difficult for a small company and it would hardly compete with the [[Hasselblad]], released in 1951.<REF> All the details of the 6×6 SLR project: Hagiya, p.59 of ''Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari''. </REF> | ||
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| + | Abe Masao then worked on the design of the [[Arco 35]]. It is said that the choice of a bellows camera was made to allow close focusing down to 35cm.<REF> Hagiya, p.59 of ''Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari''. </REF> The company's interest in close-focusing devices was already apparent in the elaborated design of the Apro close-up attachment, and perhaps reflects Katō's photographic tastes. | ||
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| + | == Notes == | ||
| + | <references /> | ||
== Bibliography == | == Bibliography == | ||
Revision as of 21:43, 10 October 2007
Arco was a Japanese camera maker in the 1950s, manufacturer of the Arco 35.
The company was founded in May 1946 under the name Asaka Seikō (アサカ精工), by Katō Shigeru (加藤繁) and Asami Katsuzō (浅見勝蔵), hence the name Asaka.[1] It made various mechanical parts, and began to make tripods after a couple of years. The name was changed to Arco Shashin Kōgyō K.K. (アルコ写真工業㈱) in July 1949.[2] The company continued making various tripod models and various camera accessories, such as Arco H.C. filters, an Arco rangefinder and the Apro close-up attachment.[3]
The company's involvement into cameras is early: it is said the president Katō Shigeru asked the designer Abe Masao (阿部正雄) to work on a camera design in 1947. The initial project was for a 6×6 SLR with focal-plane shutter and interchangeable lenses and backs, reportedly because Katō Shigeru was fond of SLR cameras. A patent was filed in 1950 for the shutter. However the project was abandoned because it was too difficult for a small company and it would hardly compete with the Hasselblad, released in 1951.[4]
Abe Masao then worked on the design of the Arco 35. It is said that the choice of a bellows camera was made to allow close focusing down to 35cm.[5] The company's interest in close-focusing devices was already apparent in the elaborated design of the Apro close-up attachment, and perhaps reflects Katō's photographic tastes.
Notes
- ↑ Hagiya, p.53 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
- ↑ Hagiya, pp.54–5 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
- ↑ All of these are pictured in Hagiya, pp.55 and 58 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari. There is also a list of product codes for all the Arco products on pp.56–7 of the same.
- ↑ All the details of the 6×6 SLR project: Hagiya, p.59 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
- ↑ Hagiya, p.59 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
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.
- Hagiya Takeshi (萩谷剛). "Aruko 35: Shashin-yōhin kara kamera soshite 8mm" (アルコ35:写真用品からカメラそして8mmへ, Arco 35: From photo supply to cameras to 8mm). Chapter 3 of Zunō kamera tanjō: Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari (ズノーカメラ誕生：戦後国産カメラ10物語, The birth of the Zunow camera: Ten stories of postwar Japanese camera makers). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1999. ISBN 4-257-12023-1. First published as an article in Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.16. This history of Arco is based on Hagiya's interviews with four people who had been key figures in the company.
- Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), 0-935398-16-3 (hard). Pp. 97 and 104.
