Prince Flex
The Prince Flex was the first Japanese 6×6 TLR in July 1937, before the Minoltaflex (December).[1] (A year previously, the 4.5×6 Hansa Rollete Ref had been the first Japanese TLR.[2]) This camera has no design feature in common with the later Princeflex camera made by either Tōyō Seiki Kōgaku or Prince Camera Works.
The Prince Flex was made by Neumann & Heilemann and sold by the Fukada Shōkai company, according to this page at yume_camera. The picture displayed at this page shows Neumann & Heilemann engraved on the body's name plate, with the Prince Flex name on another plate on the finder's hood.
The Prince Flex looked somewhat like the first Ikoflex "coffee can" model. It had a 75/4.5 Neotar lens and a Neumann & Heilemann Perfekt shutter with T, B, 1–300 speeds. Focusing was done via a lever on the side of the lens plate, turning a helical that moved the lens plate back and front. The advance was by knob and red window.
Some sources attribute the Prince Flex to Fujimoto, as well as any other camera with the name Prince, this is probably a mistake, discussed in the Prince page.
An advertisement for both the Prince Flex and the Semi Prince II [3] does not mention either Neumann & Heilemann (although this name is clearly visible within the illustration of the Prince Flex) or Prince Camera Works, instead merely naming Fukada Shōkai as distributor; however, it does show the stylized "PCW" logo associated with Prince Camera Works.
Notes
- ↑ The Japanese Historical Camera, p. 29 (in Japanese and English); Japanese-only version here.
- ↑ The Japanese Historical Camera, p. 23 (in Japanese and English); Japanese-only version here.
- ↑ Published in the September 1937 issue of Asahi Camera, and reproduced in Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 91.
Sources / further reading
In English:
- The Japanese Historical Camera. 2nd ed. Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 2004.
In Japanese:
- Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. 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. Item 229.
Links
In Japanese: