Difference between revisions of "Lord (Tōkyō Kōgaku)"
Rebollo fr (talk | contribs) (some reordering, better use of the sources, added Sugiyama) |
Rebollo fr (talk | contribs) (→History: reformulating the comment about the reliability problem) |
||
| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
| − | Baird says that the project of the Lord was initiated in September 1936, the first prototypes were made in February 1937 and production began in July 1937.<REF> Baird, p. 71. </REF> It is estimated that only 50 examples of the Lord were built in 1937 and 1938.<REF> Baird, p. 71; Antonetto and Russo, p. 23; Sugiyama, item 3052. </REF> It is said that the production was halted because the military designs took priority after the outbreak of war with China in 1937.<REF> Baird, p. 71; Antonetto and Russo, p. 23. </REF> This story certainly comes from an internal source of the [[Topcon]] company | + | Baird says that the project of the Lord was initiated in September 1936, the first prototypes were made in February 1937 and production began in July 1937.<REF> Baird, p. 71. </REF> It is estimated that only 50 examples of the Lord were built in 1937 and 1938.<REF> Baird, p. 71; Antonetto and Russo, p. 23; Sugiyama, item 3052. </REF> It is said that the production was halted because the military designs took priority after the outbreak of war with China in 1937.<REF> Baird, p. 71; Antonetto and Russo, p. 23. </REF> This story certainly comes from an internal source of the [[Topcon]] company; it is perhaps only part of the truth, minimizing the fact that the camera was unreliable.<REF> There are allusions to the unreliability of the rangefinder coupling mechanism in Baird, p. 71, and Antonetto and Russo, p. 23. The same story of war priority is told about the [[Olympus Standard]], with the same doubts about the camera's reliability. </REF> |
The Lord was advertised in the January 1938 to March 1938 issues of ''Asahi Camera'', and featured in the new products column of the March 1938 issue.<REF> {{Kokusan}}, p. 343. </REF> In the March 1938 advertisement,<REF> Reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p. 105. </REF> the Lord was offered for {{yen|180|1938}}. | The Lord was advertised in the January 1938 to March 1938 issues of ''Asahi Camera'', and featured in the new products column of the March 1938 issue.<REF> {{Kokusan}}, p. 343. </REF> In the March 1938 advertisement,<REF> Reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p. 105. </REF> the Lord was offered for {{yen|180|1938}}. | ||
Revision as of 20:39, 30 December 2006
The Lord (ロード) is a Japanese 4.5×6 camera with a coupled rangefinder. It was the first camera model made by Tōkyō Kōgaku (later Topcon).
Description
The Lord has a rigid body and a two-part telescopic tube supporting the lens and shutter assembly. The tube is mounted on a large focusing helical driven by a focusing tab, with an infinity stop attached to the body. The combined range and viewfinder is enclosed in a top housing, with a LORD logo at the front. The eyepiece is at the right end of the camera.
There is a big advance knob at the left end of the top plate, containing an exposure counter. It is said that the camera has an auto-stop advance device with manual setting of the first exposure.[1] This device is perhaps entirely contained inside the advance knob. The back is hinged to the right and probably contains a red window to set the first exposure.
The shutter is a Seikosha, giving T, B, 1–250[2] speeds with a self-timer. The shutter plate is marked SEIKOSHA-TOKYO at the top and SEIKOSHA at the bottom, and has three metal strips on each side of the lens. There is a bar attached to the shutter housing, certainly acting as a shutter release.[3] The lens is a 7.5cm f/3.5, and the aperture is set by an index at the bottom of the shutter plate.
History
Baird says that the project of the Lord was initiated in September 1936, the first prototypes were made in February 1937 and production began in July 1937.[4] It is estimated that only 50 examples of the Lord were built in 1937 and 1938.[5] It is said that the production was halted because the military designs took priority after the outbreak of war with China in 1937.[6] This story certainly comes from an internal source of the Topcon company; it is perhaps only part of the truth, minimizing the fact that the camera was unreliable.[7]
The Lord was advertised in the January 1938 to March 1938 issues of Asahi Camera, and featured in the new products column of the March 1938 issue.[8] In the March 1938 advertisement,[9] the Lord was offered for ¥180.
The lens described and pictured in the advertisement is a Toko Anastigmat (トーコー・アナスチグマット) 7.5cm f/3.5. The shutter is called S Seiko (Sセイコー), an alternative name of the original Seikosha.
Surviving examples
At least one example has survived and is presented in collectors books.[10] It is equipped with a Simlar 7.5cm f/3.5 lens, said to be a four element Tessar type while Toko lenses have three elements.
Two other changes are visible when compared with the camera illustrated in the advertisement. The advertised camera has a small button between the advance knob and the top housing, absent in the surviving example, and whose function is unknown. It also has a different helical: the distance scale is black with white engravings and needs half a turn to go from infinity to the closest distance (1 probably for one metre), while on the surviving example the distance scale is chrome with black engravings and only turns a quarter of a turn.
Notes
- ↑ Auto-stop advance with manual setting: Antonetto, p. 22. The description by Schneider, p. 109, is more ambiguous. The March 1938 advertisement observed only says "new system of film advance" (巻取装置の新考案).
- ↑ Antonetto and Russo, p. 23, say 1/200 top speed by mistake.
- ↑ Antonetto and Russo, p. 23, mention folding rods running inside the telescopic tube to connect the release button to the shutter. Either it is a mistake, or their description applies to an unknown variant.
- ↑ Baird, p. 71.
- ↑ Baird, p. 71; Antonetto and Russo, p. 23; Sugiyama, item 3052.
- ↑ Baird, p. 71; Antonetto and Russo, p. 23.
- ↑ There are allusions to the unreliability of the rangefinder coupling mechanism in Baird, p. 71, and Antonetto and Russo, p. 23. The same story of war priority is told about the Olympus Standard, with the same doubts about the camera's reliability.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343.
- ↑ Reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 105.
- ↑ Antonetto and Russo, p. 23; Baird, p. 71; Schneider, p. 109; Sugiyama, item 3052. The camera illustrated is probably the same, with lens number ending in "09". The pictures are better in Schneider and Sugiyama.
Bibliography
- Antonetto, M. and Russo, C. Topcon Story. Lugano: Nassa Watch Gallery, 1997. ISBN 88-87161-00-3. Pp. 22–3.
- 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 332.
- Baird, John R. The Japanese Camera. Yakima, WA: Historical Camera Publications, 1990. ISBN 1-879561-02-6. P. 71.
- Schneider, Jason. Jason Schneider on Camera Collecting, Book Two. Des Moines, Iowa: Wallace-Homestead, 1982. ISBN 0-87069-419-7. P. 109.
- 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 3052.
Links
In Japanese:
- Lord in a page of the Topcon Club website (a 75/6.3 lens is mentioned by mistake)
