Okada and Daiichi
Daiichi Kōgaku K.K. (第一光学株式会社) is a Japanese camera maker that was active from at least 1952. It is probably unrelated to the wartime Daiichi Kikō.
It made the Zenobia series of 4.5×6 folders and the Zenobiaflex 6×6 TLR. The Zenobia folder is a continuation of the Waltax by Okada Kōgaku, with different lens and shutter names. There was surely some reason to change the brand names of the camera, lens and shutter all at once. It is possible either that Okada renamed itself into Daiichi, or that it was bought by this company. Both Kokusan kamera no rekishi and McKeown attribute the postwar Waltax models to Daiichi, but all the Waltax cameras have Okako markings, only the very last examples having D.O.C.-Rapid shutters indicating a connection with Daiichi.
Daiichi Kōgaku changed its name to Zenobia Kōgaku K.K. (ゼノビア光学株式会社) between 1956 and 1957, adopting the brand name of its cameras, and remained in existence at least until 1958.
It also offered the Zenobia 35 fixed lens rangefinder, and made a preseries of Leica copies, called Ichicon or Ichicon 35 depending on the source. According to a page by Nekosan, the Ichicon is related to the Honor and only a preseries was made. The same source indicates that the company went bankrupt soon after.
Daiichi made its own D.O.C.-Rapid leaf shutter with B, 1–500 speeds, later called Daiichi-Rapid. It also made its own Hesper, later Neo-Hesper lens, as well as an enlarging E. Hesper 50mm f:3.5 four-element lens[1].
120 film
4.5×6 folders
- Zenobia P I, P II, C I, C II, H I, H II, M with no rangefinder
- Zenobia R, R I, R II with uncoupled rangefinder
- Super Zenobia SR I and Zenobia SR or Super Zenobia SR, with coupled rangefinder
6×6 TLR
- Zenobiaflex
35mm film
- Zenobia 35
- Ichicon or Ichicon 35
Notes
- ↑ Advertisement for the Zenobia, Zenobiaflex and E. Hesper lens, dated 1954, in a page of Japanese postwar ads mostly dating from the same year.
Links
In English:
- A page about the Honor, somewhat explaining the Ichicon and Zenobia 35 story, at the Nekosan's website
- A page about the Honor at Pacific Rim Photographica Pages, says something about the Ichicon that differs slightly from Nekosan's version of the story
- Page about various Japanese TLRs at tlr-cameras.com, including the Zenobiaflex
- Daiichi page at Mario Groleau's site
In Japanese:
