Elliotte

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Japanese true TLR ->
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The Elliotte Ace is a 6×6 pseudo TLR camera, made in Japan around 1952.

Maker and distributor

The Elliotte Ace is attributed to Aloha Optical Works by Sugiyama and McKeown.[1] The former source says that it was distributed by Ōhashi Takeji Shōten,[2] but Kokusan kamera no rekishi attributes the camera to the distributor Chiyoda Shōkai.[3]

The camera was featured in a news column of Ars Camera in January 1952, where it was perhaps called "Elliotte Flex" or "Elliotte Ref" (エリオットレフ).[4]

Description

The Elliotte is shaped like a twin lens reflex and its body is much inspired by the Ricohflex III, but the viewing lens is not used for focusing. The advance knob is at the top of the right hand sideplate. The name Elliotte is inscribed in cursive letters above the front plate, in front of the viewing hood. The viewing lens is engraved ELLIOTTE too.

The two surviving examples observed so far have a Torionar Anastigmat 75mm f/4.5 lens and an Apus shutter by Rokuoh-sha (Konishiroku).[5] One of them has an ACE logo on the viewing hood, which is absent on the other.[6] The lens is focused by turning the front element. The Apus is dial-set and gives T, B, 25–100 speeds; the release lever is directly attached to the front of the shutter casing and the aperture scale is at the bottom. The lens and shutter certainly come from pre-1945 stocks of parts.

This page at Japan Family Camera says that two versions exist: the Elliotte I with an Apus, priced ¥4,500, and the Elliotte II with a Durax (also by Konishiroku), priced ¥5,500.[7]

Notes

  1. Sugiyama, item 2097, McKeown, p. 45.
  2. Sugiyama, item 2097. The same is said in this page at Japan Family Camera.
  3. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 347.
  4. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 347. The name is given as "Elliotte Ref" (エリオットレフ) in katakana and "Elliotte Flex" in Roman spelling.
  5. Example pictured in Sugiyama, item 2097, and example pictured in Takasaki, p.66 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.49.
  6. ACE logo: example pictured in Sugiyama, item 2097.
  7. The lens is mentioned as a 75/4.5 called Torio (トリオ), presumably a mistake for Torionar.

Bibliography

Links

In Japanese: