Konica FR
The Konica FR (コニカFR) is a prototype 35mm rangefinder camera made by Konishiroku in 1960–61.[1]
Contents
Context
Before the development of the Konica FR, Konishiroku had released the Konica S 35mm fixed-lens rangefinder camera, and the Konica F 35mm SLR. The Konica F introduced a vertical metal focal-plane shutter, whereas the Konica S provided fully automatic correction of the parallax and field of view with the distance, a feature introduced on the earlier Konica IIIA and called "living finder" (生きているファインダー) at the time.
The Konica FR was an attempt at combining these two features into an interchangeable-lens rangefinder camera.
The Konica FR was never announced to the press and never went into full production; Konishiroku seems to have thought that a rangefinder camera such as this could not compete with the increasingly popular SLRs of the time.
Description
It has a metal focal plane shutter (1—1000, B), allowing flash synchronization at 1/125. The camera takes Leica screw mount lenses, and was exhibited with a Hexanon 50mm f/1.8 lens. (Konishiroku had already sold various lenses for the Leica screw mount.) The integrated range/viewfinder has brightline frames with automatic compensation for parallax. The viewfinder is large and the design emphasizes rectangles, combining to make the camera look rather like a precursor of Cosina's much later Zeiss Ikon.
Bibliography
- Hagiya Takeshi (萩谷剛). "Konika FR" (コニカFR, Konica FR). Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.58, March 2001. ISBN 4-257-13032-6. Tokushū: Raika bukku '01 Raika kenkyū (特集:ライカブック'01・ライカ研究, Leica book '01: Leica research). Pp.80–3.
- Hishida Kōshirō (菱田耕四郎). "Konica History 11: Maboroshi no kamera to tokushu kamera" (幻のカメラと特殊カメラ, Phantom cameras and special cameras). Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.10, September 1987. No ISBN number. Konishiroku kamera no rekishi (小西六カメラの歴史, special issue on Konishiroku). Pp.81—2.
- Konika-Minoruta-ten (コニカミノルタ展, Konica Minolta exhibition). Exhibition catalogue. Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 2005.
Link
- ↑ Date: Hishida, p.82 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10, and Hagiya, p.80 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.58.
