Difference between revisions of "Petri"

From Camera-wiki.org
Jump to: navigation, search
(cat, Eagle)
(beware of First Camera Works)
Line 2: Line 2:
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 +
=== Early period ===
 
Most sources say that the company was founded as '''Kuribayashi Seisakusho''' in 1907 by Kuribayashi Yōji (栗林庸二), manufacturing tripods and dark boxes.<REF> Baird, p.&nbsp;11, Lewis, p.&nbsp;184 and [http://www.e-back-japan.com/link/meiji4/e1907.html this page of the Japan Memory website]. </REF> Its first camera was the [[Speed Reflex]] supposedly released in 1919.<REF> Baird, pp.&nbsp;13 and 40&ndash;2. Lewis, p.&nbsp;36. </REF> However a Petri catalogue dated August 1981 reportedly says that the company was founded in 1918 and that the Speed Reflex was introduced in 1922.<REF> See [http://www.geocities.co.jp/Hollywood-Miyuki/6580/camera/petrilabo.html this page by Sumida Petri-dō]. </REF>
 
Most sources say that the company was founded as '''Kuribayashi Seisakusho''' in 1907 by Kuribayashi Yōji (栗林庸二), manufacturing tripods and dark boxes.<REF> Baird, p.&nbsp;11, Lewis, p.&nbsp;184 and [http://www.e-back-japan.com/link/meiji4/e1907.html this page of the Japan Memory website]. </REF> Its first camera was the [[Speed Reflex]] supposedly released in 1919.<REF> Baird, pp.&nbsp;13 and 40&ndash;2. Lewis, p.&nbsp;36. </REF> However a Petri catalogue dated August 1981 reportedly says that the company was founded in 1918 and that the Speed Reflex was introduced in 1922.<REF> See [http://www.geocities.co.jp/Hollywood-Miyuki/6580/camera/petrilabo.html this page by Sumida Petri-dō]. </REF>
  
−
It became Gōshi-gaisha Kuribayashi Shashin Kikai Seisakusho (合資会社栗林写真機械製作所) in 1930.<REF> Date: Baird, p.&nbsp;15. Baird gives Shashin instead of Shashin Kikai. </REF> From 1929 to the war many cameras made by the company were called First and advertised as made by '''First Camera Works.''' These First cameras were mostly distributed by [[Minagawa|Minagawa Shōten]]. It is unclear whether First Camera Works was indeed a manufacturing company jointly owned by Kuribayashi and Minagawa or if it was an empty structure or just a name used for advertising.<REF> Baird, p.&nbsp;15, suggests that it was a jointly owned company. Other Japanese companies used names ending in "Camera Works" exist, but none of them seems to correspond to an actual company and they were probably fancy names only used for advertising purpose. </REF>
+
=== Thirties ===
 +
It became Gōshi-gaisha Kuribayashi Shashin Kikai Seisakusho (合資会社栗林写真機械製作所) in 1930.<REF> Date: Baird, p.&nbsp;15. Baird gives Shashin instead of Shashin Kikai. </REF> From 1929 to the war many cameras made by the company were called First and advertised as "made by '''First Camera Works'''". These First cameras were mostly distributed by [[Minagawa|Minagawa Shōten]]. It has been suggested that First Camera Works was a manufacturing company jointly owned by Kuribayashi and Minagawa.<REF> Baird, p.&nbsp;15. </REF> However the "First Camera Works" name and logo were used again after the war for the [[First Six (Tokiwa)|First Six]] and [[Firstflex]] cameras made by [[Tokiwa Seiki]] and distributed by Minagawa.<REF> See the [http://www.butkus.org/chinon/first_camera_works/first_camera_works.htm First Six and Firstflex leaflet] reproduced in butkus.org's Orphan Camera website. </REF> This seems to indicate that "First Camera Works" was only a fiction used in advertising and was not the name of any actual company. Other examples exist of such names ending in "Camera Works" that probably do not correspond to any actual company.<REF> See Victor Camera Works and Condor Camera Works, Zeitax Camera Works, Gelto Camera Werke, Star Camera Works, Walz Camera Works, National Camera Works and so on. </REF> It seems that this practice was used by the distributors to hide the name of their subcontractors. It is probably a mistake to attribute to Kuribayashi all the cameras advertised as made by First Camera Works.
  
 +
=== Postwar period ===
 
The company changed status in 1949 and became K.K. Kuribayashi Shashin Kikai Seisakusho ({{kabu}}栗林写真機械製作所) in 1949.<REF> Transition visible between two advertisements dated 1949 reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p.&nbsp;178. Baird, p.&nbsp;30, gives Shashin instead of Shashin Kikai by mistake. </REF> It used the brand names Karoron and Petri for 4.5&times;6 folders. Its first 35mm camera was released in 1954 and its first 35mm SLR in 1959. The company became '''Kuribayashi Shashin Kōgyō K.K.''' (栗林写真工業{{kabu}}) in 1956.<REF> Dates: Baird, p.&nbsp;32. </REF> In 1962, it took the name of its products and became '''Petri Camera K.K.''' (ペトリカメラ{{kabu}}). In 1968, it released the [[Petri Color 35]], a very compact camera said to be inspired from the [[Rollei 35]].
 
The company changed status in 1949 and became K.K. Kuribayashi Shashin Kikai Seisakusho ({{kabu}}栗林写真機械製作所) in 1949.<REF> Transition visible between two advertisements dated 1949 reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p.&nbsp;178. Baird, p.&nbsp;30, gives Shashin instead of Shashin Kikai by mistake. </REF> It used the brand names Karoron and Petri for 4.5&times;6 folders. Its first 35mm camera was released in 1954 and its first 35mm SLR in 1959. The company became '''Kuribayashi Shashin Kōgyō K.K.''' (栗林写真工業{{kabu}}) in 1956.<REF> Dates: Baird, p.&nbsp;32. </REF> In 1962, it took the name of its products and became '''Petri Camera K.K.''' (ペトリカメラ{{kabu}}). In 1968, it released the [[Petri Color 35]], a very compact camera said to be inspired from the [[Rollei 35]].
  

Revision as of 22:13, 6 February 2007

Kuribayashi, later Petri, was a Japanese camera maker.

History

Early period

Most sources say that the company was founded as Kuribayashi Seisakusho in 1907 by Kuribayashi Yōji (栗林庸二), manufacturing tripods and dark boxes.[1] Its first camera was the Speed Reflex supposedly released in 1919.[2] However a Petri catalogue dated August 1981 reportedly says that the company was founded in 1918 and that the Speed Reflex was introduced in 1922.[3]

Thirties

It became Gōshi-gaisha Kuribayashi Shashin Kikai Seisakusho (合資会社栗林写真機械製作所) in 1930.[4] From 1929 to the war many cameras made by the company were called First and advertised as "made by First Camera Works". These First cameras were mostly distributed by Minagawa Shōten. It has been suggested that First Camera Works was a manufacturing company jointly owned by Kuribayashi and Minagawa.[5] However the "First Camera Works" name and logo were used again after the war for the First Six and Firstflex cameras made by Tokiwa Seiki and distributed by Minagawa.[6] This seems to indicate that "First Camera Works" was only a fiction used in advertising and was not the name of any actual company. Other examples exist of such names ending in "Camera Works" that probably do not correspond to any actual company.[7] It seems that this practice was used by the distributors to hide the name of their subcontractors. It is probably a mistake to attribute to Kuribayashi all the cameras advertised as made by First Camera Works.

Postwar period

The company changed status in 1949 and became K.K. Kuribayashi Shashin Kikai Seisakusho (㈱栗林写真機械製作所) in 1949.[8] It used the brand names Karoron and Petri for 4.5×6 folders. Its first 35mm camera was released in 1954 and its first 35mm SLR in 1959. The company became Kuribayashi Shashin Kōgyō K.K. (栗林写真工業㈱) in 1956.[9] In 1962, it took the name of its products and became Petri Camera K.K. (ペトリカメラ㈱). In 1968, it released the Petri Color 35, a very compact camera said to be inspired from the Rollei 35.

Petri Camera went bankrupt in 1977 or 1978. It was revived as Petri Kōgyō K.K. (ペトリ工業㈱) but it abandoned camera production some time thereafter. It seems that the company still exists (2007) and makes telescopes.

The company seems unrelated to the current Kuribayashi Seisakusho Co., Ltd. founded in 1944.[10]

35mm film

Rangefinder, fixed lens

Viewfinder

SLR

  • Petri Flex
  • Petri Penta
  • Petri FT
  • Petri FT II
  • Petri FT EE

120 film

4.5×6 folder

6×6 folder

6×9 folder

6×6 TLR

127 film

Plate film

Bibliography

Links

In English:

In French:

In Japanese:

  • ↑ Baird, p. 11, Lewis, p. 184 and this page of the Japan Memory website.
  • ↑ Baird, pp. 13 and 40–2. Lewis, p. 36.
  • ↑ See this page by Sumida Petri-dō.
  • ↑ Date: Baird, p. 15. Baird gives Shashin instead of Shashin Kikai.
  • ↑ Baird, p. 15.
  • ↑ See the First Six and Firstflex leaflet reproduced in butkus.org's Orphan Camera website.
  • ↑ See Victor Camera Works and Condor Camera Works, Zeitax Camera Works, Gelto Camera Werke, Star Camera Works, Walz Camera Works, National Camera Works and so on.
  • ↑ Transition visible between two advertisements dated 1949 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 178. Baird, p. 30, gives Shashin instead of Shashin Kikai by mistake.
  • ↑ Dates: Baird, p. 32.
  • ↑ See the chronology of the company's website.
    • Retrieved from "http://camera-wiki.org/index.php?title=Petri&oldid=56760"