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). 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). The Olympic and Asahi Bussan company names remained in use for some time, then were dropped.
Riken Kankōshi set up the Asahi Optical Industries (旭光学工業株式会社, Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K.), then itself became Riken Optical Industries (理研光学工業株式会社, Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K.) in 1938. It is unclear whether it was Riken Optical or Asahi Optical who maintained the camera business.
Contents
127 film
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 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 the helical ring is now metallic, marked New Olympic Mod. C 3x4cm. There was a plate engraved The Olympic Camera Works near the back opening. The Olympic Junior and the Olympic C were still advertised in 1938.
Before the Olympic Four, there was an Olympic C in 4x4 format, exactly like the 3x4 version except the finder. It is marked New Olympic Mod. C 4x4cm on the helical ring (seen here).
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 Vest Olympic was introduced in 1938 for 4x6.5 pictures, with a metal body. It had a Ukas Anastigmat 75mm f/4.5 lens and a T-B-25-50-100-150 shutter, with Vest Olympic and Fiskus engraved on the shutter plate. 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.
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. 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
A Semi Olympic was introduced in 1937, taking 4.5x6 pictures on 120 film. It had a folding optical finder, a 75mm f/4.5 Ukas Anastigmat lens and the ubiquitous T-B-25-50-100-150 shutter. It was maybe also called New Olympic II.
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 Japanese websites.
Links
- Ricoh camera list at the company's Japanese site, with:
- The Olympic A-C: featured article at the Ricoh Japanese site
- The Super Olympic D: featured article at the Ricoh Japanese site
- Riken 127 film cameras at asacame
- Olympic at asacame, (first camera presented probably not an Olympic?)
- Vest Olympic at asacame
