Nishida

Nishida was a Japanese camera maker, active from at least 1943. Its full name was Nishida Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. (西田光学工業株式会社). This Japanese page says that it also made the NKK shutters.

The name "Nishida" consists of two parts: nishi, meaning "west"; and ta, whose pronunciation many Japanese people find distinguishable from the "ter" sound of English "turn". Thus the name "Wester" for Nishida's products: "west" from nishi, and "ter" from ta.

Nishida Kōgaku went bankrupt in January 1958.

120 film

6×6 folders

• Wester Chrome Six
• Wester Chrome Six R
• Super Wester
• Wester S2
• Wester Autorol

4.5×6 folders

• Semi Wester
• Apollo II

McKeown lists the Mikado Semi 4.5×6 folding camera under both Nishida and Sumida, but a page of the AJCC attributes it to the latter, and a picture of the back of a Mikado shows a plate marked SUMIDA OPTICAL WORKS. The Asahi Camera collection similarly describes the Apollo II as by both Nishida and Sumida.

35mm film

• Auto West

Reference / further reading

• 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) ISBN 0-935398-16-3 (hard) (Source for bankruptcy.)