Nishida

Nishida was a Japanese camera maker, active at least in the 1950s. 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, some with a Zuiko F.C. 75/3.5 lens
• Wester Autorol
• Wester S2

4.5×6 folders

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.

35mm film

• Auto West

Links

In English:

• An article about the Wester S2 in English and the original Japanese version, at Takahara Minoru's website

In Japanese:

• An article about the Wester Chrome Six at Puppy's Island, with an ad and some sample pictures
• Wester Chrome Six repair notes at Takasaki Motohiro's camera site
• A post by Arcticchar with pictures of the Wester Chrome Six at his Fishing Diary blog
• Wester Chrome Six R and Wester S-2 at Japan Family Camera
• A Wester S2 at Vasolza's home page

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.)