Olympic

Olympic was the name of a series of Japanese cameras made before World War II. They were introduced in 1934 by the Olympic Camera Works (オリンピックカメラ製作所株式会社, Olympic Camera Seisakusho Kabushiki Kaisha) and sold by the trade company Asahi Bussan Gōshi Kaisha (旭物産合資会社). Some of the first Olympic cameras had an AB logo, surely for Asahi Bussan.

Both companies were bought in 1937 by Riken Kankōshi K.K. (理研感光紙株式会社, Riken Sensitized Paper Co Ltd), who formed the depending company Asahi Optical Industries (旭光学工業株式会社, Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K., unrelated to the company who later became Pentax). The name Asahi Bussan still appeared in a 1938 ad. In 1938, Riken Kankōshi itself became Riken Optical Industries (理研光学工業株式会社, Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K.), the later Ricoh. It seems that both Riken Optical and Asahi Optical produced cameras. It was probably Asahi Optical Industries who produced the Olympic cameras after 1937, and the late Olympic cameras have an AKK logo, surely for Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō.

127 film

Template:127 Japan The first model was the Olympic A, taking 3x4 pictures on 127 film. Introduced in 1934, it was the first Japanese camera made of bakelite. The lens was a fixfocus 50mm f/8 Japar (?) and the shutter was of the time & instant type. The lens and shutter assembly, of an octogonal shape, was mounted on a retracting bakelite helical. This also served as a crude focusing device. On the top of the body there was a folding frame finder.

The Olympic B, also from 1934, had a 50mm f/6.3 Olynar Special lens, a B-25-50 shutter and a rigid optical finder, but it still had the same crude focusing system. Both the Olympic A and B were introduced in 1934.

In 1936, the Olympic A was probably replaced by the Olympic Junior, that looked like the Olympic B with a 50mm f/8 Olynar lens and a time & instant shutter.

The New Olympic C, also from 1936, used the same 3x4 format. It had a Ukas Anastigmat 50mm f/4.5 triplet lens with front cell focusing and a T-B-150-100-50-25 shutter advertised as "Olympic System". It had a rigid optical viewfinder of a different shape, and different knobs too. Behind the lens and shutter assembly the helical ring was now metallic, marked NEW OLYMPIC MOD.C 3X4CM. On the shutter plate there was marked New Olympic and Pat. No. 194303, and a logo with "A" and "B" mixed in a circle, probably for Asahi Bussan. There was also a plate engraved The Olympic Camera Works on the camera body, near the back opening. The Olympic Junior and the Olympic C were still advertised in 1938.

The New Olympic C also existed in 4x4 format, like the 3x4 version except the finder. There were three red windows in the back because the rollfilm paper was not adapted for 4x4 exposures. It was marked NEW OLYMPIC MOD.C 4X4CM on the helical ring. Shutter speeds were always T-B-150-100-50-25. Three different shutter plates have been observed:

• marked New Olympic with AKK logo in a circle, surely for Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō (see for example here at Asacame)
• marked Olympic Four with AB logo (on a camera with a flush metal part replacing the top right knob)
• marked Olympic Four with AKK logo

The Olympic Four, taking 4x4 pictures, was almost the same as the New Olympic C 4x4. The knobs differed and the helical ring was now unmarked. The lens was the same Ukas Anastigmat 50/4.5. It has been observed with a shutter plate marked New Olympic with AKK logo (see here at Japan Family Camera) and reversed 25-50-100-150-B-T shutter speeds. At Ricoh's site it is shown with a shutter plate marked Heil and shutter speeds apparently 5-10-25-50-100-150-B-T. According to Ricoh, the lens was renamed Heil Anastigmat at some point. (The names used by Riken, like Adler or Heil, remind sinister times.) A 1940 advertisement, shown at some website and barely readable, seems to list two variants, Olympic Four I and Olympic Four II, at two different prices.

The Vest Olympic was introduced around 1938 for 4x6.5 pictures, with a metal body. It had a Ukas Anastigmat 75mm f/4.5 lens and a 25-50-100-150-B-T shutter. The shutter plate was engraved Vest Olympic and Fiskus, with the AKK logo. Vest Olympic was also engraved in the back. The lens and shutter assembly was mounted on a telescopic tube. In the finder there were two red lines, delimiting the frame of a 3x4 picture. It was probably possible to take 3x4 pictures with a mask, but there is only one red window in the back. The Vest Olympic shown at Ricoh's site has a black accessory shoe at the right of the viewfinder.

The Vest Alex was a name variant of the Vest Olympic, sold by the distributor Misuzu Shokai. Only the lens and shutter differed. It is illustrated in McKeown (at the Misuzu Trading entry) with the shutter plate marked Vest Alex and Complete, B-25-50-100 shutter speeds selected by a moving index, and what is reported as an Efith Anastigmat 75/6.3 lens. It is also pictured at this page of the All Japan Classic Camera Club, very similar except reversed 100-50-25-B shutter speeds selected by the rim, and an intricate logo. According to Asacame, the Vest Alex also existed with f/4.5 lens.

A Vest Adler has been reported with a 75/4.5 Ukas Anastigmat, a Fiskus shutter and telescopic tube (for sale at a dealer). It could be another name variant of the Vest Olympic.

A Regal Olympic was advertised in 1938 as a 4x6.5 and 3x4 dual format body, with Ukas Anastigmat 75mm f/4.5 lens and the same 25-50-100-150-B-T shutter. In the illustration, it looks like the Olympic C, but bigger and with a probably metal body. It is not shown at Ricoh's Japanese corporate site.

120 film

The Semi Olympic was introduced in 1937, taking 4.5x6 pictures on 120 film. It had a 75mm f/4.5 Ukas Anastigmat lens and a 25-50-100-150-B-T shutter. Two variants exist, with a folding optical finder or a rigid optical finder like the other models. It has been observed with a shutter plate marked Semi Olympic and Fiskus and with the AKK logo (see here at Oozusi's site). The Semi Olympic may also have been called New Olympic II, according to Ricoh's site.

35mm film

The Super Olympic D was the first 35mm Japanese camera with a leaf shutter (the first 35mm Japanese camera was the Hansa Canon). It had the same features as the Olympic 3x4. The lens and shutter were the same: Ukas Anastigmat 50mm f/4.5 and T-B-150-100-50-25 everset. It used 35mm film in daylight cassettes. The original version used two cassettes and no film rewind, while the Super Olympic DIII could use only one film cassette with a film rewind knob. The Super Olympic D is embossed SUPER at the left side of the bakelite body. It is marked SUPER OLYMPIC MOD.D PICTURE SIZE 3.6 X 2.4 CM on the helical and the shutter plate is marked Super Olympic with the AB logo (Asahi Bussan).

Three variants have been observed:

• simple advance knob, at the left there is a flat disc with a window (exposure counter?) and a small button (variant most commonly observed, marked MOD.D for sure, thought to be the Super Olympic D)
• two part advance knob, at the left there is a two stage rewind knob (?) (variant only observed in a 1938 ad in the British Photography Journal Almanac, maybe marked MOD.DII, barely readable, could be the Super Olympic DII?)
• two part advance knob, same as above, simple rewind knob at the left, flat disc with a window (exposure counter?) between the rewind knob and the finder (variant pictured at Ricoh's site, maybe marked MOD.DIII, barely readable, could be the Super Olympic DIII?)

Miscellaneous

Shutters from 1s to 1/250 and lenses with f/3.5 maximal aperture were advertised in the 1938 British Journal Almanac as "available on request".

An Olympic enlarger model D was also sold, with darkroom equipment and tripods.

Links

Ricoh corporate site:

• Ricoh camera list, with:
  • Olympic A
  • Olympic B
  • Olympic Junior
  • Olympic C
  • Olympic Four
  • Semi Olympic / New Olympic II
  • Vest Olympic
  • Super Olympic D & DIII
• The Olympic A-C: featured article
• The Super Olympic D: featured article

Asacame:

• Riken 127 film cameras
• A-Z 127 film cameras, with:
  • Olympic, (first camera presented is an Optochrome Baby Chrome, not an Olympic)
  • Vest Olympic

Japan Family Camera:

• Olympic Four at Japan Family Camera, rear picture is from a Vest Olympic
• Vest Olympic at Japan Family Camera

Other:

• The Olympic Junior and the Super Olympic D in the Camera database of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology
• Semi Olympic at oozusi Ricohflex site, the viewfinder is self-made, not original
• Innovative 135 non SLR page at corsopolaris
• Prewar Japanese 127 cameras at Nekosan
• A page of the All Japan Classic Camera Club, with a Vest Alex