Kenko 35
The Kenko 35 (ケンコー35) is a Japanese camera announced in 1949 by the distributor Murakami Shōkai (predecessor of Kenko).
The camera was advertised in the February 1949 issues of Ars Camera and Kohga Gekkan.[1] The advertisement in Ars Camera only shows the name "Kenko 35" (ケンコー35) and a small picture.
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| Advertisement by Murakami Shōkai in Ars Camera February 1949. (Image rights) |
The camera was also featured in the December 1949 issue of Photo Art, in an article about Japanese cameras.[2] The article shows a larger picture and gives some information of the camera, whose name is only given as "Kenko" (ケンコー). The camera is said to take fourteen 3.5×4cm exposures on 127 film or eighteen 25×35mm exposures on 35mm film. It has a synchronized focal plane shutter giving T, B, 1–700 speeds, the first Japanese shutter to have a top speed faster than 1/500. The lens is mentioned as a Nikkor 50/3.5. The exact price is not given, but the price category is ¥30,000 to ¥40,000.
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| Picture and column in Photo Art December 1949. (Image rights) |
The picture in the December article is the same as in the February advertisement. It clearly shows that the Kenko 35 is an all-new camera, and does not copy any Western design. The body has rounded ends, and the back seems to be removable together with the bottom plate for film loading. The film is advanced by a knob at the left end, as seen by the photographer. The film advance is certainly controlled by some auto-stop mechanism and exposure counter, but nothing is clearly visible. No rewind control is visible either; maybe the camera could use 35mm film only from cassette to cassette.
The viewfinder and rangefinder are combined inside the top housing. The viewfinder window is at the middle, and has a squarish shape. It surely contains some device to indicate the field of view for both 3.5×4cm vertical exposures and 25×35mm horizontal exposures, but nothing is clearly visible. The rangefinder window is at the right end. There is an accessory shoe above the viewfinder. A knob is visible on the right, certainly controlling the shutter speeds. The shutter release is to the left, unlike most other cameras.[3] Some control is visible at the front, at about the same level as the release button; its exact function is unknown: it might be a self-timer control, a shutter lock, or have some relation with flash synchronization or Bulb exposures.
The lens is probably interchangeable, but this is not confirmed. The pictured lens does not look like a 50/3.5 at all, and its aperture looks closer to f/2. It has a large milled focusing ring driven by a tab, and another large milled ring at the front. The lens barrel might be collapsible, but this is unclear. Its shape is reminiscent of contemporary Nippon Kōgaku products (such as some early Nikkor 5cm f/2, 8.5cm f/2 or 13.5cm f/4).
No surviving example of the Kenko 35 is known, and it seems that the camera was not effectively sold.
Notes
- ↑ Advertisement in Photo Art February 1949, p.28. The advertisement in Kohga Gekkan is mentioned in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.351.
- ↑ Photo Art December 1949, p.40. The features are repeated in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.351.
- ↑ The picture appears the same way in the two documents, and the probability that it is laterally reversed is low.
Bibliography
- Ars Camera February 1949. Advertisement by Murakami Shōkai, p.28.
- 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 505.
- Photo Art December 1949. "Ōru kokusan kamera" (オール国産カメラ, All of Japanese cameras). P.40
The Kenko 35 is not listed in Sugiyama.
