Magna

The Magna is a Japanese leaf shutter in #0 size, providing 25, 50, 100, B, T speeds and inspired by the German Vario. It appeared in 1930 and was the first camera shutter made by Seikōsha, the manufacturing branch of Hattori Tokei-ten. It sometimes has a needle self-timer device like the Licht.

Cameras equipped

The list is incomplete, and not all variants are concerned.

• Lily, 6.5×9 plate folder by Konishiroku (isolated example, perhaps not original)
• New Kokka Hand, 6.5×9 plate folder by Kuribayashi
• First, 6.5×9 plate folder by Kuribayashi
• First Roll, 6×9 rollfilm folder by Kuribayashi
• First Center, 6×9 rollfilm folder by Kuribayashi
• Semi First and First Six, 4.5×6 and 6×6 folders by Kuribayashi
• Speed Pocket, 4×6.5 folder by Kuribayashi

Bibliography

• Kamera no mekanizumu sono I: "Hai! Chīzu" Shunkan o torae-tsuzukeru shattā-ten (カメラのメカニズム・そのⅠ・「ハイ！チーズ」瞬間をとらえ続けるシャッター展, Camera mechanism, part 1 "Cheese!" Exhibition of instant taking shutters). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 2002. (Exhibition catalogue, no ISBN number)

Links

• A page about early Japanese shutters at Japan Camera Museum
• Chronology at current Seiko site