Nittō Kōgaku

Nittō Kōgaku K.K. (日東光学株式会社) is a Japanese optical company that still (2006) exists, now spelling its name "Nittoh". It was founded in 1943 as Nittō Kōgaku Kikai Seisakusho (日東光学機械製作所), and took its current name in 1951. In 1950, it started to produce the "Kominar" (コミナー) lenses used in a variety of cameras, as well as enlarging lenses. The company's address in 1960 was Chiyoda-ku Kanda Asahichō 18–2 (千代田区神田旭町18–2) in Tokyo.

Nittō Kōgaku also made cameras as a subcontractor for other companies, beginning with the Fujipet in 1960. Examples included the Olympus Trip 35, the Revue 400 EF and so on.

Cameras with Nitto lenses

These lists are incomplete.

That a particular model is listed here should not be taken to mean that all examples were fitted with Nitto lenses.

Medium format

7.5cm f3.5 Kominar (3 elements, 3 groups)

• Semi Leotax DL and R, and an isolated example of the earlier Semi Leotax
• Proud Chrome Six II and III
• Walcon Semi
• Walcon 6
• Wagoflex
• Walzflex IIA, IIIA, IIIC

7.5cm f3.5 S Kominar (4 elements, 3 groups)

• Calm Six Deluxe II, and an isolated example of the Super Calm Six Deluxe
• Mine Six (first model)
• Mine Six IIF
• Walzflex IIB, IIIB

35mm

4.5cm f1.8 S Kominar

• Walz Electric 1.8

4.8cm f1.9 S Kominar (7 elements)

• Walz 35 S
• Walz Envoy 35
• Walz Envoy M-35

Other

• Meprozenit
• Walz 35
• Walz Electric
• Walz Wide
• Ricoh 35 L
• Ricoh Wide 2.4
• Ricohmatic 35
• Mamiya M3
• Mamiya 4B
• Mamiya EE Merit and Super Merit
• Mamiya Family
• Mamiya Super Deluxe (f/2.0 lense)

Other Nitto lenses

Projection lenses

For 8mm movie projectors:

• Kominar 18/1.2
• Kominar 19/1.4
• Kominar 25/1.2
• Kominar 25/1.5

References / further reading

• 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.
• Asahi Camera Annual '60 (アサヒカメラ年鑑'60). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbun-sha. No ISBN number.

Links

In English:

• Walz Walzflex semi-automatic Matt Denton praises the Kominar lens
• "Speaking Frankly: What's In a Name? Reputation. But Whose?", an article by Herbert Keppler in Popular Photography, where we learn that the Mamiya U was designed by Nitto, among other interesting stories about the subcontracting practice in Japan

In Japanese:

• Nittoh Kogaku's site, containing the following pages:
  • A brief chronology of the company
  • A short history of the Kominar lenses
  • Kominar lens advertisements. Unfortunately they are reproduced so small as to be virtually indecipherable.
• Kominar-E enlarging lens (text in Japanese)
• Meprozenit a Soviet camera with a Japanese lens (text in Japanese)
• Advertisement for the Kominar 7.5cm f/3.5 and 4.5cm f/4.5 published in 1954, reproduced in a page of advertisements at the Shashin-Bako website
• Advertisement for the Kominar lenses, picturing an S Kominar 4.5cm f/1.8, reproduced at Chakure's website