Semi Minolta (I) and II

The Semi Minolta (セミ・ミノルタ) is a series of Japanese 4.5×6 folders made by Molta then Chiyoda Kōgaku (the predecessors of Minolta) from 1934 to 1955. It disputes the title of first Japanese 4.5×6 camera with the Semi Prince.

The prewar models, distributed by Asanuma Shōkai, are inspired by the Ikonta or Nettar, but they are not plain copies. The body had a major change when it was switched from pressed steel to a die cast construction. The Auto Semi Minolta is a rangefinder model, inspired by the Weltur. After the war, the viewfinder model evolved as the Semi Minolta III, with more features. The Semi Minolta P, released in 1951, is a completely redesigned camera made at a cheaper price.

The Semi Minolta

The original model has a folding finder, no body release and no cover for the red windows. The finder is offset to the left and there is an accessory shoe, very slightly offset to the right. It is said to be the first 4.5×6 camera with an accessory shoe. The film is wound by a key, situated at the bottom right (when holding the camera to take portrait pictures). Film advance is controlled by two uncovered red windows. The camera is embossed Minolta in the front leather, and there is an MTS logo (the logo of the Molta company) engraved in the folding struts.

This model is announced at the end of 1934: it is mentioned in the photo notes column of the December 1934 issue of Asahi Camera as soon to be sold. It is advertised in Japanese magazines from 1935 to 1938.

The camera first has a folding frame finder, with the front frame folding over the rear one. (It appears in advertisements dated January and July 1936.) It is later equipped with a folding optical finder having a reversed folding sequence. (It appears in an advertisement dated August 1937.) The price in 1937 was ¥65, with an accessory rangefinder sold for ¥15 extra. Two cases are offered: an ordinary one for ¥4.50 and a large one for ¥5, holding the camera with the rangefinder mounted.

All the variants have a front-cell focusing Coronar 75/4.5 lens. It is said that it was manufactured by Asahi Kōgaku (the later Pentax). The shutter is an everset Crown, giving first T, B, 5–100 then T, B, 5–200 speeds. It is substituted from the end of 1936 by an everset Crown E, equipped with a small disc acting as an exposure counter, advancing each time the shutter is released. This disc is engraved only from 1 to 8, and its precise operating sequence is unknown. The aperture scale is at the bottom of the shutter plate. The latter is engraved Patents-Nippon at the top, CROWN at the bottom and has the MTS logo on the right. Such an example was auctioned at eBay by a German seller, presenting it as "extremely rare", and it sold for €456.55 on 17 December 2005.

The Semi Minolta II

Early version

The Semi Minolta II (called simply "Semi Minolta" in some advertisements) adds a body release and a cover for the red windows. The finder and the accessory shoe are moved very slightly to the right, to leave space for the body release. The two knobs at the ends of the top plate are higher.

The Semi Minolta II is introduced at the end of 1937 and advertised from 1938 to 1943, all versions included. It is first offered for ¥105 with a Prontor II shutter (175–1, B, T) and what seems to be an f/3.5 lens, as appears in an advertisement dated January 1938. The external rangefinder is still offered as an accessory for ¥18.

The shutter is later substituted by an everset Crown B, with T, B, 5–200 speeds. It appears in an advertisement dated January 1939, with two lens options:

• Coronar 75/4.5 lens (¥100);
• Coronar 75/3.5 lens (¥120).

Curiously, the camera pictured seems to be still equipped with a Prontor II shutter. Some accessories are listed too:

• accessory rangefinder (¥18);
• hood for 25mm filters, for the f/4.5 lens (¥1.50);
• hood for 30mm filters, for the f/3.5 lens (¥1.70);
• small ever ready case, for the camera only (¥5.00);
• big ever ready case, for the camera with the rangefinder (¥5.50).

Evolution

The Semi Minolta II evolved considerably during its production. The major modification occurred when the body was changed from a pressed sheet metal construction to die cast alloy. The new version is recognizable by the slightly differing body shape. It seems to have leatherette covering instead of leather. Some examples have black paint on the body edges while others have a metal finish. It is this version with die cast body that is called "Semi Minolta II" by some sources, while the earlier version is incorrectly called "Semi Minolta I".

Other modifications occurred, not necessarily at the same time:

• the number of red windows was reduced to one, centred at the bottom of the back, protected by a vertically sliding cover (this was probably an early change: an early Prontor equipped example has been observed with a single red window);
• the back opening was modified and the holding strap disappeared;
• the lens marking was changed from Coronar Anastigmat Nippon to Coronar Nippon;
• the finder opening button became coupled to the bed opening button;
• the folding struts lost the MTS logo and became plain diagonal struts;
• the shutter was switched from an everset model to a model with a cocking lever.

The last variant, with all the changes, is sometimes called "Semi Minolta II/8" (セミミノルタII・8型), it is unknown if this is a name officially used by the company or created by collectors (presumably with a recension of versions 1–7).

Apparently some important modifications were announced in the June 1940 issue of Asahi Camera. Kokusan kamera no rekishi seems to imply that it was the disparition of the strap (presumably together with the modification of the back opening), the connection of the finder and bed opening and a modification of the spool loading parts. The date of the switch to a die cast body is unknown.

An advertisement in the March 1941 issue of Shashin Bunka offers two lens choices, both with a Crown B shutter (T, B, 5–200):

• Coronar f/4.5 lens (¥100);
• Coronar f/3.5 lens (¥120).

The accessory rangefinder is still offered for ¥18.

Later advertisements, from 1942, show a Crown A shutter (T, B, 1–200).

An example has been reported with a Chiyoko Osaka Rokkor 75mm f/3.5 lens. On the picture observed, the lens engraving begins by CHIYOKO OSAKA, the lens number is 1720 and the shutter is a Crown with T, B, 5–200 speeds and a cocking lever. The Rokkor 75/3.5 lens is reputed to have been developed after the war and first mounted on the Semi Minolta III. Maybe this example is not original and was modified after leaving the factory, maybe it is a one-off, or maybe some Semi Minolta II were assembled and sold after the war, presumably from remaining stocks of parts, some of them having the new Rokkor lens. A last possibility would be that the Rokkor lens appeared during wartime, earlier than usually believed.

The Auto Semi Minolta

Description

The Auto Semi Minolta is a coupled rangefinder model, released in 1937 and offered at least until 1942. It has a different body, largely copied from the Welta Weltur, in particular the folding struts and the focusing system are identical. The focusing is controlled by a small knob placed on the right of the folding bed, moving the whole lens and shutter assembly (unit focusing).

There is a top housing, whose shape is again inspired by the Weltur. It contains the range and the viewfinder, both sharing the same eyepiece at the right end of the camera. The shutter release is on the left, above the hinge of the folding bed. There are two windows, a rectangular one for the viewfinder and a round one for the rangefinder, with the name Minolta engraved between both. The same Minolta engraving is present on a small metal plate inside the folding bed, covering the focusing mechanism. Above the top housing there is an Auto Semi engraving, the serial number and an accessory shoe. The camera is also embossed Minolta in the front leather.

The Auto Semi Minolta has an automatic film advance device inspired by Plaubel products like the Roll-Op folder or the rollfilm backs of the Makina. It is placed under the right hand side of the camera, below the viewfinder. There is a big advance knob and a larger and flatter exposure counter disc, graduated from 1 to 16. The case of the Auto Semi Minolta has a flap to cover the exposure counter. The tripod screw is located at the opposite end of the bottom plate. The back is hinged to the left, with a red window protected by a vertically sliding cover, probably used to set the first exposure.

Evolution

The Auto Semi Minolta somewhat evolved during its production run. All the cameras have a Promar 75/3.5 lens. This lens is said to be made by Asahi Kōgaku too. Like for the Semi Minolta II, the full lens name was changed at some time from Promar Anastigmat Nippon to Promar Nippon.

The back opening was also modified and the holding strap disappeared at some time. This change occurred between July 1940 and March 1942.

The shutter equipment evolved as follows:

• first a Compur S with T, B, 1–250 speeds and a self-timer (appears in advertisements dated November 1937 and March 1938);
• next a Crown II with T, B, 1–400 speeds and a self-timer (appears in advertisements dated January 1939, November 1939, April and July 1940);
• last a Crown RS with T, B, 1–400 speeds and a self-timer, that looks undistinguishable from the previous one (appears in advertisements dated March 1942 and later).

The aperture scale stays at the bottom of the shutter plate. The Compur shutters are engraved as usual Deckel-München at the top of the shutter plate and COMPUR at the bottom, with an FD logo (for Friedrich Deckel) on the right. The Crown shutters fitting the Auto Semi Minolta are externally very similar to the Compur, with the same shape and location of the cocking lever and self-timer. They are engraved CROWN-RAPID on the speed rim and CROWNII-TIYOKO at the top of the shutter plate, even when advertised as Crown RS. Tiyoko is an alternate writing for Chiyoko, itself an abbreviation of the company name Chiyoda Kōgaku. One example has been observed without the CROWNII and TIYOKO markings, with only the intermediate hyphen, but it also seems to have an incomplete lens marking and it is maybe a mere fabrication problem.

It is said that the Auto Semi Minolta is synchronized and that a magnesic flash was sold as an accessory. This is possible but unlikely: no mention of this has been seen in the advertisements, and no synch connector has been clearly identified in any picture of the camera. However the purpose of some parts in the exposure counter area is unclear.

The price was ¥195 in 1937, ¥210 in early 1939, ¥255 in late 1939 and in 1940, ¥290 in 1942. The Auto Semi Minolta was among the most expensive Japanese cameras (see Japanese prices).

The Semi Minolta III

Semi Minolta III (A) n°2169, Rokkor 75mm f:3.5 lens. Pictures courtesy of Frank Slade.

The Semi Minolta III is a postwar model, quite similar to the late Semi Minolta II but with a more modern finish and with auto-stop film advance and double exposure prevention. It is said to be the first camera sold by Chiyoda Kōgaku after the war.

The Semi Minolta IIIA

The original version is retrospectively called Semi Minolta IIIA because of the IIIB and IIIC versions, but at the beginning it was only called Semi Minolta III (セミ・ミノルタⅢ型). It appears in Japanese advertisements between 1946 and 1950.

The diagonal struts, folding bed and die cast body are identical to the late Semi Minolta II. The back is identical too, with the red window only needed to set the first exposure. The bottom side is different, with no advance key, a small knob at each end and a centred tripod screw, but the main changes are concentrated on the top side.

There is a chrome finished top plate, separated in two by a small step in the middle. Its right half is slightly thicker because it contains the automatic film advance mechanism. It supports the advance knob, the folding bed opening button and contains a small hole showing the exposure counter disc. The advance knob is engraved to indicate the advance direction, with variations in the engraving: the two simple black arrows of the beginning were later replaced by a single one, more stylized. Examples also exist with a CPO logo, consisting of the katakana シーピーオー inside a diamond. There is a small button protruding from the rear of the top plate, whose purpose is unknown, probably related with the exposure counter. The left half of the top plate supports the folding optical finder, the body release above the hinge of the folding bed, and an accessory shoe at the left end of the body. The body release is internally linked to the film advance to insure double exposure prevention. The button itself was modified at some time with a thread to attach a distant release.

The shutter of the Semi Minolta III is a Kōnan-Rapid, with B, 1–500 speeds, made by Chiyoda itself. The speed rim and the top of the shutter plate are both engraved KŌNAN-RAPID, while the bottom of the shutter plate is engraved CHIYOKŌ. The original IIIA version is not synchronized. The aperture is set by a small index on top of the shutter housing.

Three lens variants of the IIIA are reported:

• Rokkor 75/3.5 (engraved Chiyoko Osaka ROKKOR 1:3.5 f=75mm NrXXXX);
• Promar 75/3.5;
• Zuiko 75/3.5 (made by Takachiho, the predecessor of Olympus).

The Rokkor 75/3.5 is the first lens made by Chiyoda for civilian use, and it is also the first coated lens sold in Japan. It seems to be the standard equipment, with which the camera is consistently advertised (for example it is the only lens offered in an advertisement dated February 1948). An early advertisement, dated January 1947, says that the camera is equipped with a new coated lens, surely the Rokkor, without naming it. It shows a four element lens scheme, that seems to imply that the Rokkor has four elements. It is likely that the other lenses were only mounted at the beginning of the production, around 1946, when the new lens was not yet available in quantities.

Semi Minolta III (A) n°18157, Rokkor 75mm f:3.5 lens. The advance knob and shutter release differ from the model above. Pictures courtesy of eBayer virtualmerch.

The Semi Minolta IIIB

The Semi Minolta IIIB adds synchronization for magnesic flash units. It appears in Japanese advertisements dated 1950. Chiyoda Kōgaku sold a Minolta Flash Model U (ミノルタ同調発光器Ｕ型) to go with this model and with the Minolta 35 (it appears in a May 1950 advertisement).

The IIIB is only reported with the Rokkor 75/3.5. It seems that the shutter of the IIIB is called S-Konan-Rapid, the "S" presumably meaning Synchronized, the name S-KONAN-RAPID being engraved at the bottom of the speed rim. At least some examples of the IIIB have an ASA bayonet synch connector and a white shutter plate, like the later IIIC, marked KONAN-RAPID and CHIYOKO with no macrons.

The Semi Minolta IIIC

The Semi Minolta IIIC appears in Japanese advertisements dated 1951. Some sources say that the IIIC is distinguished from the IIIB by the switch from a black shutter plate to a white one, but this seems to be a mistake, the identification feature being the absence of double exposure prevention and some examples of the IIIB already having a white shutter plate. The IIIC has a small lever protruding from the front of the top plate, under the bed opening button, used to unlock film advance between two exposures. This lever has become necessary because of the disparition of the double exposure prevention linkage between the shutter release and the advance mechanism. The purpose of this evolution was probably to cut costs. Of course this kind of backward evolution is not mentioned in the advertisements.

The IIIC is said to have the Rokkor 75/3.5, but it has been observed with the Chiyoko Promar SII 75/3.5 that equips the later Semi Minolta P. One example of the IIIC has been observed with an aperture scale in white instead of black.

The shutter rim and white shutter plate have the same markings as described for the IIIB, but it seems that the synch connector has been switched to PC type. It is said that the accessory flash unit offered with the IIIC was called Model Ub.

The Semi Minolta P

The Semi Minolta P, released in 1951, is the last folding camera made by Chiyoda. This model has less advanced features than the Semi Minolta III, and it has a completely different body, more rounded and with the finder and controls on the opposite side, so that the body release is actioned by the right hand.

The Semi Minolta P is easily recognized by its tubular finder: it was sold at a time when the folding finders were considered old-fashioned. This finder has two indexes for parallax correction.

When the camera is held by the photographer to take portrait pictures, the advance knob is on the left and the back is hinged to the right. Film advance lacks the automatic stop device of the Semi Minolta III, and it is controlled by a red window at the top of the back, protected by a vertically sliding cover. There is a thick accessory shoe at the right of the viewfinder, with the serial number engraved behind. The camera is usually embossed Minolta in the front leather. It seems that some examples lack this marking, but maybe their covering is not original.

The Semi Minolta P is equipped with a Promar SII 75/3.5 three element lens, said to be made by Asahi Kōgaku. The shutter is a Konan-Flicker, giving B, 2–200 speeds and synchronized, said to be made by Chiyoda itself.

A total of about 70,000 examples were produced, in two main variants. The early variant, advertised in 1951 and early 1952, has a flatter folding bed, a standing leg that folds back, and there is nothing at the right of the top plate. The shutter plate is black and the synch connector seems to be specific. An advertisement for this model appears in the February 1951 issue of Asahi Camera and it is called Semi Minolta P (セミミノルタP型).

The late variant, advertised from 1952 to 1955 under the name Minolta Semi P (ミノルタ・セミP型), has a more rounded folding bed, with a standing leg retracting laterally into it. It also has a small flange added to the right of the top plate, to support the film spool, absent on the early variant, as well as an ASA bayonet synch connector. The shutter plate was black with white markings and later white with black markings.

One example, probably transitional, has been observed with the new leg but without the flange and with the old type of synch connector. Another example, perhaps a modified one, has been observed with the white shutter plate and a PC synch connector.

The price was ¥13,600 in 1952, lowered to ¥11,800 or ¥10,950 in 1954 depending on the source. An advertisement dated September 1952, placed by the distributor Asanuma Shōkai, shows the late variant with a black shutter plate, while later advertisements dated August 1954 and November 1955 show a white shutter plate. In the latter advertisement, the camera is offered together with an accessory rangefinder, for ¥10,950. During the year 1954, Chiyoda Kōgaku organized a succession of photo contests open to the users of the Semi Minolta P, with a ¥3,000 first prize. Each of these contests was taking place in a different region of Japan, for example the second one was open to the photographers living in Kyūshū and the fifth one to the inhabitants of the Chūbu region.

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. Items 272–5 and 916–20. (See also the pictures of the Auto Semi Minolta, pp. 11 and 425, and the advertisement for item 924.)
• Francesch, Dominique and Jean-Paul. Histoire de l'appareil photographique Minolta de 1929 à 1985. Paris: Dessain et Tolra, 1985. ISBN 2-249-27685-4.
• Kawamata Masataku (川又正卓). Semi Minolta. 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: The use of and actual examples from 69 machines). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2004. ISBN 4-87956-072-3. Pp. 76–7.
• Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), 0-935398-16-3 (hard). Pp. 52, 54, 60, 63, 78, 85.
• 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). Pp. 672–3.
• Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten (思い出のスプリングカメラ展, Exhibition of beloved self-erecting cameras). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 1992. (Exhibition catalogue, no ISBN number.)

Links

General links

In English:

• Semi Minolta II in Mediajoy's Guide to Classic Cameras. Follow the "Next" links at the bottom of the page to have an illustrated sequence of operations.
• Minolta folding cameras at the Manual Minolta website
• Semi Minolta II in Cameracatalogus
• Early and late Semi Minolta II (mis-identified as Semi Minolta I and II) and Semi Minolta III(A) (mis-identified as Auto Semi Minolta) in Alon Halutzy's website
• Semi Minolta III(A) in Steve Foster's camera site
• Semi Minolta P in Christopher's camera page
• Semi Minolta P in medfmt
• Informative posts at the Minolta Manual Focus Yahoo Group:
  • Post by jasnhopper about the variants of the Minolta Semi P
  • Post by Andrea Apra about the accessory rangefinders sold with the Semi Minolta

In Japanese:

• Semi Minolta (original model) and Auto Semi Minolta in the Camera database of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology
• Semi Minolta II and Semi Minolta P at Puppy's Island
• Camera page with a Semi Minolta II in the go-tatsu website
• Auto Semi Minolta at With Zakka
• Camera page with a Semi Minolta III(A) in Sawada's private home page
• Semi Minolta IIIC and late Semi Minolta II in a page of the AJCC website (the IIIC is misidentified as a IIIA)
• Yutaka-san's camera collection, with a Semi Minolta IIIC, in the Nekocame website

Original documents

In Japanese:

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