Difference between revisions of "Kwanon"
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| − | In 1933 | + | In November 1933 Yoshida Gorō (吉田五郎) and Uchida Saburō (内田三郎) started '''Seiki Kōgaku Kenkūjo''' (精機光学研究所, meaning "Precision Optics Laboratory"), the company we now know as [[Canon]]. They set out to produce the first 35mm camera made in Japan.<ref>Dechert, ''Canon Rangefinder Cameras,'' p. 9</ref>. |
| + | The early models were marked '''Kwanon''', already an archaic way of romanizing 観音 (which then and now would conventionally be romanized as ''Kannon''), the Japanese name for the Chinese Guānyīn, the bodhisattva of mercy (probably derived from Sanscrit Avalokiteśvara). The "Kwanon" cameras are virtually unknown other than via magazine advertisements. They may never have gone beyond prototypes and were never marketed by Seiki Kōgaku. One example survives in Canon's camera collection in Tokyo. | ||
== Kwanon Model A == | == Kwanon Model A == | ||
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== Kwanon Model X == | == Kwanon Model X == | ||
| − | The Kwanon-X is the earliest surviving Canon camera and may have been produced as early as 1933. This Leica II-inspired camera was not very well made and was sold in 1937. Canon bought it back from a consumer on an Osaka Trade show in the late | + | The Kwanon-X is the earliest surviving Canon camera and may have been produced as early as 1933. This Leica II-inspired camera was not very well made and was sold in 1937. Canon bought it back from a consumer on an Osaka Trade show in the late 1950s.<ref>Dechert, ''Canon Rangefinder Cameras,'' p. 9.</ref> This may be the last surviving example of a series of cameras made between 1937 and 1940 or it may be a prototype only. It has a KasyaPa 5cm lens with a maximum aperture of f/3.5. |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| + | ==Notes== | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
| − | == Links == | + | == Links and further reading == |
| + | *Dechert, Peter. ''Canon Rangefinder Cameras 1933–68.'' Hove, East Sussex: Hove Foto Books, 1985. ISBN 0-906447-30-5. | ||
| + | *Miyazaki Yōji (宮崎洋司). ''Kyanon renjifaindā kamera'' (キヤノンレンジファインダーカメラ) / ''Canon Rangefinder Camera.'' Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1996. ISBN 4-257-04011-4. Bilingual: Text in Japanese and (largely but not completely) also in English translation. | ||
Revision as of 14:24, 31 May 2007
In November 1933 Yoshida Gorō (吉田五郎) and Uchida Saburō (内田三郎) started Seiki Kōgaku Kenkūjo (精機光学研究所, meaning "Precision Optics Laboratory"), the company we now know as Canon. They set out to produce the first 35mm camera made in Japan.[1].
The early models were marked Kwanon, already an archaic way of romanizing 観音 (which then and now would conventionally be romanized as Kannon), the Japanese name for the Chinese Guānyīn, the bodhisattva of mercy (probably derived from Sanscrit Avalokiteśvara). The "Kwanon" cameras are virtually unknown other than via magazine advertisements. They may never have gone beyond prototypes and were never marketed by Seiki Kōgaku. One example survives in Canon's camera collection in Tokyo.
Contents
Kwanon Model A
Kwanon Model B
Kwanon Model C
Kwanon Model D
Kwanon Model X
The Kwanon-X is the earliest surviving Canon camera and may have been produced as early as 1933. This Leica II-inspired camera was not very well made and was sold in 1937. Canon bought it back from a consumer on an Osaka Trade show in the late 1950s.[2] This may be the last surviving example of a series of cameras made between 1937 and 1940 or it may be a prototype only. It has a KasyaPa 5cm lens with a maximum aperture of f/3.5.
Notes
Links and further reading
- Dechert, Peter. Canon Rangefinder Cameras 1933–68. Hove, East Sussex: Hove Foto Books, 1985. ISBN 0-906447-30-5.
- Miyazaki Yōji (宮崎洋司). Kyanon renjifaindā kamera (キヤノンレンジファインダーカメラ) / Canon Rangefinder Camera. Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1996. ISBN 4-257-04011-4. Bilingual: Text in Japanese and (largely but not completely) also in English translation.
