Arco 35

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1554566564_6be8f3b4a3_m_d.jpg
Arco 35 (left) and Arco 35 Automat D (right).
Picture courtesy of eBayer foldinette. (Image rights)

The Arco 35 (アルコ35) is a series of Japanese 35mm folders with a coupled rangefinder, made by Arco from 1952 to 1957. There were two successive generations: the first one consists of the Arco 35 and Arco 35 Junior, made until 1956 and treated in this page; the second generation is the Arco 35 Automat with lever advance and bright-frame finder, dealt with in a separate article.

Description

The Arco 35 is a horizontal folder, unlike most other 35mm folding cameras. The first generation of Arco 35 has a prismatic body with sharp edges and strap lugs on both sides. The lens and shutter assembly is mounted on a square plate, moved back and forth for focusing and driven by a knob at the top left, as seen by the photographer. The ergonomics is similar to that of the 1951 Vito III. However the front standard is not guided by rails but mounted on a pair of scissor struts, a system similar to that of the Certo Dollina.[1] Focusing the camera does not involve further dropping the folding bed, unlike the Dollina. The focus knob is graduated in feet and inches: from ∞ to 3ft then from 32in to 14in. It is concentric to the rewind knob, which has an R in an arrow to indicate the turning direction. The close focusing distance was quite an achievement for a leaf-shuttered camera.

The viewfinder and coupled rangefinder are contained in a casing placed in the middle of the top plate, above the folding bed and front standard. They are built as a functional unit, removable as a whole when the camera is dismantled, as opposed to bits and pieces directly attached to the top plate.[2] They share a common eyepiece on the right, and have two rectangular windows at the front: a large one on the right for the viewfinder and a smaller one on the left for the rangefinder's second image. The rangefinder is coupled all the way down to the minimal distance (35cm); this feature was unusual and often boasted in the advertisements.[3] The casing has an accessory shoe at the top and is engraved Arco 35 (on the original model) or Arco 35 J (on the Junior). The camera also has the serial number or a registered design number inscribed in small characters above the eyepiece, depending on the particular example (see the evolution below).

The film is advanced by a knob at the top right, surrounded by an exposure counter graduated from 0 to 39 and containing a film reminder.[4] Next to the advance knob are the release button and the rewind unlock slider with A–R indications. The Arco 35 models have double exposure prevention, as most 35mm cameras. The back is removable to load the film, and is locked in place by a latch on the left.

The folding bed is opened by a button at the top, and it is closed by pushing two small levers, on either side of the lens standard. There is an Arco logo embossed in the leatherette of the folding bed. The lens standard has a threaded hole at the top, used to couple the View-Arco device (see below).

The shutter is a Seikosha-Rapid (B, 1–500, self-timer), cocked by a lever on the shutter housing itself. It was replaced by a Seikosha-MX on the last examples of the Arco 35 Junior. The lens is a five-element Colinar 5cm f/2.8 on the original Arco 35 and a four-element Colinar 5cm f/3.5 on the Junior.[5] The aperture is set by a thin dented ring, driving an index on a scale placed above the shutter.

1534766920_3949808d5c_m_d.jpg 1534766936_99f7795360_m_d.jpg 1534766980_45ae9b91ff_m_d.jpg
Arco 35, late example with PC synch, Colinar 5cm f/2.8 lens no.148725.
Pictures courtesy of eBayer foldinette. (Image rights)

Origin of the camera

The Arco 35 was designed from autumn 1951 by a team led by Abe Masao, under the supervision of Katō Shigeru, founder and president of the Arco company.[6] It is said that the choice of a bellows camera was made to allow close focusing down to 35cm.[6] (The company had previously developed the Apro close-up attachment, of an elaborate design.) The Colinar five-element lens was designed by Hashida Kōji (橋田幸治).[7]

The first prototypes were completed in autumn 1952. The camera was first announced in Japanese magazines dated October and November 1952, and it is said that the mass production began in November.[8] The first series examples did not focus correctly through the full distance range, and this delayed their delivery. This was because a complex rangefinder-coupling cam specially calculated by Abe Masao was cut in the wrong direction.[9]

The earliest advertisements were published in December 1952, the one in Asahi Camera perhaps shows a prototype with a serial number ending in 001.[10] Its features are typical of the earliest examples, with the old type of film reminder, bed opening button and back latch. The lens engraving reads HC for Hard Coated instead of the red C. of the regular examples, the focus knob is perhaps graduated in meters and the lens number is perhaps 120002 or 130002. The price was not given in this early advertisement, it was later set at ¥27,700.[11] The original model is called "Arco 35 I" only in retrospect: it was advertised as Arco 35 or Arco 35 (f/2.8) after the release of the Junior. The internal product code was S-135-A.[12]

Evolution of the Arco 35 (I)

The early Arco 35 have an ASA synch bayonet and a small button sliding back and forth to open the folding bed.[13] The advance knob has an A in an arrow to indicate the winding direction and a film reminder disc rotating underneath, visible under two windows. The body serial number is engraved on the top casing above the finder eyepiece.

An extremely early example is presented in Hagiya as a preseries model; it has a surrounding cup for the shutter release and the focus knob graduated in meters.[14]

The first examples have a round button in the middle of the back latch, probably used to open the back; this button soon disappeared and the regular examples have a long sliding bar instead.[15]

From some point, the accessory shoe received the engraving Reg. 103138, certainly the reference of a registered design; this was absent on the presumed prototype of the December 1952 advertisement.[16]

The intermediate Arco 35 have a modified film reminder: the enclosed disc was replaced by an external disc with EMPTY, ORTHO, PAN, H.S.PAN, COLOR and INFRARED indications.[17]

1534766884_8732d38765_m_d.jpg 1534766902_8670062d1e_m_d.jpg 1534766912_16935d8cbe_m_d.jpg
Arco 35, late example with PC synch, Colinar 5cm f/2.8 lens no.151420.
Pictures courtesy of Jay Tepper. (Image rights)

The late Arco 35 have a PC synch post and a larger opening button sliding to the side.[18] It is said that the PC synch post appeared in the advertisements in May 1954.[19] The serial number disappeared from the top casing and was replaced by the Reg. 103138 indication, moved from the accessory shoe, and often mistaken for the serial number by current owners. At least one example is known with an EP diamond mark in the accessory shoe.[20] Another example of the late Arco 35 has been observed with more patent numbers: Pat. 405529, Pat. 202086 and the usual Reg. 103138. These patent numbers appear on advertisements for the later Arco 35 Automat and probably do not apply to the original model.[21] The mention of these patents was certainly short-lived, and the Arco 35 Junior do not have them.

The Arco 35 Junior

The Arco 35 Junior (or "Arco 35J") was announced in the September 1955 issue of various Japanese magazines.[22] A list owned by the former chief designer Abe Masao says that the Junior (product code S-135-B) was designed in April and the production began in June.[23]

The distinguishing features of the Junior are the four-element Colinar f/3.5 lens, the black finish of the focus knob, top of rewind knob, exposure counter and film reminder, and the J engraving on the top cover. The f/3.5 lens is numbered in the same sequence as the previous f/2.8.[24]

The Junior was first offered alongside the original model, at the price of ¥19,000.[25] The sales of the two models overlapped until December 1955.[26]

After the introduction of the Arco 35 Automat in January 1956, the Junior was still offered as a cheaper alternative. The Seikosha-Rapid shutter was replaced certainly around this time by a Seikosha-MX, the same as on the Automat.[27] The Junior was advertised until November 1956,[28] and the August 1956 advertisement in Asahi Camera gives the price of ¥20,500.[29]

Accessories

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Parallax correcting finder for the Arco 35, no.16962.
Picture courtesy of Pacific Rim Camera. (Image rights)

All the Arco 35 and Arco 35 Junior were sold in a case together with an external viewfinder. This viewfinder has a black cylindrical barrel and chrome fittings. It is attached into the accessory shoe and provides manual parallax correction, by a way of a knob surrounding the eyepiece. The Arco logo is engraved on the top, together with 5cm and the serial number. One of these finders is pictured in Hagiya with no.120001; it seems to be graduated in meters and might be the very first prototype.[30] The usual examples have four or five-digit numbers and are graduated in feet and inches, the same as the regular camera bodies.

Another viewing accessory was developed for the Arco 35, called View-Arco and effectively converting the camera into a 35mm TLR. It consists of a mirror box, complete with a View-Colinar 5cm f/2.8 viewing lens. There is a viewing hood on the top, with a VIEW–ARCO nameplate on the front. The device is attached onto the accessory shoe and is coupled to the focusing distance by way of a screw fitting into the hole at the top of the lens standard. The viewing lens and the hood and ground-glass automatically tilt down to compensate for parallax, and the viewing lens has a built-in diaphragm which can be set from f/2.8 to f/22 for depth-of-field preview.

The Arco 35 was certainly designed from the start with such an accessory in mind, hence the coupling hole, present from the very first examples. It is however said that the View-Arco was only available from 1954.[31]

The Arco 35 also has a dedicated lens hood, including a swivelling filter holder, and film cassettes were also sold for the camera.

The September 1955 advertisement in Asahi Camera[32] has the following price list, giving a sample of the Arco accessories:

  • Arco 35 Junior (parallax correcting finder and case included): ¥19,000;
  • Arco 35 (f/2.8, same accessories included): ¥27,700;
  • View Arco (case included): ¥6,800;
  • Arco LF4 tripod: ¥5,500;
  • Apro special close-up attachment: ¥2,500;
  • Hood for Arco 35 (case included): ¥880;
  • Magazine for Arco 35 (case included): ¥580.

Production estimate

The body number sequence certainly started at 120000, but it might have jumped at 130000 after the preseries examples. The Colinar f/2.8 and the Colinar f/3.5 of the Junior have a common sequence, perhaps starting at 130000. The highest lens number observed is 158269, accounting for about 30,000 lenses. From this total we should remove a few thousand Colinar f/2.8 lenses mounted on the Arco 35 Automat f/2.8. Some of the Tele-Colinar 13.5cm lenses made in Leica screw mount, Exakta mount and 42mm screw mount have six-digit numbers in the 12xxxx and 13xxxx range, and they might also share the same sequence.

The resulting rough estimate is about 20,000 or 25,000 of the first generation Arco 35, of which about 5,000 are Arco 35 Junior.

Notes

  1. ↑ Hagiya, pp.59–60 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari, insists that the Arco 35 was designed from scratch and was not inspired by any previously existing camera. However the design team was certainly aware of the Vito III and Dollina. The close-focusing abilities of the Arco 35 were admittedly not approached by these previous cameras.
  2. ↑ See the pictures in this page of Fukucame's Rangefinder website.
  3. ↑ Advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.116.
  4. ↑ Lewis, p.78, says that the exposure counter is descending but this is unconfirmed.
  5. ↑ Number of elements: advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.116.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hagiya, p.59 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
  7. ↑ Hagiya, p.61 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
  8. ↑ Announce: Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.345. Beginning of mass production: Hagiya, p.61 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
  9. ↑ Anecdote reported by Hagiya, p.61 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
  10. ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.116.
  11. ↑ Price: Hagiya, p.61 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari; Lewis, p.78; this page of the JCII. It is confirmed by an advertisement dated September 1955 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.116.
  12. ↑ Product code: list in Hagiya, pp.56–7 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
  13. ↑ See the example pictured in this page at Asacame.
  14. ↑ Example pictured in Hagiya, p.52 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari, body no.120189, lens no.130061.
  15. ↑ The button is visible on the pictures of the advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.116, and in Hagiya, p.64 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari, as well as on the example pictured in Yazawa, p.15 of Camera Collectors' News no.267, with lens no.131231. It is already absent on the example with lens no.131743 observed in an online auction.
  16. ↑ This marking is present on the example with body no.131432 observed in an online auction, originally assembled with lens no.132065 and later modified with lens no.150951 according to its warrant card. It is perhaps also present on the example with body no.120189 and lens no.130061 pictured in Hagiya, p.52 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
  17. ↑ The transition occurred between lens no.131231 (pictured in Yazawa, p.15 of Camera Collectors' News no.267) and no.132065 (observed in an online auction).
  18. ↑ The transition occurred between lens no.132065 (observed in an online auction) and no.142854 (pictured here by Auction Team Köln).
  19. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.345.
  20. ↑ Example observed in an online auction.
  21. ↑ Advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.221.
  22. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.345.
  23. ↑ List reproduced in Hagiya, pp.56–7 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
  24. ↑ The transition from the original model to the Junior occurred between lens no.151420 and no.155073 (both observed in online auctions).
  25. ↑ Advertisement dated September 1955 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.116.
  26. ↑ Date of the last advertisement for the original Arco 35 reported in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.345.
  27. ↑ The transition occurred around lens no.156900 but did not strictly respect the order of the lens numbers: no.156847 is mounted on an MX whereas no.156970 is still mounted on a Seikosha-Rapid (both are pictured in Hagiya, p.68 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari).
  28. ↑ Date of the last advertisement for the Arco 35 Junior reported in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.345.
  29. ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.221.
  30. ↑ Finder pictured in Hagiya, p.74 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
  31. ↑ Date: Hagiya, p.63 of Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari.
  32. ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.116.

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. Items 369–70 and 1114–6.
  • 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). P. 78.
  • 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). P. 72.
  • Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten (思い出のスプリングカメラ展, Exhibition of beloved self-erecting cameras). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 1992. (Exhibition catalogue, no ISBN number.) P. 8.
  • 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 3095–8.
  • Yazawa Seiichirō (矢沢征一郎). "Renzu no hanashi (177) Kokusan I-gata ki no shūshū" (レンズの話[177]国産Ⅰ型機の収集, Lens story [177] Collection of "Model I" Japanese cameras). In Camera Collectors' News no.267 (September 1999). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. Pp.15–8.

Links

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