Flora Six

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Japanese Six (6×6)
Postwar models (edit)
folding
Aires Viceroy | Angel Six | Aram Six | Astoria Super Six | Atom Six | Balm Six | Baron | Beauty Six (1950) | Beauty Six (1953) | Calm Six | Carl Six | Centre Six | Crown | Crystar Six | Daido Six | Dorima Six | Doris Six | Ehira Six | Elbow Six | First Six | Flora Six | Fodor Six | Frank Six | Fujica Six | Super Fujica Six | Futami Six | Gotex | Grace Six | Kohken Chrome Six | Kyowa Six | Liner Six | Lyra Six | Mamiya Six | Middl Six | Mihama Six | Mine Six | Minon Six | Mizuho Six | Motoka Six | Mount Six | Muse Six | Super Naiku | Ofuna Six | Olympus Six | Olympus Chrome Six | Orion Six | Oscar Six | Pigeon Six | Planet | Please Six | Pluto Six | Poppy Six | Press Van | Press Van-120 | Proud Chrome Six | Proud Super Six | Renown Six | Ricoh Six | Ruvikon | Ruvinal | Sanon Six | Silver Six | Sisley 1 | Sisley 2 & 3 | Sister Six | Tenar Six | Toho Six | Tomic | Toyoca Six | Ugein Six | Wagen Six | Walcon 6 | Welmy Six | Wester | Windsor Six
rigid or collapsible
Dia Six | Ehira Chrome Six | Enon Six | Flora | Flashline | Fujipet | Harmony | Mikono-6 | Orion | Ponix | Rich-Ray-6 | Shumy | Weha Chrome Six
Japanese 6×6 TLR, pseudo TLR and medium format SLR ->
Japanese Semi (4.5×6) and older 6×9 ->

The Flora Six (フロラシックス) is a Japanese 6×6 folding camera made by Kyōwa Kōki in 1953.[1] Two models are known, the Flora Six II and Flora Six III; there is no record of a model I or mere "Flora Six".

The Flora Six II

The Flora Six II is the first known model. The overall aspect is similar to the Olympus Chrome Six, but for the folding struts which are inspired by the Ikonta. The top and bottom plates are chrome finished; the layout of the controls is the same as on the Olympus. There is a tubular finder in the middle, a body release to the right, an accessory shoe and folding bed release to the left. The advance knob is at the top left and has an arrow indicating the winding direction. The back is hinged to the right and has two red windows protected by sliding covers, marked 4.5X6 and 6X6 and again designed after the Olympus models. It seems that the finder has translucent plastic strips indicating the field of view for 4.5×6cm pictures.

The names MODEL II and FLORA–6 are engraved on the top plate, to the right of the viewfinder. The folding struts have a KYOWA logo, and the same logo is repeated on the front of the leather case.

The shutter is a K.O.K. giving B, 1–200 speeds. It has a self-timer and is synchronized with an ASA bayonet post. It has five blades, was subject of the Japanese utility model (実用新案) no. 4147 and was certainly made by Kyōwa itself.[2] The lens is a Techonar 75mm f/3.5; the lens marking KYOWA KŌKI TECHONAR apparently indicates that it was made by the company too.

The Flora Six II was offered in an advertisement dated October 1953, with Sanwa Shōkai and Yamato Shōkai cited as authorized dealers.[3]

The Flora Six III

Notes

  1. Date: advertisements and articles listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 363.
  2. Five blades and utility model number: advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 177.
  3. Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 177.

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 797–8.
  • 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. 83 (brief mention only).
  • 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. Item 1301.

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