Minolta Six
The Minolta Six was a bakelite 6x6 camera. It was made by Molta (later Minolta) around 1935. The lens and shutter assembly was mounted on a front plate, itself attached to a collapsible structure composed of three rectangular sliding boxes. The result was like a folding camera, with no bellows. This system had been used previously on the Minolta Vest 4x6.5 camera. There was a folding optical finder on the top, a metal table stand attached to the front plate and a nameplate marked Minolta Six screwed in front of the body.
There were two body variants, differing by the back. On one variation, there are three red windows, near the bottom, each with a plate marked 1'3'5'7', 2468 and 1357. The cause for this complex advance pattern was probably that, at the time, the film paperback was not yet marked for the 6x6 format. It is supposed to be the early model. On the other variation, there is only one red window, vertically centered, with a sliding cover. It probably appeared after the films began to be sold with the 6x6 numbers, thus it is supposed to be the later model.
The shutter was a Crown, of the rimset type. The shutter plate was marked CROWN at the bottom and PATENTS-NIPPON at the top. The lens was a front cell focusing Coronar Anastigmat. There are variations in the lens aperture and shutter details:
- Coronar Anastigmat Nippon 80/5.6 & Crown T-B-25-50-100-150 (Crown C #0), no selftimer (pictured in the book by Francesch, also displayed on this page at Japan Family Camera with one red window)
- Coronar Anastigmat Nippon 80/4.5 & Crown T-B-5-10-25-100-200, no selftimer (pictured in McKeown, also seen at ebay auction with 3 red windows)
- same lens and shutter, with selftimer (seen at Yahoo Japan auction with one red window)
There is mention here and there of a variant called Minolta Six Deluxe, about which nothing is known.
Bibliography
- Histoire de l'appareil photographique Minolta de 1929 à 1985, D. & J.P. Francesch, ed. Dessain et Tolra
