National and Ugein
This is a work in progress.
The Semi National and National Six are Japanese folders.
The National cameras are a series of Japanese folders sold in the late 1930s by the distributor Eikō-Dō, and whose actual maker seems to be called National Camera Works. See also National (4×6.5).
The 4.5×6 Semi National II (セミ・ナショナルⅡ型) and 6×6 National Six II (ナショナル・シックスⅡ型) are advertised together in 1939, again by Eikō-Dō[1]. Nothing is known of a possible model I. Both have a body release. Only the National Six is pictured in the advertisement, it has a horizontal folding bed, a folding optical finder and a Rulex shutter by Neumann & Heilemann. Both cameras are offered in four variants each[2], at a price varying between ¥75 and ¥150.
Notes
- ↑ Advertisement for the Semi National and National Six, reproduced in a page of Japanese prewar ads (third ad from the top) at the Heiki Seikatsu website, originally published in the Oct 1939 issue of Asahi Camera.
- ↑ From what can be deciphered and by analogy with other advertisements for similar cameras, these variants seem to be four lens/shutter combinations with an f:3.5 or f:4.5 lens and an A or B variant of the Rulex, the A being the more expensive. The shutter speeds are illegible.
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 158–63.
- 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. 261.
Links
- Advertisement for the Semi National and National Six, reproduced in a page of Japanese prewar ads (third ad from the top) at the Heiki Seikatsu website, originally published in the Oct 1939 issue of Asahi Camera.