Difference between revisions of "Semi Mihama"
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| − | The '''Semi Mihama''' (セミ・ミハマ)<REF> It is called "Mihama Semi" in McKeown, p. 908, but not in the advertisements observed. </REF> is a [[Japanese 4.5×6 folders|Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera]], produced by [[Mihama]] (or Suruga) between about 1952 and 1954.<REF> Dates: {{Kokusan}}, p. 370, mentions advertisements dated 1952 and 1954. </REF> There are at least two versions, differing by the shape of the top, of which one has shutter variants. All are vertical folders, with no rangefinder, controlling film advance via a red window on the back, and having a Mihama Anastigmat 75mm f/3.5 coated lens. (Mihama does not seem to have been a lens maker, and "Mihama" lenses can be presumed to have been a mere matter of branding.) The viewfinder and controls are to the right (as seen by a photographer holding the camera vertically), the reverse of the majority of the 4.5×6 folders. | + | The '''Semi Mihama''' (セミ・ミハマ)<REF> It is called "Mihama Semi" in McKeown, p. 908, but not in the advertisements observed. </REF> is a [[Japanese 4.5×6 folders|Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera]], produced by [[Mihama]] (or Suruga) between about 1952 and 1954.<REF> Dates: {{Kokusan}}, p. 370, mentions advertisements dated 1952 and 1954. </REF> There are at least two versions, differing by the shape of the top, of which one has shutter variants. The [[Semi Crystar|Korin, Semi Crystar U and Union Model U]] are extremely similar to the first version and are suspected to be name variants. |
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| + | == General description == | ||
| + | All the models are vertical folders, with no rangefinder, controlling film advance via a red window on the back, and having a Mihama Anastigmat 75mm f/3.5 coated lens. (Mihama does not seem to have been a lens maker, and "Mihama" lenses can be presumed to have been a mere matter of branding.) The viewfinder and controls are to the right (as seen by a photographer holding the camera vertically), the reverse of the majority of the 4.5×6 folders. | ||
== First version == | == First version == | ||
Revision as of 10:40, 13 November 2006
The Semi Mihama (セミ・ミハマ)[1] is a Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera, produced by Mihama (or Suruga) between about 1952 and 1954.[2] There are at least two versions, differing by the shape of the top, of which one has shutter variants. The Korin, Semi Crystar U and Union Model U are extremely similar to the first version and are suspected to be name variants.
General description
All the models are vertical folders, with no rangefinder, controlling film advance via a red window on the back, and having a Mihama Anastigmat 75mm f/3.5 coated lens. (Mihama does not seem to have been a lens maker, and "Mihama" lenses can be presumed to have been a mere matter of branding.) The viewfinder and controls are to the right (as seen by a photographer holding the camera vertically), the reverse of the majority of the 4.5×6 folders.
First version
An advertisement in the May 1952 issue of the Japanese magazine Camera Fan[3] by Mihama Seikō shows the Semi Mihama as a cheaper alternative to the Mihama Six. It has no top housing, only a top plate, which supports the advance knob on the left, engraved with a red arrow, the tubular finder slightly offset to the right, the accessory shoe between both, the shutter release, the folding bed release and a decorative round part at the right end. The front leather is embossed Mihama inside an oval.[4] Three versions are advertised, differing by the shutter:
- Model I, MHS shutter (B, 25–150);
- Model II, MHS shutter (B, 10–200);
- Model III, NKS shutter (B, 1–200, with self timer).
The distributor name is King Shōkai (キング商会) and no price is indicated.
Other shutter variants are known::
Second version
An advertisement in the January 1954 issue of the Japanese magazine Shashin Salon[7] by Mihama's successor Suruga Seiki shows a different-looking Semi Mihama, with a top housing containing the finder and supporting the accessory shoe and shutter release. This top housing stops just at the right of the advance knob. This model has an NKS shutter (B, 1–200, with self timer); it is not referred to as "III" or anything else beyond simply "Semi Mihama".
Notes
- ↑ It is called "Mihama Semi" in McKeown, p. 908, but not in the advertisements observed.
- ↑ Dates: Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 370, mentions advertisements dated 1952 and 1954.
- ↑ Reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 199.
- ↑ Details observed in the pictures of Yahoo Japan auctions.
- ↑ Example observed in a Yahoo Japan auction. This combination appears in the book Kamera Zukan by Sugiyama and Naoi, according to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 370. It is also reported in McKeown, p. 908, probably after Sugiyama.
- ↑ This combination appears in the book Kamera Zukan by Sugiyama and Naoi, according to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 370.
- ↑ Reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 199.
Source / further reading
- 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. Pp. 198–9, 370.
- McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). Page 908.
