Luck
The Luck[1] (ラック) is a Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera, made in 1951 and 1952 by Fujimoto. It is a vertical folder, but the viewfinder is to the right when the camera is held vertically by the photographer, it is the reverse of the usual arrangement. The viewfinder is contained in a top housing, with flush knobs and accessory shoe. There is a button on the folding bed, perhaps the shutter release or the bed opening button.
The Luck appears in the new products column of the October 1951 issue of the magazine Camera Fan.[2] An advertisement in the February 1952 issue of Asahi Camera[3] offers the Luck for ¥14,000 — case extra ¥1,100. The lens is an Adonis 7.5cm f/3.5 made by Fuji Shashin Kōki[4] and the shutter is a synchronized NKS with self-timer. The company name is given both as Fujimoto Shashinki Seisakusho (藤本写真機製作所) and as Fujimoto Camera Works (藤本カメラワークス).
Notes
- ↑ It is called "Semi Luck" by Kokusan kamera no rekishi (and by McKeown), but both the advertisement and the history page of the Fujimoto official website simply call it Luck.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 371. The 1950 date indicated in the history page of the Fujimoto official website is thus one year too early.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 205.
- ↑ Supuringu kamera de ikou, p. 80, citing Takahashi Kenzō (高橋健三), the former CEO of Fujimoto.
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. Item 990.
- McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). Page 331.
- Kawamata Masataku (川又正卓). Semi Prince — Luck. In Supuringu kamera de ikou: Zen 69 kishu no shōkai to tsukaikata (スプリングカメラでいこう: 全69機種の紹介と使い方, Let's try spring cameras: The use of and actual examples from 69 machines). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2004. ISBN 4-87956-072-3. Pp. 78–80.
- 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 1323.
- Tanimura Yoshihiko (谷村吉彦). "Semi Purinsu kara Rakku made — Takahashi Kenzō shi ni kiku." (セミプリンスからラックまで・高橋健三氏にきく, "From the Semi Prince to the Luck — Asking Takahashi Kenzō") 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.11, March 1988. No ISBN number. Shirarezaru kamera (知られざるカメラ, special issue on unknown cameras). Pp. 50–1. Based on an interview of Takahashi Kenzō, former CEO of Fujimoto, who entered the company in 1934.
Links
In Japanese:
