Ricoh

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Ricoh is a Japanese company that is still in existence (in 2009) and currently produces digital cameras as well as office equipment.

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] The factory was located in Tokyo, Ōji (王子).[4]

In 1937, Riken Kankōshi bought the trade company Asahi Bussan and its associated manufacturing facility, producer of the Olympic and Super Olympic cameras.[5] This company had started the distribution of Olympic cameras in 1934 and released the Super Olympic in 1935 or 1936. Riken transformed the manufacturing facility into the dependent company Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō (unrelated to the other Asahi Kōgaku predecessor of Pentax).[6]

In 1938, Riken Kankōshi itself became Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. (理研光学工業㈱, meaning Riken Optical Industries Co., Ltd.).[7] The same year, it announced the Riken No.1, a 3×4cm camera with focal-plane shutter, which was actually released in 1939 as the Gokoku, the first camera produced by the company itself. It was followed by the Ricohl, Roico, Ricohflex B, Gaica or Kinsi before the production was ended by the war.

In parallel, Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō took over the camera distribution activity of Asahi Bussan, and soldcameras made by various subcontractors, whose identity is not always known. 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. Riken sold a few lenses to other manufacturers as well. During the same period, the subsidiary Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō continued the production of bakelite cameras and leaf shutters in a semi-independent way.

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

After the war, the subsidiary Asahi Musen introduced the Steky in 1946 or 1947, but its development was later transferred to Riken Optical Industries. Asahi Musen became Asahi Seimitsu Kōgyō (旭精密工業, meaning Asahi Precision Industries) and perhaps made the Ricoh Six around 1952 before it was merged into the parent company in 1953.[10]

The main company Riken Optical Industries launched the Ricohflex III in 1950, and was again fully implicated in camera production. It met considerable success with the various geared-lens Ricohflex models, initiating the 1950s "TLR boom" in Japan. Its first 35mm camera was the Ricolet, released in 1953, followed by various viewfinder and rangefinder cameras. The Ricoh Auto Half half-frame camera with spring motor, released in 1962, was another commercial success, made in various versions until the early 1980s.

The company finally took the name of its products, becoming Ricoh (K.K. Rikō, ㈱リコー) in 1963. From 1964, it made a few 35mm SLR with interchangeable 42mm screw lenses, most of which were called Singlex. In 1977, it switched to the K mount introduced by Pentax, for a series of cameras called XR, made until the 1990s. The only autofocus SLR cameras made by the company were the various Mirai, with non-interchangeable zoom lenses.

In 1994, Ricoh released the Ricoh R1, a compact camera with panorama mode. It was followed by various other deluxe compact cameras, such as the GR1, and the company continued this trend into the digital era with the GR Digital.

Digital Cameras

Fixed Lens

-


35mm film

272739120_034f64ad17_m.jpg

Viewfinder, fixed lens

270337339_ef8b554100_t.jpg

Rangefinder, fixed lens

  • Riken 35
  • Ricolet II
  • Ricoh 35
  • Ricoh 35 electronic
3233581480_66e5c65d5e_t.jpg
1102427867_24d75c9437_t.jpg
  • Ricoh Ricohmatic 35
  • Ricoh S3
  • Ricoh Jet
  • Ricoh Wide
  • Ricoh 300S
  • Ricoh Mate
  • Ricoh 35L
  • Ricoh 35S
  • Ricoh Super Shot
  • Ricoh Elnica 35
  • Ricoh 800 EES
  • Ricoh Elnica F
  • Ricoh Elnica 35M
288844188_bfe0d63023_t.jpg

Rangefinder, interchangeable lens

  • Ricoh 999

Autofocus Point & Shoot

SLR, lens shutter

  • Ricoh 35 Flex
  • Ricoh 35 Flex CdS

SLR, focal plane

458011647_fd3b330248_t.jpg
  • 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
3328069921_2a272626c1_t.jpg
  • Ricoh Mirai
  • Ricoh XR-8
  • Ricoh XR-7M II
  • Ricoh XR-8 Super
  • Ricoh XR Solar
  • Ricoh XR-10PF
458917765_89c1b7b028_t.jpg
  • Ricoh XR-10P
  • Ricoh KR-5
  • Ricoh KR-10S
  • Ricoh KR-10x
  • Ricoh XR-X 3PF
  • Ricoh XR-X3000

Half frame

  • Ricoh Caddy
  • Ricoh Auto Half
  • Ricoh Auto Half S
  • Ricoh Auto Half E
  • Ricoh Auto Half SL
  • Ricoh Auto Half E2
  • Ricoh Auto Half EF
  • Ricoh Auto Half EF2
493595483_7c7d4bc277_t.jpg
  • Ricoh Auto Half SE
  • Ricoh Auto Half SE2
  • Ricoh Auto Half BT

Rapid film

  • Ricoh EE Rapid Half
  • Ricoh 35K Rapid

16mm film

46709161_ada6eb2533_t.jpg

120 film

2903268138_e7678199a2_t_d.jpg

4.5×6 telescopic

358453265_e31cdb693c_t_d.jpg

4.5×6 folding

445165013_7c0d360842_t_d.jpg

6×6 folding

6×6 TLR

162107509_93ea67f1e3_t_d.jpg
3223155150_581751ee6a_t.jpg

127 film

3×4 telescopic

399253753_a4c6ed695c_t_d.jpg


3×4 focal plane

411896567_467bfc7e13_t_d.jpg


3×4 pseudo TLR

3×4 strut folding

4×4 telescopic

285079240_ac36b9911c_t_d.jpg


4×4 folding

4×4 TLR

272735009_8d3d84645e_t.jpg


4×6.5 telescopic

211819795_801ca52d8e_t_d.jpg


126 film

110 film

  • Ricohmatic 110X Pocket Deluxe
  • Ricohmatic 600M

Other

  • Olympic D enlarger[12]
  • Riken Ultrazin filters
  • Riken Luminous filters

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 exact 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").
  5. ↑ Arimura, p.6 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14.
  6. ↑ Arimura, p.6 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14; article of IR Magazine about the history of Ricoh.
  7. ↑ 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.
  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 April 1943 governement inquiry and by this article of the Riken News bulletin. The address in 1943 was Tōkyō-to Ōmori-ku Magomechō Nishi (東京都大森区馬込町西) 4–3085. Source: "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras").
  9. ↑ See this article of the Riken News bulletin.
  10. ↑ Ricoh Six made by Asahi Seimitsu: see this page of the AJCC.
  11. ↑ http://www.flickr.com/photos/heritagefutures/2980689779/[1]
  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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