Olympic

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Picture courtesy of Rick Soloway. (Image rights)
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The Olympic are Japanese bakelite cameras made from 1934 to the early 1940s. They were initially distributed by Asahi Bussan, and certainly made in the company's own manufacturing facilities. From 1938, the distribution was taken over by Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō and the manufacturer was reorganized as the dependent Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō (unrelated to the other Asahi Kōgaku predecessor of Pentax). The early Olympic cameras have an AB logo for Asahi Bussan, and later cameras have an AKK logo for Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō.

This article deals with the 3×4cm and 4×4cm models using 127 film: see also the 24×36mm Super Olympic, the 4.5×6cm Semi Olympic and the 4×6.5cm Vest Olympic and Regal Olympic. For other uses of the name, see the "Olympic" disambiguation page.

The Olympic A, B and Junior

General description

The Olympic A, B and Junior take 3×4cm pictures on 127 film and share the same rounded bakelite body. There is a bakelite helical supporting the lens and shutter assembly and driven by a bakelite ring. This helical is used both to collapse or extend the lens and to focus the camera: there is a small distance scale on the right of the ring (as seen from the front). The advance knob is at the top right (as seen by a photographer holding the camera) and the viewfinder is in the middle of the top plate. The back is hinged to the right and has two uncovered red windows. The back is opened by pushing a button placed at the left end of the body.

The Olympic A

The first model was the Olympic A (オリンピックA型). Introduced in 1934, it was one of the first Japanese cameras made of bakelite, contemporary of the Minolta Vest.[1] In its initial form with folding finder, the Olympic A is a plain copy of the Rubette by the German company Ruberg & Renner (also sold as the Baby Ruby).[2]

The Olympic A is recognized by its octagonal shutter housing. The shutter plate is inscribed Olympic and MADE IN JAPAN on one side; it has the lens name RODENSTEIN PERISKOP JAPAR 1:8 and the words PATENT APPLIED FOR on the other side. (The lens name apes the "Rodenstock Periskop" brand found on the original Rubette.)[2] There is also a small logo, composed of a gear encircling the letters C and K. The camera only has two aperture settings: LARGE and SMALL, and two shutter settings: T and I (for Time and Instant exposures). The release lever is directly attached to the front of the shutter housing, and there is a thread for a cable release on the side.

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2694826511_8e989b867f_t_d.jpg 2694826515_617f5a30e5_t_d.jpg
Olympic A, rigid finder, Rodenstein Periskop Japar f/8 lens.
(Image rights)

The early examples have a folding frame finder and a concave advance knob with a hexagonal nut in the middle. Surviving cameras are pictured in various sources.[3] At least two late examples, including the one pictured in this article, are known with a tubular finder and a newer advance knob with a flat top.[4] These parts are shared with the Olympic B, and these changes were certainly applied when the new model was released.

The Olympic A is one of the very first Japanese cameras that was offered for export. It was advertised under the name "Olympic" in the March 1934 issue of The British Journal of Photography.[5] The advertisement was placed by F. Charten & Co., based in Kobe;[6] it has the mention "Agent wanted" and says that the lens is a double achromatic f/8. The illustration shows an early camera with a folding frame finder; the lens name is faintly legible as JAPAR F8 SPECIAL, but the picture was retouched and this might not reflect the actual markings.

The Olympic A was advertised in Japan in December 1934 for ¥9.75.[7] It was still advertised in August 1936 for the same price along more recent Olympic models.[8]

The Olympic B

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Olympic B, Olynar Special 50mm f/6.3 lens no.37684.
Pictures courtesy of Adrian Gotts. (Image rights)

The Olympic B (オリンピックB型) has a tubular optical finder and an advance knob with a flat top. The shutter gives B, 25, 50 speeds selected by an index. The shutter plate is inscribed Olympic on one side, PAT. NO. 194303 and sometimes MADE IN JAPAN on the other. The lens is engraved OLYNAR SPECIAL 1:6.3 F=50mm N°xxxxx. The aperture scale is at the bottom of the shutter plate and reads 6.3, 8, 12.5, 16, 25 on some examples and 6.3, 8, 10, 12, 15 on others.[9] It seems that the 6.3 to 15 scale is found on the examples marked as made in Japan, which were perhaps the examples made for export. The camera was sold in a box written OLYMPIC MOD. B and LENS OLYNER f:6.3 (the spelling of the lens name differs from the lens engraving).[10] The lens received quite unfavourable comments in an article by Kawara Kanji, where it is stated that the image is soft wide open and that there is strong vignetting at small apertures, the only satisfying aperture being f/8.[11]

The Olympic B was released in 1934, some months after the previous model. It was offered for ¥15 in the December 1934 and August 1936 advertisements cited above.[12] It was also offered for the same price in an advertisement dated March 1937 along with the Super Olympic and Olympic Junior.[13] The Olympic B was still listed for ¥19 in the list of set prices compiled in October 1940.[14]

Surviving examples are pictured in Tanaka, in this page of the Ricoh website, in McKeown and in Sugiyama.[15]

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Advertisement for the Olympic Junior in the February 1938 issue of Popular Photography. (Image rights)

The Olympic Junior

The Olympic A was replaced by the Olympic Junior (オリンピックジュニアー) at the very end of 1936.[16] The new model is very similar to the Olympic B but only has B and 25 speed settings and an Olynar 50/8 lens. The shutter plate has a different design and is inscribed OLYMPIC JUNIOR on one side and PAT NO 194303 on the other. The shutter casing is silver instead of black. The lens is engraved OLYNAR 1:8 F=50mm NO. xxxxx and the aperture scale goes from 8 to 24.

The Olympic Junior was offered for ¥8.50 in advertisements dated February and March 1937.[17] It was exported to the United States and advertised by Candid Camera Supply Co. for $5.95 in February 1938.[18] It was also briefly mentioned in an advertisement by Asahi Bussan published at the end of 1937 in The British Journal Photographic Almanac 1938.[19] The Olympic Junior was still listed for ¥19 in the list of set prices compiled in October 1940.[20]

Various surviving examples have been observed, with four or five-digit lens numbers.[21]


The Olympic C

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Olympic C.
Picture courtesy of Rick Soloway. (Image rights)

The Olympic C (オリンピックC型) was released in 1936. It has a different bakelite body with angled edges. The lens is front-cell focusing and the bakelite helical is used only to collapse or extend the lens and shutter assembly. The helical is usually driven by a massive metal ring at the base, engraved NEW OLYMPIC MOD. C 3X4CM. (Despite this engraving, the camera was always called Olympic C in the advertisements and the name written on the original box is "Olympic Mod. C".)[22] The knobs and the tubular finder are different from the previous models. The back is hinged to the right and is opened by sliding a button. The name Olympic is moulded in the bakelite at the top of the back and there are two uncovered red windows. There is a nameplate inscribed The Olympic Camera Works next to the back latch.

The shutter plate is inscribed NEW OLYMPIC at the top, PAT. NO. 194303 and sometimes MADE IN JAPAN at the bottom, and has an AB logo for Asahi Bussan on the right. The speed settings are engraved T, B, 150, 100, 50, 25 in that order in the shutter rim. The lens is engraved UKAS Anastigmat 1:4.5 F=50mm Nr xxxxx. On the early examples, the distance numbers are engraved on the front of the lens rim;[23] on later examples the distance scale is on the outer edge of the rim (one such example is pictured in this page).

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Advertisement for the Olympic cameras in The British Journal of Photography Almanac 1938, certainly dated late 1937. (Image rights)

The Olympic C was offered for ¥24 in the August 1936 advertisement cited above.[24] The advertising picture shows a very early example, perhaps a prototype. It has the same bakelite ring at the base of the helical and the same advance knob as the Olympic A, B and Junior, and it has only T, B, 100, 50, 25 speed settings.

The regular version of the camera, with the older focusing ring, was offered for the same price in February and March 1937 advertisement cited above.[25] It was also offered in an advertisement by Asahi Bussan published at the end of 1937 in The British Journal Photographic Almanac 1938.[26] (This advertisement also offered T, B, 1–250 shutters and f/3.5 lenses, mentioned as "available on request". None has been observed since on the Olympic C, but a Ukas Anastigmat 50mm f/3.5 lens and a shutter giving T, B, 250, 150, 50, 25 speeds have been observed on a Super Olympic.)

An Olympic C with the later type of focusing ring was pictured in an advertisement by Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō dated September 1939.[27] The Olympic C was still listed for ¥32 in the list of set prices compiled in October 1940.[28]


The 4×4 models

The Olympic Four I

The Olympic Four (オリンピックフォアー) is a version of the Olympic C taking 4×4cm pictures. It appeared in 1938 and was called in retrospect Olympic Four I (オリンピックフォアーⅠ型) after the introduction of the model II.[29] This model is very similar to the Olympic C except for the finder and the back. There are three uncovered red windows because the rollfilm paper backing was not adapted for 4×4 exposures at the time. The helical ring is engraved NEW OLYMPIC MOD. C 4X4CM.

The lens and shutter are the same as on the Olympic C. It seems that the Olympic Four I only exists with the later type of focusing ring. Three types of shutter plates have been observed, differing by the marking at the top and the logo on the right (AB for Asahi Bussan or AKK for Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō). They are listed in presumed chronological order:

  • OLYMPIC FOUR marking, AB logo;[30]
  • OLYMPIC FOUR marking, AKK logo;[31]
  • NEW OLYMPIC marking, AKK logo.[32]

The first of these markings has been observed on a camera having a flush metal part instead of the top right knob, perhaps a feature of the early examples only.

The Olympic Four was offered for ¥32 in an advertisement dated May 1939.[33] It was also listed for the same price in advertisements dated March, April and June 1940, together with the Olympic Four II.[34] In all the advertising pictures observed so far, the shutter plate is inscribed OLYMPIC FOUR. The Olympic Four still appears for ¥32 in the list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941.[35]

An article by Takezaki in Kurashikku Kamera Senka shows a picture of a camera which was probably made by a repairer or homebuilder from parts of an Olympic Four I.[36] It has the same bakelite body, viewfinder and advance knob; the back latch is moved to the other side of the body, the helical was perhaps replaced by a telescopic tube, with a plain ring at the base, and the lens and shutter assembly was replaced. The lens is a Hotoka Anastigmat 50mm f/3.5 with no serial number and the shutter is a Kikō-C giving 150–25, B, T speeds, inscribed KIKō–C at the top and KIGAWAKŌGAKU at the bottom, made by Kigawa and certainly taken from a Tsubasa Super Semi.

The Olympic Four II

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Olympic Four II, Ukas Anastigmat 50mm f/4.5 lens no.83490, late shutter plate.
Pictures courtesy of Hubert Schorle (Bonn, Germany). (Image rights)

The Olympic Four II (オリンピックフォアーⅡ型) is an updated version of the Olympic Four. It has a metal telescopic tube instead of the bakelite helical. The back latch is modified and consists of a long sliding bar, and the advance knob and film retaining knobs are different too. The lens is the same Ukas Anastigmat 50mm f/4.5 as on the previous models.

The early examples have the same NEW OLYMPIC and AKK shutter plate and the same speed engravings (T, B, 150, 100, 50, 25) as on the model I. This is the variant pictured in the advertisements observed so far. Some have MADE IN JAPAN under the lens, and others don't.[37] Later examples have 25, 50, 100, 150, B, T speed settings in that order and a slightly altered shutter plate, without the patent number at the bottom.[38]

The camera was offered for ¥33 in advertisements dated December 1939, March, April and June 1940 (with the older shutter plate).[39] The Olympic Four II was listed for ¥32 in the list of set prices compiled in October 1940.[40] It was offered for that price in an advertisement dated April 1941.[41] A Japanese catalogue said to be dated 1942 listed the Olympic Four II for ¥37 (case extra ¥6.70).[42]

At least one example is known with a Heil Anastigmat lens and a shutter giving 5–200, B, T speeds with a HEIL nameplate screwed at the top of the shutter plate and an AKK logo on the right.[43] It was perhaps called "Heil Four".[44] (Many of the names used by Riken, like Adler or Heil, remind sinister times.)

Notes

  1. ↑ 1934 release date: Tanaka, pp.8 and 12 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 See the pictures of the Rubette in Wilhelm's article in Photographica Cabinett no.44.
  3. ↑ Examples pictured in McKeown, p.747 (where it is misidentified as an Olympic Junior), Tanaka, p.12 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14, in this page of the Ricoh website, and observed in an online auction.
  4. ↑ Examples pictured in this article and in this page by Rick Soloway.
  5. ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Tanaka, p.8 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14.
  6. ↑ The address of F. Charten & Co. was P.O. Box 1153 Sannomiya Kobe.
  7. ↑ Advertisement published in Sunday Mainichi 23 December 1934, reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
  8. ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.63.
  9. ↑ Tanaka, p.12 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14, elaborates about the possibility that the f/6.3 aperture is expressed in US numbers.
  10. ↑ Box pictured in Dokusha-dayori, p.161 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14, and box observed in an online auction.
  11. ↑ Kawara, reproduced on p.85 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14.
  12. ↑ Advertisement published in Sunday Mainichi 23 December 1934, reproduced in the Gochamaze website. Advertisement published in Asahi Camera August 1936, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.63.
  13. ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.63.
  14. ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku", type 1, section 1.
  15. ↑ An example with aperture to 25 and no "made in Japan" engraving is pictured in Tanaka, pp.12–3 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14. Examples with aperture to 15 and MADE IN JAPAN engraving are pictured in McKeown, p.747 and Sugiyama, item 4058 (misidentified as an Olympic Junior), and another has been observed in an online auction.
  16. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.335, says that the camera was announced as a new model (新発売) in a December 1936 advertisement.
  17. ↑ Advertisement published in Camera Art February 1937 and advertisement published in Asahi Camera March 1937, both reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.63. Advertisement published in Shashin Salon March 1937, reproduced in Tanaka, p.9 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14.
  18. ↑ Advertisement published in Popular Photography, reproduced in Montanaman1's Flickr stream. The address of Candid Camera Supply Co. was 303 West 42 Street, Dept. J7, New York, N.Y.
  19. ↑ Advertisement by [Asahi Bussan]] published at the end of 1937 in The British Journal Photographic Almanac 1938, pp.694–5.
  20. ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku", type 1, section 1.
  21. ↑ Examples pictured in Sugiyama, item 4057, in Lewis, p.43, in Tanaka, p.13 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14, in this page of the Ricoh website, in this page and this page at Asacame, and observed in online auctions.
  22. ↑ Original box pictured in an advertisement published in Sunday Mainichi 10 September 1939, reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
  23. ↑ Early example observed in a Chinese forum.
  24. ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.63.
  25. ↑ Advertisement published in Camera Art February 1937, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.63. Advertisement published in Shashin Salon March 1937, reproduced in Tanaka, p.9 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14.
  26. ↑ Advertisement by Asahi Bussan published at the end of 1937 in The British Journal Photographic Almanac 1938, pp.694–5.
  27. ↑ Advertisement published in Sunday Mainichi 10 September 1939, reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
  28. ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku", type 1, section 2.
  29. ↑ 1938 release date: Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.335, says that it was featured in the new products column of the June 1938 issue of Asahi Camera.
  30. ↑ Example observed in an unknown website.
  31. ↑ Example pictured in McKeown, p.746 (where the camera is called "New Olympic C 4×4cm").
  32. ↑ Examples pictured in Sugiyama, item 4059 (where the camera is called "New Olympic C"), in this page at Asacame, in this page of the Western Photographic Historical Society, in this page of the Yamada Camera Museum, offered for sale by dealers and observed in online auctions.
  33. ↑ Advertisement published in Shinkō Graph, reproduced in Tanaka, p.9 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14.
  34. ↑ Advertisements published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp.64 and 104.
  35. ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku", type 1, section 2.
  36. ↑ Camera pictured in Takezaki, p.107 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.53.
  37. ↑ With MADE IN JAPAN: examples offered for sale by a Chinese dealer. Without MADE IN JAPAN: example observed in an online auction.
  38. ↑ Examples are pictured in Sugiyama, item 3041 (misidentified as a "New Olympic"), in Tanaka, pp.15–6 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14, and in this page at Japan Family Camera.
  39. ↑ Advertisement published in Shinkō Graph December 1939, reproduced in Tanaka, p.9 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14. Advertisements published in Asahi Camera March, April and June 1940, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp.64 and 104.
  40. ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku", type 1, section 2.
  41. ↑ Advertisement published in Gakusei no Kagaku April 1941, reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
  42. ↑ Catalogue by Gold Camera Kōgyō-sho observed in an online auction.
  43. ↑ Example pictured in Tanaka, p.15 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14. A small version of the picture is reproduced in this page of the Ricoh official website.
  44. ↑ Tanaka, p.8 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14, briefly mentions a Heil Four but does not elaborate.

Bibliography

Original documents

  • Kawara Kanji (河原侃二), "Orinpikku kamera (B-gata) no atarashii tsukaikata" (オリンピックカメラ[B型]の新しい使ひ方, Using the Olympic B). Geijutsu Shashin Kenkyū (芸術写真研究), November 1936. Reproduced in Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.14, October 1989. No ISBN number. Rikō kamera no subete (リコーカメラのすべて, special issue on Ricoh). P.85.
  • "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku" (国産写真機の公定価格, Set prices of the Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of October 25, 1940 and setting the retail prices from December 10, 1940. Published in Asahi Camera January 1941 and reproduced in Shōwa 10—40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10〜40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935—1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. Pp.108—9. Type 1, sections 1 and 2.
  • The British Journal Photographic Almanac 1938, edited by Arthur J. Dalladay. London: Henri Greenwood & Co., Ltd. Publication date not indicated, certainly late 1937. Advertisement by Asahi Bussan on pp.694–5.

Recent sources

Links

General links

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Original documents

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