Semi Dymos

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Japanese Semi (4.5×6)
Prewar and wartime models (edit)
folding
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Postwar models ->
Japanese SLR, TLR, pseudo TLR and stereo ->
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The Semi Dymos (セミダイモス) is a Japanese 4.5×6 folder, sold by Seibidō between 1935 and 1937. The Hansa Semi Rollette and the original Semi Rosen are certainly name variants of this camera (see the discussion in the corresponding pages).

General description

The Semi Dymos is an Ikonta copy, with the typical Ikonta struts. There is a folding optical finder in the middle of the top plate. Its front part folds above the back one and it is perhaps of the Newton type. The folding bed release is on the right of the viewfinder and the film advance key is at the bottom right — as seen by the photographer holding the camera horizontally. The back is hinged to the left and the back latch is covered by a leather handle. The brand name Dymos is embossed in the front leather in cursive style: the "D" is very large and contains the rest of the letters.

The Semi Dymos A to F

The original Semi Dymos, released in 1935,[1] has no body release and has two red windows in the back, protected by a cover that is certainly retracted by turning a knob. Only one surviving example has been observed so far.[2]

In an advertisement dated January 1936,[3] the following versions were offered:

  • Model A (A號): Radionar f/6.3 lens, Rulex shutter (¥49);
  • Model B (B號): Radionar f/4.5 lens, Light shutter (¥55);
  • Model C (C號): Lausar f/4.5 lens, Light shutter (¥59).

The Rulex shutter was certainly the least expensive Rulex D version. The Light shutter was perhaps made by Ōhashi Kōki Seisakusho.

It seems that in some advertisements the range was as follows[4]:

  • Model A: Radionar f/6.3, Rulex;
  • Model B: Dymos f/4.5, Light;
  • Model C: Radionar f/4.5, Light;
  • Model D: Lausar f/4.5, Light.

In mid-1936, the A, B, C, D models were replaced by the models E and F. In advertisements dated May and December 1936,[5] they are described as follows:

  • Model E (E號): Radionar f/4.5 lens, 5–250 speeds (¥60 — case ¥5 extra);
  • Model F (F號): Lausar f/4.5 lens, 5–250 speeds (¥63).

The shutter name is not mentioned, but it is probably the Light B mentioned in a later document (see below).

The Semi Dymos II

The Semi Dymos II appeared at the beginning of 1937.[6] It has a curious system to control film advance by the ear: the film numbers are made audible by a device, whose details are unknown, looking like a square plate on the camera's back. This device is called "talkie numbers" (トーキーナンバー) in the advertisements, and it is emphasized that it is convenient to take pictures in a dark place. There is still a red window at the extreme left of the back, protected by a vertically sliding cover, probably to set the first exposure. (The same device is fitted to the original Semi Rosen, which is certainly a name variant.) No surviving example has been observed so far.

An advertisement dated May 1937[7] offered the camera in two versions:

  • Model EII (EⅡ號型): Radionar f/4.5 lens, 5–250 speeds (¥62 — case ¥4.50 extra);
  • Model FII (FⅡ號型): Lausar f/4.5 lens, 5–250 speeds (¥65).

The model 1 (1號型) was mentioned as still available.

The Semi Dymos FV

The Semi Dymos FV appeared at the end of 1937.[8] It is like the FII with a body release, placed on the left of the viewfinder. The lens is the Lausar f/4.5 and the shutter gives 5–250 speeds. The shutter is rotated to the left by more than 90 degrees, in order to connect the release lever with the body release rod. The shutter plate is black, the aperture scale and the Light marking should be to the bottom but they appear to the right. It seems that the shutter was not originally designed for a body release, it is certainly the same shutter which was already used on the models E and F.

An advertisement dated October 1937[9] offered this model for ¥70 (case ¥5 extra). The Semi Dymos FV was advertised until early 1938.[10]

An undated leaflet[11] pictured in this page shows a model simply called "Semi Dymos". It looks exactly like the FV but the leaflet does not mention the talkie numbers: this is perhaps a later model. In the document, the lens is mentioned as a Rosen (ローゼン) Anastigmat 75mm f/4.5 and the shutter as a Light B (T, B, 5–250). The shutter is rotated to the left as for the FV, and it seems identical.

Notes

  1. Date: the earliest advertisement listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 337, is dated June 1935.
  2. Example observed in an online auction.
  3. Advertisement published in Ars Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 78.
  4. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 337.
  5. May 1936: advertisement published in Camera Art, reproduced in Nostalgic Camera by Toshio Inamura. December 1936: advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 78.
  6. Date: the earliest advertisement listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 337, is dated March 1937.
  7. Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 78.
  8. Date: the earliest advertisement published in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 337, is dated October 1937.
  9. Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 78.
  10. The last advertisement listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 337, is dated January 1938.
  11. Undated leaflet for the Victory, Semi Dymos, Reex, Baby Ref, Union Ref and Baby Chrome, published by an unknown company.

Bibliography

The Semi Dymos is not listed in Sugiyama.

Links

In Japanese: