Minon Six

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Japanese Six (6×6)
Postwar models (edit)
folding
Aires Viceroy | Angel Six | Aram Six | Astoria Super Six | Atom Six | Balm Six | Baron | Beauty Six (1950) | Beauty Six (1953) | Calm Six | Carl Six | Centre Six | Crown | Crystar Six | Daido Six | Dorima Six | Doris Six | Ehira Six | Elbow Six | First Six | Flora Six | Fodor Six | Frank Six | Fujica Six | Super Fujica Six | Futami Six | Gotex | Grace Six | Kohken Chrome Six | Kyowa Six | Liner Six | Lyra Six | Mamiya Six | Middl Six | Mihama Six | Mine Six | Minon Six | Mizuho Six | Motoka Six | Mount Six | Muse Six | Super Naiku | Ofuna Six | Olympus Six | Olympus Chrome Six | Orion Six | Oscar Six | Pigeon Six | Planet | Please Six | Pluto Six | Poppy Six | Press Van | Press Van-120 | Proud Chrome Six | Proud Super Six | Renown Six | Ricoh Six | Ruvikon | Ruvinal | Sanon Six | Silver Six | Sisley 1 | Sisley 2 & 3 | Sister Six | Tenar Six | Toho Six | Tomic | Toyoca Six | Ugein Six | Wagen Six | Walcon 6 | Welmy Six | Wester | Windsor Six
rigid or collapsible
Dia Six | Ehira Chrome Six | Enon Six | Flora | Flashline | Fujipet | Harmony | Mikono-6 | Orion | Ponix | Rich-Ray-6 | Shumy | Weha Chrome Six
Japanese 6×6 TLR, pseudo TLR and medium format SLR ->
Japanese Semi (4.5×6) and older 6×9 ->
This is a work in progress.

The Minon Six are a series of Japanese 6×6 folders made by Yamato Kōki Kōgyō in the 1950s. It was perhaps an evolution of the Poppy Six, and the early versions were perhaps made by Shin Nippon.

General description

All the models are horizontal folders with an uncoupled rangefinder, which is combined with the viewfinder and is contained in the top housing. The common eyepiece is offset to the left, as seen by the photographer. There is a cap screwed to the rear of the rangefinder, certainly used for adjustment or repair. The uncoupled rangefinder is driven by a knob at the right end of the top plate. The shutter release is at its usual location on the right. The accessory shoe and folding bed release are above the rangefinder unit. The film is advanced by a knob at the left end, with an arrow engraved above to indicate the turning direction. The back is hinged to the right for film loading.

The shutter has B, 1–200 speeds and a self-timer, and is synchonized. The lens is front-cell focusing. There is a gear on the front standard, actuated by the right-hand fingers and moving the aperture ring. This gear is meant to look like it is driving a helical for unit focusing.

Origin

The early Minon Six II have an SNK TOKYO logo on the red window cover.[1] A picture has been observed of an unknown model of the Minon Six, perhaps corresponding to the hypothetical "Minon Six I", showing the same SNK TOKYO logo on the folding strut.[2] This example has a direct vision finder and a brilliant finder but no rangefinder. Its main body is similar to that of the Minon Six II, and it has the typical gear for aperture control. This camera looks much like the Poppy Six, supposedly made by the Shin Nippon company, which has the same logo and the same aperture gear. The Poppy Six is itself probably a derivative of the Gotex made during the war by Kigawa. The main body of the Gotex, Poppy Six, "Minon Six I" and Minon Six II is similar, and there is certainly a filiation between these cameras.

The Minon Six II

The Minon Six II has three-part folding struts, inspired from the 6×6 Ikonta, a square front standard and a Minon Anastigmat 75mm f/3.5 lens. The name Minon Six II is engraved in the top housing, and the body serial number appears above the viewfinder eyepiece. The brand MINON is embossed in the leather of the front door, and MINON SIX is embossed in the back leather.

The early Minon Six II are single format and can take 6×6cm pictures only. The back contains a single red window in the middle, protected by a horizontally sliding cover, with an SNK TOKYO logo, probably for Shin Nippon. This version has been observed with an NKS shutter, synchronized via two pins at the bottom.[3] Another example has been observed with an unknown shutter and a single synch pin.[4]

The late Minon Six II are dual format and can take both 6×6cm and 4.5×6cm pictures. The frame in front of the viewfinder window has four prongs indicating the field of view for 4.5×6cm exposures. The back contains two red windows, protected by horizontally sliding individual covers, with 6X4.5 and 6X6 indications. Some examples are known to have the word MINON engraved in the folding struts;[5] it is not known if the early Minon Six II have MINON or SNK TOKYO at this place.

The Minon Six II was announced in the July 1951 issue of Asahi Camera, and was advertised from March to November 1952.[6] The July 1952 advertisement in Photo Art says that the camera is dual format, and available with TSK or NKS shutters. The company name is specified as Yamato Kōki Kōgyō.

The Minon Six III

The Minon Six III has straight diagonal struts, slightly thicker at the root's end. The top of the front standard is rounded, on the side opposite the aperture gear. The lens is a Luminar 75/3.2 lens.

The name Minon Six III is engraved at the same place as on the previous model, but the letters have a different shape. The Minon and Minon Six embossings, respectively on the front door and on the back, also have a different font. The serial number is prefixed by the letter "S".

The early examples normally have a TSK shutter and an ASA synch post, but one is known with a no-name shutter.[7] The late examples have a PC synch socket and the name PROMINON engraved at the bottom of the shutter rim.

The Minon Six III was announced in Japanese magazines dated December 1952 and January 1953, and was advertised from December 1952 to July 1956; the last reported mention of the camera is in the summer 1957 issue of Shashin Kōgyō.[8] The July 1954 advertisement in Asahi Camera only lists the TSK shutter, and names the authorized dealers Daimon Shōkai and Kōwadō, in addition to the maker Yamato Kōki Kōgyō; the picture shows a camera with TSK shutter and ASA synch post.[9] The January 1955 advertisement in the same magazine shows the same picture and gives the price as ¥13,000 (case included).[10]

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. Items 939–40. (See also the advertisement for item 685.)
  • 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.73 (brief mention only).
  • 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.1021.
  • 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 1359–60.

Links

In Japanese:

  • See the pictures in this page at Minorhouse.
  • See the picture in this page at Nekokane.
  • Example pictured in this page at Minorhouse, and example observed in an online auction.
  • Example observed in an online auction.
  • Example pictured in this page, and example pictured in this page of doraDD's blog.
  • Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.369.
  • No-name shutter: example observed in an online auction.
  • Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.369.
  • Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.198.
  • Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.161.