Minolta Six
The Minolta Six (ミノルタ・シックス) is a bakelite collapsible 6×6 camera, made by Molta (the predecessor of Minolta) from late 1936.[1] It was distributed by Asanuma Shōkai and was advertised until 1940.
Contents
Description
The construction of the Minolta Six is very similar to the previous Minolta Vest 4×6.5 camera. The body is made of some sort of plastic, perhaps bakelite. The lens and shutter assembly was mounted on a front plate, itself attached to a collapsible structure composed of three rectangular sliding boxes. These boxes are made of the same plastic as the rest of the body, reinforced with metal parts. The result is like a folding camera with no bellows.
The front plate is pulled out by two small handles and there is a table stand attached to the bottom. There is a folding optical finder in the middle of the top plate, with a red hairline cross on the front element. The advance knob is on the left end of the top plate and film advance is controlled by red window. The back is hinged to the right and a leather handle is attached to the back latch. The bottom plate has film flanges on both ends and a tripod thread in the middle.
A nameplate marked Minolta Six is screwed to the front of the body.
Evolution
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 6×6 format. It is supposed to be the early variant. 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 6×6 numbers, thus it is supposed to be the later variant.
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 in later variant on this page at Japan Family Camera)
- Coronar Anastigmat Nippon 80/4.5 & Crown T, B, 5-10-25-50-100-200, no selftimer (seen in both early and later variant)
- same lens and shutter, with selftimer (seen in later variant at a Yahoo Japan auction)
There is mention here and there of a variant called Minolta Six Deluxe, about which nothing is known.
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 278. (See also the advertisements for item 272.)
- Francesch, Dominique and Jean-Paul. Histoire de l'appareil photographique Minolta de 1929 à 1985. Paris: Dessain et Tolra, 1985. ISBN 2-249-27685-4.
- Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), 0-935398-16-3 (hard). P. 53.
- 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. 673.
- Scheibel, Anni Rita and Joseph. 70 Jahre Minolta Kameratechnik — Von der Nifcalette bis zur Dynax 9. Stuttgart: Lindemanns Verlag, 3rd edition, 1999. ISBN 3-89506-191-3. Pp. 20–1.
- 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. Items 1193–4.
- Tanimura Yoshihiko (谷村吉彦). "Semi Minolta I-gata to II-gata." (セミミノルタⅠ型とⅡ型, "Semi Minolta I and II") In Camera Collectors' News no. 116 (February 1987). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha.
- Tanimura Yoshihiko (谷村吉彦). "Semi Minolta I-gata to II-gata (sono 2)." (セミミノルタⅠ型とⅡ型(その2), "Semi Minolta I and II (part 2)") In Camera Collectors' News no. 118 (April 1987). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha.
Links
In English:
In Japanese:
- Minolta Six at Madam's Ichirizuka website
- Minolta Six at Japan Family Camera
- Minolta Six in the Camera database of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology
- Minolta Six in the Kitamura camera site
- Minolta Six in the Map Camera Museum
| Nifca, Molta and Chiyoda prewar and wartime cameras () | |
|---|---|
| folding plate cameras | |
| Nifcaklapp | Nifcasport | Sirius | Arcadia | Lomax | Eaton | Happy | |
| folding rollfilm cameras | telescopic bakelite cameras |
| Nifcarette | Sirius Bebe | Semi Minolta | Auto Semi Minolta | Minolta Vest | Baby Minolta | Minolta Six |
| strut-folding cameras | TLR cameras |
| Nifca-Dox | Minolta | Auto Minolta | Auto Press Minolta | Minoltaflex | Minoltaflex Automat | Minoltaflex military prototype |
- ↑ Dates: Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 342, mentions advertisements dated from December 1936 to September 1940, and says that the camera was featured in the new products column of the January 1937 issue of Asahi Camera. Many sources, including Francesch, p. 78, Sugiyama, p. 28, Scheibel, p. 21, McKeown, p. 673, and Tanimura, p. 1 of Camera Collectors' News no. 116, say that the camera was released in 1935. However the dating of Molta cameras frequently contains mistakes. The Japanese Historical Camera, which is usually scrupulous about these matters, says November 1936.
