Melcon II
This is a work in progress.
The Melcon II (メウコンII) is a Japanese 35mm rangefinder camera with interchangeable lenses in Leica screw mount, made by Meguro Kōgaku Kōgyō and distributed by Hinomaruya for a brief period at the end of 1957. It was much inspired by the Nikon S2, and is sometimes described as a copy of the latter.
|
| Advertisement for the Melcon II in the junior edition of Asahi Camera September 1957. (Image rights) |
Bibliography
Original documents
- Asahi Camera September 1957, junior edition (ジュニア版). Advertisement by Hinomaruya on p.8.
- Kitano Kunio (北野邦雄). "Kōkyū 35-miri kamera o kentō suru" (高級35ミリカメラを検討する, Testing some high-end 35mm cameras). In Shashin Kōgyō no.66, October 1957. Pp.344–9. (Comparing the Canon VT, Nikon S2, Nicca 3-F, Melcon II and Leica M3.)
Recent sources
- 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 1689.
- HPR. Leica Copies. London: Classic Collection Publications, 1994. ISBN 1-874485-05-4. Pp.226 and 229–30.
- 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). P.657.
- Pont, P.-H., and Princelle, J.-L. 300 Leica Copies. Neuilly: Fotosaga, 1990. ISBN 2-906840-03-3. Pp.216–7. (The drawing of the Melcon II is based on the picture in Sugiyama, item 3414.)
- 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 3414.
Links
In English:
- Melcon II at Pacific Rim Camera
- Melcon II with Nikkor-S.C 5cm f/1.4: lot no.399 of auction no.9 (May 20, 2006) by Westlicht
In Japanese:
- Melcon II among Nikon S2 copies at Nikon kamera no koneta
