Olympic
Olympic was a name used by Riken before World War II for a series of bakelite cameras.
The first Olympic was introduced in 1934. It is unclear if it was made by Riken or by another company that they later bought. The names Olympic Camera Works and Asahi Bussan Gōshi Kaisha appear in some documents. McKeown says at Riken entry that Riken "bought the Olympic Camera Works" in 1937. At the Asahi Optical Works entry (Asahi Bussan) they say it was "founded by Riken about 1936", and "took on the Riken name in 1943". This seems contradictory. Asahi Bussan was possibly only the name of the export trade company, not the maker.
Contents
127 film
The first model was the Olympic A, taking 3x4 pictures on 127 film. 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 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 Olympic C, also from 1936, had a Ukas Anastigmat 50mm f/4.5 triplet lens with front cell focusing and an Olympic System T-B-25-50-100-150 shutter. It had a rigid optical viewfinder of a different shape, and different knobs too. Behind the lens and shutter assembly there was a big chrome ring marked New Olympic Mod. C 3x4cm. The Olympic Junior and the Olympic C were still advertised in 1938.
In 1938, an Olympic Four was introduced, taking 4x4 pictures. It was based on the Olympic C, with the same lens and shutter. There were three red windows in the back because the rollfilm paper was not adapted for 4x4 exposures. The lens was later renamed Heil Anastigmat. (The names used by Riken, like Adler or Heil, remind sinister times.)
A Regal Olympic was advertised in 1938 as a 4.5x6 and 3x4 dual format body, with Ukas Anastigmat 75mm f/4.5 lens and the same Olympic System T-B-25-50-100-150 shutter. It looked like the Olympic C, but bigger. It is not shown at Ricoh's Japanese corporate site.
120 film
A Semi Olympic was made for 4.5x6 pictures on 120 film, with a folding optical finder.
35mm film
The Super Olympic D was the first 35mm Japanese camera. It used 35mm film in daylight cassettes. It had the same features as the Olympic 3x4. The lens and shutter were the same: Ukas Anastigmat 50mm f/4.5 and Olympic System T-B-25-50-100-150.
Other
An Olympic enlarger model D was also sold, with darkroom equipment and tripods.
Note
Shutters from 1s to 1/250 and lenses with f/3.5 maximal aperture were advertised as "available on request".
Source
The main source of this article is the Ricoh corporate site, together with a 1938 ad in the British Journal Almanac and a couple of other pictures.
