Ricoh

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Ricoh is a Japanese company that is still in existence (in 2007) and currently produces digital cameras.

History

The Riken research institute (abreviation of Rikagaku Kenkyūjo, 理化学研究所, meaning Physico-Chemical Research Institute) and the Riken foundation exist since 1917.[1] In 1927 was created the Rikagaku Kōgyō Kabushiki Kaisha (理化学興業㈱, meaning Physico-Chemical Development Co., Ltd.) to market products derived from the research of the institute.[2] In 1936, the photographic paper division became Riken Kankōshi K.K. (理研感光紙㈱, meaning Riken Sensitized Paper Co Ltd) and was placed under the responsibility of Ichimura Kiyoshi (市村清), who is thus considered as the founder of today's Ricoh.[3]

In 1937, Riken Kankōshi bought the camera maker K.K. Olympic Camera (㈱オリンピックカメラ) and the associated trade company Asahi Bussan Gōshi-gaisha (旭物産㈾).[4] These companies had started the production and distribution of Olympic cameras in 1934 and released the Super Olympic in 1935 or 1936. With the assets of these two companies, Riken Kankōshi founded the dependent company Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. (旭光学工業㈱, meaning Asahi Optical Industries Co., Ltd.), unrelated to the company Asahi Kōgaku which later became Pentax.[5]

In 1938, Riken Kankōshi itself became Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. (理研光学工業㈱, meaning Riken Optical Industries Co., Ltd.).[6] It seems that both Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō and Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō made cameras until 1942, with Asahi making the Olympic and derivative cameras while Riken was making newer products like the Ricohflex, the Roico or the complex and unsuccessful Gokoku and Ricohl.[7] However it seems that all the cameras were marketed by Riken, which also distributed cameras made by various subcontractors, whose identity is not always known. It seems that the subcontracted models were sold with lenses and shutters made by Riken, but the degree of involvement of the company in the assembly of these cameras is unknown. It also seems that Riken sold some lenses to other manufacturers as well.

The production and sales of cameras was stopped during the war. Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō became Asahi Musen Kōgyō K.K. (旭無線工業㈱, meaning Asahi Wireless Co., Ltd.) in 1941.[8] In 1942, the two companies Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō and Asahi Musen left the Riken Foundation which was the last link remaining between the Riken Institute and its offshoot companies.[9] Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō was based in Tokyo, Ōji in 1943.[10]

After the war, Asahi Musen introduced the Steky in 1946 or 1947. Soon its development was transfered to Riken Optical Industries. The postwar Ricohflex III was launched in 1950. Asahi Musen became Asahi Seimitsu Kōgyō (旭精密工業, meaning Asahi Precision Industries) and it perhaps made the Ricoh Six before it was merged with Riken Optical Industries in 1953, that was again fully implicated in camera production.[11]

Riken Optical Industries finally became Ricoh (Kabushiki Kaisha Rikō, ㈱リコー) in 1963.

35mm film

Viewfinder, fixed lens

158644736_98535375de_t.jpg

Rangefinder, fixed lens

  • Ricolet II
  • Riken 35
  • Ricoh 35
  • Ricoh 35 Deluxe
  • Ricoh 35 New Deluxe
  • Ricoh 35S
  • Ricoh 35 Deluxe L
  • Ricoh 519 Deluxe
  • Ricoh 519M
  • Ricoh 500
  • Ricoh 500 Deluxe
  • Ricoh S2
  • Ricoh 300
  • Ricoh Max
  • Ricoh S3
  • Ricoh Jet
  • Ricoh Wide
  • Ricoh 300S
  • Ricoh Mate
  • Ricoh 35L
  • Ricoh 35S
  • Ricoh Auto Shot
  • Ricoh Super Shot
  • Ricoh Elnica 35
  • Ricoh 500G
  • Ricoh 500GS
  • Ricoh Elnica F
  • Ricoh Elnica 35M
  • Ricoh 500GX
  • Ricoh 500ME

Rangefinder, interchangeable lens

  • Ricoh 999

Autofocus Point & Shoot

SLR, lens shutter

  • Ricoh 35 Flex
  • Ricoh 35 Flex CdS
272735007_6a25da56ce_t.jpg

SLR, focal plane

  • Ricoh Singlex
  • Ricoh Singlex TLS
  • Ricoh TLS 401 / Ricohflex TLS 401
  • Ricoh Singlex II
  • Ricoh SLX 500
  • Ricoh Auto TLS EE
  • Ricoh XR-1
  • Ricoh XR-2
  • Ricoh XR 500
  • Ricoh XR-1s
  • Ricoh XR-2s
  • Ricoh XR 1000S
  • Ricoh XR 6
  • Ricoh XR-S
  • Ricoh XR 500 Auto
  • Ricoh XR 7
  • Ricoh XR-P
  • Ricoh XR-20SP
  • Ricoh XR-X
  • Ricoh XR-10M
  • Ricoh XR-8
  • Ricoh XR-7M II
  • Ricoh XR-8 Super
  • Ricoh XR Solar
  • Ricoh XR-10PF
  • Ricoh XR-10P
  • Ricoh KR-5
  • Ricoh KR-10S
  • Ricoh KR-10x

Half frame

  • Ricoh Caddy
  • Ricoh Auto Half
  • Ricoh Auto Half S
  • Ricoh Auto Half E
  • Ricoh Auto Half SE
  • Ricoh Auto Half SL
  • Ricoh Auto Half BT
  • Ricoh Auto Half SE2
  • Ricoh Auto Half E2
  • Ricoh Auto Half EF
  • Ricoh Auto Half EF2

16mm film

46709161_ada6eb2533_t.jpg

120 film

4.5×6 telescopic

4.5×6 folding

6×6 folding

6×6 TLR

162107509_93ea67f1e3_t_d.jpg
  • Ricohflex A
  • Ricohflex B
  • Ricohflex III
  • Ricohflex IIIB
  • Ricohflex IV
  • Ricohflex VI
  • Ricohflex VII
  • Ricohflex VIIs
  • Ricohflex VIIM
  • Ricohflex Dia
  • Ricohflex Dia M
  • Ricohflex New Dia
  • Ricohflex Dia L
  • Ricohflex Holiday
  • Ricohflex Minion
  • Ricohflex New Minion
  • Ricohflex Diacord G
  • Super Ricohflex
  • Ricohmatic 225
  • Ricoh Auto 66

127 film

3×4 telescopic

399253753_a4c6ed695c_t_d.jpg

3×4 focal plane

3×4 pseudo TLR

3×4 strut folding

4×4 telescopic

4×4 folding

272735009_8d3d84645e_t.jpg

4×4 TLR

  • Ricoh Super 44
  • Ricohmatic 44

4×6.5 telescopic

126 film

  • Ricoh 126C Automatic
  • Ricoh 126C Auto CdS
  • Ricoh 126C EE
  • Ricoh 126C Flex
  • Ricohmatic 126

110 film

  • Ricohmatic 110X Pocket Deluxe
  • Ricohmatic 600M

Enlargers

  • Olympic D enlarger[12]

Other cameras with Riken or Ricoh lenses mounted on other cameras

Notes

  1. ↑ History page of the official website of the Riken Institute.
  2. ↑ History page of the official website of the Riken Institute.
  3. ↑ History of Riken Kankōshi, in the June 2000 issue (N°228) of the Riken News bulletin; history page of the Ricoh official website, 1936–45 period.
  4. ↑ Arimura, p. 6 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 14. The name "K.K. Olympic Camera" is given in Arimura but this article of IR Magazine and this article of the Riken News bulletin say "Olympic Camera Seisakusho" (オリンピックカメラ製作所) instead. The name of the manufacturing company has not been observed in any original document so far.
  5. ↑ Arimura, p. 6 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 14; article of IR Magazine about the history of Ricoh.
  6. ↑ Arimura, p. 6 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 14; history page of the Ricoh official website, 1936–45 period; article of IR Magazine about the history of Ricoh.
  7. ↑ Minor hints of this are given by the logos sported on the cameras, AKK for Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō and RKK for Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō.
  8. ↑ Arimura, p. 6 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 14. This source gives the name "Asahi Musen K.K." but the full name is given by the "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras") and by this article of the Riken News bulletin. The address in 1943 was Tōkyō-to Ōmori-ku Magome-chō Nishi 4–3085 (東京都大森区馬込町西4–3085). Source: "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), listing the Japanese camera production as of April 1943.
  9. ↑ See this article of the Riken News bulletin.
  10. ↑ The address in 1943 was Tōkyō-to Ōji-ku Kamiya-chō 1–760 (東京都王子区神谷町1–760). Source: "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), listing the Japanese camera production as of April 1943.
  11. ↑ Ricoh Six made by Asahi Seimitsu: see this page of the AJCC.
  12. ↑ Advertisement published in Camera Art February 1937, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 63. Advertisement by Asahi Bussan published at the end of 1937 in The British Journal Photographic Almanac 1938, pp. 694–5.
  13. ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras") (lens item Lc12).
  14. ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras") (lens item Lb37).

Bibliography

Links

Company history

In English:

In Japanese:

Riken and Ricoh cameras

In English:

In French:

In Japanese:

Asahi Bussan and Riken prewar and wartime cameras (edit)
rigid or collapsible
Vest Adler | Gokoku | Semi Kinsi | Letix | Olympic | New Olympic | Regal Olympic | Semi Olympic | Super Olympic | Vest Olympic | Riken No.1 | Ricohl | Roico | Seica | Zessan
folders pseudo TLR TLR
Semi Adler | Adler III | Adler A | Adler B | Adler C | Adler Four | Adler Six | Gaica | Heil | Kinsi Chukon Ref Ricohflex | Ricohflex B
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