Okada and Daiichi

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Daiichi Kōgaku K.K. (第一光学株式会社) is a Japanese camera maker that was active from 1952 and perhaps earlier[1]. It is probably unrelated to the wartime Daiichi Kikō. (Daiichi is Japanese for "first" and is used in many company names.) The distributor of the Daiichi Kōgaku cameras was Hattori Tokei-ten.

Daiichi Kōgaku 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. For some reason, the brand names of the camera, lens and shutter were changed almost simultaneously, with almost no change in the features. It is possible either that Okada renamed itself as or was bought by Daiichi. Both Kokusan kamera no rekishi and McKeown attribute the postwar Waltax models to Daiichi, but all the Waltax cameras are marked "Okako" (from Okada gaku), only the very last examples having D.O.C.–Rapid shutters indicating a connection with Daiichi.

The D.O.C.-Rapid was Daiichi's own leaf shutter with B, 1–500 speeds, it was later called Daiichi-Rapid. The company also made its own Hesper, later Neo-Hesper lens, as well as an enlarging E. Hesper 50mm f:3.5 four-element lens[2].

At some time, the company made a preseries of Leica copies, called Ichicon-35. According to a page by Nekosan, the Ichicon-35 is related to the Honor and only a preseries was made. The same source indicates that the company went bankrupt soon after; according to HPR, "production of the camera was sold" in 1954 to Mejiro Kōgaku, which sold it as the Honor and referred to itself on the camera itself as "Honor Opt."[3]

The factory was closed in March 1955 and all the workers were laid off.[4]. However the company was reborn as Zenobia Kōgaku K.K. (ゼノビア光学株式会社) in 1956[5], adopting the brand name of the cameras. It sold some late Zenobia and Zenobiaflex models, then developed the Zenobia 35 fixed-lens rangefinder and remained in existence at least until 1958.

Notes

  1. Its address was Tōkyō-to Itabashi-ku Shimura-Maeno-chō 1045 (東京都板橋区志村前野町1045).
  2. Template:Shashinbako
  3. HPR, Leica Copies (London: Classic Collection Publications, 1994; ISBN 1-874485-05-4), pp. 183–4.
  4. Extract of the Labour Year Book of Japan 1956.
  5. Advertisements dated between 1956 and 1958, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, page 252. The address was first the same as used by Daiichi, then it became Tōkyō-to Itabashi-ku Azusawa 2, 4 (東京都板橋区小豆沢2の4).

Camera timeline

<-Okada Daiichi and Zenobia timeline (edit)
Type 1950s
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
                                                                     
4.5×6 folder viewfinder Zenobia P Zenobia M
Zenobia C
rebadged versions: Union Semi Walcon Semi
Zenobia H
uncoupled rangefinder Zenobia R
coupled rangefinder Super Zenobia SR-I Super Zenobia SR
6×6 TLR knob advance Zenobiaflex Zenobiaflex II Zenobiaflex F-II
crank advance Zenobiaflex
Automat
35mm rangefinder f/2.8 Zenobia 35 Zenobia 35
F2.8
f/2 Zenobia 35 F2
Leica copy Ichicon-35
Company: Daiichi Kōgaku ... Zenobia Kōgaku
Cameras whose actual existence is dubious are in a lighter shade.
Cameras in yellow are variants sold and maybe assembled by other companies.

Links

In English:

In French:

In Japanese:

  • Extract of the Labour Year Book of Japan 1956, saying that Daiichi was producing 3,000 cameras per month around 1954, reduced its workforce in 1954 and 1955, a move that caused conflicts with trade unions, and closed the factory in March 1955. This source was published in November 1955 and maybe it is not aware of a future rebirth of the company.