Orion Six

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Japanese Six (6×6)
Postwar models (edit)
folding
Aires Viceroy | Angel Six | Aram Six | Astoria Super Six | Atom Six | Balm Six | Baron | Beauty Six (1950) | Beauty Six (1953) | Calm Six | Carl Six | Centre Six | Crown | Crystar Six | Daido Six | Dorima Six | Doris Six | Ehira Six | Elbow Six | First Six | Flora Six | Fodor Six | Frank Six | Fujica Six | Super Fujica Six | Futami Six | Gotex | Grace Six | Kohken Chrome Six | Kyowa Six | Liner Six | Lyra Six | Mamiya Six | Middl Six | Mihama Six | Mine Six | Minon Six | Mizuho Six | Motoka Six | Mount Six | Muse Six | Super Naiku | Ofuna Six | Olympus Six | Olympus Chrome Six | Orion Six | Oscar Six | Pigeon Six | Planet | Please Six | Pluto Six | Poppy Six | Press Van | Press Van-120 | Proud Chrome Six | Proud Super Six | Renown Six | Ricoh Six | Ruvikon | Ruvinal | Sanon Six | Silver Six | Sisley 1 | Sisley 2 & 3 | Sister Six | Tenar Six | Toho Six | Tomic | Toyoca Six | Ugein Six | Wagen Six | Walcon 6 | Welmy Six | Wester | Windsor Six
rigid or collapsible
Dia Six | Ehira Chrome Six | Enon Six | Flora | Flashline | Fujipet | Harmony | Mikono-6 | Orion | Ponix | Rich-Ray-6 | Shumy | Weha Chrome Six
Japanese 6×6 TLR, pseudo TLR and medium format SLR ->
Japanese Semi (4.5×6) and older 6×9 ->

The Orion Six is a Japanese folding camera with an uncoupled rangefinder, taking both 6×6cm and 4.5×6cm exposures. It was made by Orion Seiki (predecessor of Miranda), certainly in the mid-1950s.[1]

General description

The Orion Six has a horizontal folding body with smoothly tapered edges. The folding struts are inspired by those of the 6×6 Ikonta. The viewfinder and rangefinder are contained in the top housing. The common eyepiece is offset to the left, as seen by the photographer, and the rectangular second-image window is on the right. There are translucid strips on both sides of the viewfinder, indicating the field of view for 4.5×6cm exposures. There is an accessory shoe on the right of the viewfinder. The name Orion Six is engraved above the view and rangefinder, and the body serial number and model name are engraved above the viewfinder eyepiece.

The film is advanced by a knob at the left end of the top plate, and the advance is controlled by red windows. There is a film flange on the right end of the top plate, and the shutter release is placed next to it. The back is hinged to the right. The folding bed is opened by a sliding button at the top of the front door itself.

The Orion Six RIII

The Orion Six RIII has an uncoupled rangefinder, controlled by a wheel falling under the right thumb. The name Orion Six is engraved above the view and rangefinder, and the body serial number and model name MODEL RIII are engraved above the viewfinder eyepiece.

The shutter is a synchronized TSK (B, 1–200, self-timer). The lens is a front-cell focusing Rhythner 75mm f/3.2, engraved RHYTHNER LENS.

Various surviving examples are known, with a PC synch post.[2] The known body numbers are 7361 and 7482, probably indicating that at least a few hundred units were made.

One similar example has been reported as an "Orion Six Model RII", perhaps by mistake; it perhaps has an ASA synch post.[3]

The Orion 66 Super S

The Orion 66 Super S has a focusing helical placed behind the lens and shutter unit, driven by a focusing tab and coupled to the rangefinder. The second image window is slightly larger than on the model RIII, and the distance setting wheel on the rear is of course absent. The name Orion 66 is engraved above the view and rangefinder, and the body serial number and model name SUPER S are engraved above the viewfinder eyepiece.

The shutter plate is black and certainly has the speed settings directly engraved on it; the lens and shutter types are unknown.

The only known surviving example has body no.59002, and is perhaps a prototype.[4] It was found together with an original box inscribed ORION SIX and ORION SEIKI CO.[5]

Notes

  1. Attribution to Orion Seiki confirmed by an original box pictured in Furukawa, p.6 of Camera Collectors' News no.263.
  2. Example pictured in Sugiyama, item 1380, example pictured in Furukawa, p.5 of Camera Collectors' News no.263 (body no.7482), and example observed in an online auction (body no.7361, lens no.62254).
  3. Example sold by Koujiya; a very small picture is shown in this page.
  4. Example pictured in Furukawa, pp.5–6 of Camera Collectors' News no.263.
  5. Box pictured in Furukawa, p.6 of Camera Collectors' News no.263.

Bibliography

  • Furukawa Haruo (古川保男). "Orion 66 Super S: 'Naka kara patto hakuen ha denakatta'" (Orion 66 Super S・'中からパッと白煙は出なかった', Orion 66 Super S: 'no white smoke is coming out of it'). In Camera Collectors' News no.263 (May 1999). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. Pp.5–7.
  • Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Item 1380.

The Orion Six is not listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi.

Links

In Japanese: