Roavic
The Roavic (ローヴイック) is a Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera made by Miyoshi Kōgaku from 1940.[1]
Contents
Description
The Roavic is an horizontal folder; the folding struts and the general design are inspired from the Duo Six-20 Series II by Kodak AG. The camera is a successor to the Semi Prux, itself a copy of the Duo Six-20.
The optical finder is enclosed in the middle of a chrome top housing. The advance knob is on the right end, as seen by the photographer, and the body release is next to it. The name ROAVIC is engraved above the viewfinder, together with the serial number. There is an accessory shoe on the left, and the folding bed release is just in front of it. There is a rotating depth-of-field dial on the left end.
The back is hinged to the left and has two rectangular red windows, protected by a common sliding cover. The name Roavic is also embossed in the back leather, and the inner side of the back is engraved U.L.L., indicating that the camera was made by Miyoshi. There is a chrome bottom plate, with a tripod thread in the middle and film flanges at both ends. The lens standard consists of a chrome plate, supporting the lens and shutter assembly.
Evolution
The earliest advertisement reported for the Roavic is dated June 1940.[2] Two versions were featured in a column of the February 1941 issue of Asahi Camera: the Roavic I, said to have a Parkur-Rapid shutter giving T, B, 1–500 speeds, and the Roavic II with a Parkur giving T, B, 5–200 speeds.[3] However, the official list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941, has the Roavic I for ¥120 and the Roavic II for ¥160, a price order which is not coherent with the above description.[4] The same two versions also appear in a similar price list dated November 1941, where the camera is attributed to Miyoshi.[5]
In an advertisement by Miyoshi Kōgaku dated February 1942,[6] U.L.L. f/4.5 and f/3.5 lenses are mentioned in the text, together with the Parkur-Rapid shutter, described as a copy of the Compur-Rapid with five shutter blades. However a price is given for two different versions:
- Roavic f/3.5 lens, Lex shutter, T, B, 5–200 speeds (¥139);
- f/3.5 lens, Parkur-Rapid shutter, T, B, 1–500 speeds (¥182).
An example of the Roavic has been reported with a U.L.L. Anastigmat 7.5cm f/3.5 lens and a no-name shutter giving T, B, 5–200 speeds.[7] Another example is pictured in this Chinese forum, but the lens and shutter do not seem original.
The Roavic is mentioned in the government inquiry listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943, with the U.L.L. 75/3.5 lens and the Parkur-Rapid shutter.[8]
The Roavic was produced again after the war as the Apollo and Mikado, made by Sumida.
Notes
- ↑ Dates: advertisements and articles listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343.
- ↑ Template:Kakaku1940 short, type 3, sections 5B and 7B.
- ↑ "Kamera no kōtei kakaku kanpō happyō", November 1941, type 3, sections 5B and 7B.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Shashin Bunka, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 105.
- ↑ In this post of the Classic Camera Museum Yahoo group.
- ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), item 64, lens item Lb11, shutter item 18-R-5.
Bibliography
- 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 333.
- "Kamera no kōtei kakaku kanpō happyō" (カメラの公定価格官報発表, Official announcement of the set prices of the cameras), November 1941. Extract of a table listing Japanese camera production and setting the retail prices, reproduced in "Bebī Semi Fāsuto 'Kore ha bebī wo nanotta semi-ki da'" (ベビーセミファースト"これはベビーを名乗ったセミ機だ", Baby Semi First, 'this is a Semi camera called Baby'), an article by Furukawa Yasuo (古川保男) in Camera Collectors' News no. 277 (July 2000). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. P. 27. Type 3, sections 5B and 7B.
- "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" (国産写真機ノ現状調査, Inquiry into Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943. Reproduced in Supuringu kamera de ikou: Zen 69 kishu no shōkai to tsukaikata (スプリングカメラでいこう: 全69機種の紹介と使い方, Let's try spring cameras: Presentation and use of 69 machines). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2004. ISBN 4-87956-072-3. Pp.180–7. Item 64.
- Template:Kakaku1940 Type 3, sections 5B and 7B.
The Roavic is not listed in Sugiyama.
Links
In English:
In Chinese:
- Post with detailed pictures of a Roavic at www.chinesecamera.net, the lens and shutter do not seem original
