Minion
Template:127 Japan The Minion was a series of folding cameras taking 4x5cm pictures on 127 film, made by Tokyo Kogaku (future Topcon), just before and just after the war. Topcon later made 35mm cameras called Minion 35, see the corresponding page.
The 127 film paperback is not marked for the unusual 4x5cm format, so the Minion had automatic stop advance, except maybe the very first ones.
The Minion I was released in 1937. It had a folding optical viewfinder, a Tokyo Kogaku Toko 60/3.5 triplet lens and a Seikosha Licht T-B-25-50-100 shutter, equipped with a selftimer. There were small variations during the production.
The Minion II followed in 1940, apparently with a modified viewfinder. It existed in black or chrome finish. It also existed in black or chrome versions. Some people call all the black models Minion I and all the prewar chrome models Minion II. There is some confusion about exactly what was the difference between the model I and the model II.
After the war, it is said some Minion II were still assembled, then the Minion III appeared in 1946, basically the same camera with a Tokyo Kogaku Simlar 60/3.5 four element lens and a Seikosha-Rapid T-B-1-500 synchronized shutter.
Bibliography
- Topcon Story, by Marco Antonetto and Cluadio Russo, ed. NWG
Links
- Minion pages at Nekosan's site
- Related pages at the Topcon Club website
- Minion page at Asacame, both 1935 and 1949 dates are mistakes
- Minion's use, in pictures and Japanese text, at the 44 Club
