Proud

Proud was the name of a Japanese company making cameras before World War II. These cameras were mainly copies of German folding cameras, like the Zeh Goldi or the Balda Baldax. Other companies bought camera bodies to Proud to sell them under their own name. This was the case of Olympus for their first camera Semi Olympus I based on the Semi Proud. The Riken Adler camera series was probably made by Proud too.

3x4 folding

• Baby Rosen, copy of the Zeh Goldi

4x4 folding

• Rosen Four, copy of the Zeh Goldi modified for 4x4 format, the Riken Adler IV is probably a name variant

4.5x6 folding

• Semi Proud, copy of the Balda Baldax, body sold to Olympus for the Semi Olympus I
• Super Semi Proud (1937), copy of the Plaubel Roll-Op II, itself derived from the Baldax

Links

• Super Semi Proud at the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology