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 original Semi Minolta

The original Semi Minolta can be recognized by the folding finder, the absence of a body release and of a cover for the red windows. It is retrospectively called Semi Minolta I, but it is unknown if this designation was used by the company or later coined by collectors.

Many Western sources identify this camera wrongly and confuse it with the early model of the Semi Minolta II (see below). Some sources advance the release date of 1932 or 1933 but the camera did not appear until 1934. The patent of the Crown E shutter equipping this model was filed on April 16, 1934 and published on October 13 of the same year. According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, the original Semi Minolta was mentioned in the photo notes column of the December 1934 issue of Asahi Camera as available soon, and the earliest known advertisement is found in the March 1935 issue of Asahi Camera.

General description

Original Semi Minolta n°02576, f/4.5 lens, 1/100 top speed (back leather not original). Pictures courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

MTS logo.
(Image rights)

The camera body is inspired from the 4.5×6 Ikonta but it is not a plain copy. It has a mixed pressed steel and die-cast alloy construction. The folding struts are simpler than on the Ikonta, in the style of the later 4.5×6 Nettar. The finder is offset to the left and there is an accessory shoe, very slightly offset to the right. The Semi Minolta is said to be the first 4.5×6 camera with an accessory shoe. Next to it is a button with a striated tip, to release the folding bed, and there are film flanges at both ends. The film is wound by a key, situated at the bottom right (as seen by a photographer holding the camera body horizontally), and the tripod screw is at the opposite end of the bottom plate. The back is hinged to the left and there is a leather handle on the other end. Film advance is controlled by two uncovered red windows near the top of the back.

The front leather is embossed Minolta and there is an MTS logo engraved in the folding struts (it seems to be the logo of the Molta company).

Lens and shutter equipment

1/100 and 1/200 top speeds.
(Image rights)

All the versions of the original Semi Minolta have a Coronar 75mm f/4.5 lens engraved Coronar Anastigmat Nippon, except the last transitional version that exists with an f/3.5 lens (see below). According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, the f/4.5 lens was the only one to appear in the advertisements.

The shutter equipping all the versions is an everset Crown E, giving first T, B, 5–100 speeds and later T, B, 5–200. The name Crown E was already present in an early advertisement dated July 1935 but it was not consistently used and the shutter was sometimes simply called "Crown".

Exposure counter disc.
(Image rights)

The Crown E is equipped with a small disc acting as an exposure counter, object of the 1934 patent mentioned above. This disc advances each time the release is tripped and it can be manually reset. It is graduated from 1 to 8 with an intermediate stop between two consecutive numbers so that each number is used twice, as it appears in the red windows. The disc makes two full turns during the 16 exposures and each numbered position is shared by two numbers: 5/1, 6/2, 7/3 and 8/4.

On all the examples except the late transitional ones, the shutter plate is black. It is engraved Patents-Nippon at the top, CROWN at the bottom and has the MTS logo on the right. The aperture scale is graduated from 4.5 to 25 and is screwed at the bottom.

Frame finder and unit focusing

The very first examples of the Semi Minolta have unit focusing and a folding frame finder. This version is described and pictured in an advertisement dated July 1935 where it is offered for ¥75 along with an accessory rangefinder sold ¥15. It seems to be extremely rare, and only one picture of a surviving example has been observed so far. The lens and shutter assembly is mounted on a helical and the distance scale seems to be on a metal strip above the front standard. The lens bezel is black and of course the front element is fixed. The frame finder has the front part folding over the rear one and it is opened by lifting the rear edge. It is also said that on this particular version the red windows are slightly offset to the bottom.

The combination of the expensive unit focusing feature with a frame finder probably sounded weird and these features would soon disappear. It seems that the immediately following examples keep the folding frame finder but have front cell focusing. This version is mentioned by Tanimura but so far the only picture observed is in an advertisement said to be dated July 1936. However an advertisement dated January 1936 already shows the folding optical finder, thus either the July 1936 date is wrong or the company used an old advertising picture.

Optical finder

The next examples have a folding optical finder, with the rear part folding above the front one. They still share early features with the frame finder versions: the film sustaining knobs are thin striated discs, the back latch and the handle are attached to the body and the back itself is opened by a sliding button on the side.

Metal strip with name and number. (Image rights)

The metal lens rim has Mtr and distance engravings on the front and there is a big infinity stop protruding from the shutter plate, on the left above the exposure counter disc. There is a brown metal strip above the front standard, engraved Semi Minolta with Nr. and the serial number. It is supposed that this strip replaces the distance scale of the unit focusing version, and that all these features are already present in the earlier front-cell focusing model.

The switch from 1/100 to 1/200 top speed occurred during this period and examples of both variants have been observed, one of them being displayed above in this page. This version is pictured in advertisements dated January 1936 (mentioning 1/200 top speed) and August 1937.

Left: early film knob.
Right: late film knob in open and close position.
(Image rights)

The thin film knobs were replaced at some point by thicker ones, similar to the ones equipping the later Semi Minolta II. The older knobs could be lifted in any position while the newer ones can be lifted only after they are turned so that the small screw on the rim is pointing to the back. One example has been observed with 1/200 top speed and all the features described above except for the higher knobs.

New back latch

Old and new back latch. (Image rights)

It seems that the next evolution step was the replacement of the back latch by a new model that is attached to the back instead of the body. The handle attachment looks more robust and the back is opened by a button placed behind. This is the arrangement that is found on the early model of the Semi Minolta II. Tanimura presents a picture of an example with the thick flanges and the new back latch but the old shutter plate. On this example, the infinity stop is to the right, over the MTS logo, unlike all the other examples observed.

Guide rails

Exposure chamber without and with guide rails. (Image rights)

Tanimura says that the following change was the addition of guide rails in the exposure chamber and the modification of the pressure plate, presumably to improve film planeity. A picture is provided comparing the exposure chambers of two cameras, one of them having two thin metal strips attached by four screws each. The late example with f/3.5 lens pictured below has longer and wider strips, attached by three screws each and covering the film rollers. The first model of the Semi Minolta II has similar strips but slightly shorter, leaving the film rollers uncovered.

New shutter plate

Original Semi Minolta n°05943, f/3.5 lens, 1/200 top speed, with some features of the Semi Minolta II. Pictures courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

Old and new shutter plate. (Image rights)

The last examples of the original Semi Minolta have a shutter plate that is similar to the one found on the Semi Minolta II, except that it still has the typical exposure counter disc. This shutter plate is black with three decorative metal lines on each side. It is engraved PATENT NIPPON at the top and CROWN at the bottom in block letters, and has no MTS logo. Tanimura shows a picture of an example with f/4.5 lens that still has the thick standing leg and whose infinity stop is on the left again.

Folding bed for f/4.5 and f/3.5 lens.
(Image rights)

A single example, pictured on this page, has been observed with a 75mm f/3.5 lens engraved Coronar Anastigmat Nippon. The distance scale is engraved on the side of the focusing rim and the infinity stop is a small red plate. The folding bed is modified to accomodate the larger f/3.5 lens: there is a recessed oval and a thinner standing leg, as found in the Semi Minolta II, while the original Semi Minolta normally has a flat folding bed with a thick standing leg. Compared with an early example, the spring mechanism releasing the folding bed is different, but it is unknown if this is related with the bed modification. All the other features are common with the late f/4.5 example pictured in Tanimura, including the Crown E shutter giving T, B, 5–200 speeds.

According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, the original Semi Minolta was still advertised in 1938 along with the Semi Minolta II (and then it was probably called "Semi Minolta I"). It is suspected that the late variants with the new shutter plate and perhaps even with the new back latch are posterior to the introduction of the Semi Minolta II at the very end of 1937.

Price and accessories

The original 1935 price was ¥75 for the version with unit focusing. In 1937 it was ¥65, the price decrease being partly explained by the abandon of unit focusing. From the very beginning, an accessory rangefinder was offered for ¥15 extra. Two cases exist: an ordinary one for ¥4.50 and a large one for ¥5, holding the camera with the rangefinder mounted.

An example of the original Semi Minolta 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 model, mixed construction

The Semi Minolta II (called simply "Semi Minolta" in some advertisements) adds a body release and a cover for the red windows. The first model has the same mixed construction as the Semi Minolta I, made of pressed metal and die-cast alloy. The finder and the accessory shoe are moved very slightly to the right, to leave space for the body release. The Semi Minolta II has all the cumulative changes described above for the Semi Minolta I: high film knobs, back latch attached to the back itself and opened by a button placed behind, guide rails in the exposure chamber and recessed folding bed with a thin standing leg. Another change has been observed on the model II: the advance can be turned clockwise only and the internal film key seems a bit larger.

Prontor version

Semi Minolta II, early model, Prontor II shutter, f/3.5 lens (number 36817).
Pictures courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

Prontor II shutter.
(Image rights)

The Semi Minolta II was announced at the end of 1937: according to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, it appeared in the new products column of the December 1937 issue of Asahi Camera and was advertised from 1938 to 1943 (all versions included). It was first offered for ¥105 with a Prontor II shutter (175–1, B, T, self-timer) and a Coronar Anastigmat f/3.5 lens, as appears in an advertisement dated January 1938. The external rangefinder was still offered as an accessory for ¥18. The shutter plate of the Prontor II version is marked PRONTOR II at the bottom and has the AGC logo of the company Gauthier at the right. Unlike the other versions, the aperture scale is above the shutter housing and there is a release lever on the shutter itself in addition to the body release.

The January 1938 advertisement shows two red windows in the back, protected by a cover that is retracted by a lever. This is a feature specific to the first examples of the Semi Minolta II, of which only one back picture has been observed so far. This was certainly changed very soon and most examples of the first model, whatever the shutter and lens, have a single red window, centred at the bottom of the back, protected by a vertically sliding cover.

Crown versions

Semi Minolta II, early model, Crown B shutter, f/4.5 lens (number 38330).
The release button is probably not original.
Pictures courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

Crown B shutter.
(Image rights)

A less expensive version soon appeared with a Coronar Anastigmat f/4.5 lens and an everset Crown B shutter giving B, 5–200 speeds. According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, it was first advertised in the April 1938 issue of Shashin Shinpō. The shutter plate of the Crown B is engraved PATENT NIPPON at the top and CROWN at the bottom, it is similar to the one found on the transitional Semi Minolta I described above but it lacks the exposure counter disc and the aperture index is modified. Tanimura says that the first examples of the f/4.5 version appeared in December 1937 with shutter plate engravings similar to the Semi Minolta I, but no picture has been observed to confirm this. The same source also mentions a version with f/3.5 lens and Compur shutter giving T, B, 1–300 speeds, but again no confirmation has been found.

Shutter release of the Prontor
and Crown models.
(Image rights)

It seems that the Prontor-equipped examples have a plain release button with a rounded tip while the Crown-equipped cameras have a screw-threaded button to attach a distant release. This is probably because the Prontor shutter does have its own distant release connector while the Crown does not.

After about a year, the Prontor II shutter was substituted by the Crown B on the f/3.5 version too, the first advertisements being dated January 1939. In one of these, the camera is offered with a Crown B shutter but the picture has not been updated and still shows the Prontor II. The price list is as follows:

• Semi Minolta II, Crown B, Coronar 75/4.5 (¥100);
• Semi Minolta II, Crown B, Coronar 75/3.5 (¥120).

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).

Middle model, die-cast body

Nickel plating

Semi Minolta II, middle model, nickel finish, Crown B shutter, f/4.5 lens (number 54105). Pictures courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

The Semi Minolta II was heavily modified at some point. According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, the new features were discussed in the new products column of the June 1940 issue of Asahi Camera. This middle model is what is called "Semi Minolta II" by most Western sources, while the early model is incorrectly called "Semi Minolta I".

Old and new body shape. The model presented on the right is a later one with sharpened edges,
to make the shape change easier to distinguish. (Image rights)

New mechanism
to open the finder.
(Image rights)

This model has a full die-cast alloy body, with a slightly different shape. The back is opened by a long bar sliding under a flat cover and there is no strap handle. The viewfinder opening is coupled to the folding bed release, while the finder of the previous model was simply opened by lifting its front edge. Next to the finder on the left there is a small mushroom-like part that keeps the spring-loaded finder closed and is moved further to the left when the folding bed release is pressed, thus releasing the finder too.

The new body construction came with internal changes. For example the internal body corners were altered, the film rollers were modified and the guide rails are now integral to the body casting. Some sources say that at the same time the spool loading parts were made thicker for easier film loading. The surrounding of the internal film key was indeed modified, but it is not much bigger and it is unclear whether film loading is really easier.

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.

Chrome plating

Semi Minolta II, middle model, chrome finish, Crown B shutter, f/3.5 lens (number 80818).
Pictures courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

Nickel and chrome plated parts.
(Image rights)

At some point, the metal parts that were nickel plated became chrome plated. This came together with minor changes in the shape of many parts: the advance key was switched from a smooth edged model to a sharp edged one and the striated tip of the folding bed release button was replaced by a flat tip.

The lens engraving was changed from Coronar Anastigmat Nippon to Coronar Nippon at about the same time, even if at least one example with a later body variant has been observed with the old engraving, perhaps because remaining lens stock was used.

Minolta logo in natural and
in artificial leather. (Image rights)

It seems that artificial leather replaced the natural leather covering simultaneously with chrome plating.

All the examples observed of this model have a black lacquered body, whether they have nickel or chrome finish.

Late model, plain folding struts

Pictures on the left: Semi Minolta II, late model, Crown B shutter, f/3.5 lens (number 85727). Thumbnails on the right: similar model with f/4.5 lens (number 101260). Pictures courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

The late model of the Semi Minolta II has plain diagonal struts, without any logo, increasing the similarity with the 4.5×6 Nettar. This model exists both with the f/4.5 lens and with the f/3.5 lens, always engraved Coronar Nippon except in the example already mentioned above. Most examples of this model have bare metal body edges, maybe because of a shortage of paint in wartime Japan. The body shape was left unchanged but the edges were ground sharp for a better finish. Two examples with f/3.5 lens have been observed with the black painted body and round edges of the previous version. It is possible that the black paint finish was only applied to some examples of the more expensive f/3.5 version.

In addition to the usual everset Crown shutter giving T, B, 5–200 speeds, the late model with f/3.5 lens has also been observed with a Crown shutter of the cocking type. Apart from the cocking lever, this shutter has the same features as the previous one and the shutter plate has the same markings. Kokusan kamera no rekishi says that the Semi Minolta II was offered with a Crown A shutter from the advertisement published in the February 1942 issue of Asahi Camera, and reports that this Crown A shutter gives T, B, 1–200 speeds. No example of the Semi Minolta II has yet been observed with this range of speeds. It is suspected that this is a mistake and that the Crown A is the Crown shutter with a cocking lever.

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. The serial number of this lens is not extremely early and this probably excludes the possibility that it was an experimental model assembled during the war with an early prototype of the Rokkor. Maybe this example is not original and was modified after leaving the factory 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.

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. 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 black 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 front leather is embossed Minolta.

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 housing for this device has a sliding button on the back to unlock film advance, and it also supports the folding bed release. The case of the Auto Semi Minolta has a flap to cover the advance knob and 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, said to be made by Asahi Kōgaku too. The aperture scale is screwed to the bottom of the shutter plate. Like for the Semi Minolta II, the full lens name was changed at some time from Promar Anastigmat Nippon to Promar Nippon.

Auto Semi Minolta n°4606, Promar Anastigmat Nippon f/4.5 lens, Compur shutter, early back latch.
Pictures courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

On the first version, the shutter is a Compur S with T, B, 1–250 speeds and a self-timer, and the shutter release is on the folding bed. The shutter plate is engraved as usual Deckel-München at the top and COMPUR at the bottom, with an FD logo (for Friedrich Deckel) on the right. The advance knob has a convex top and a single groove row. This version is pictured in advertisements dated November 1937 and March 1938.

Auto Semi Minolta n°7208, Promar Anastigmat Nippon f/4.5 lens, Crown shutter, no self-timer, early back latch.
Pictures courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

The second version has a Crown shutter giving T, B, 1–400 speeds. The shutter release has moved to the top plate, above the hinge of the folding bed. This version appears in advertisements dated January 1939, July 1939 November 1939 and April 1940.

The shutter is consistently advertised as a Crown II. It is externally a copy of the Compur-Rapid and it is probable that the mechanism is too. The speed rim is engraved CROWN-RAPID and the shutter plate is marked CROWNII-TIYOKO at the top. Tiyoko is an alternate writing for Chiyoko, itself an abbreviation of the company name Chiyoda Kōgaku.

An example, pictured in this page, is known with no self-timer. All the other examples observed have a self-timer exactly similar to the one mounted on the Compur. Of the advertisements cited above, only the one dated January 1939 does not explicitly mention this device.

Most examples have a new type of advance knob with a flatter top and three groove rows, but one is known with the old type of knob.

Auto Semi Minolta n°14792, Promar Nippon f/4.5 lens, Crown shutter, self-timer, late back latch.
The shutter is synchronized, it is unknown if this is original.
Pictures courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

The third version has a modified back opening and no holding strap. It is pictured in an advertisement dated March 1942. The shutter is advertised as a Crown RS but it has identical CROWNII markings and no apparent modifications.

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 engraving and it surely left the factory by mistake with unfinished markings.

A late example, pictured in this page, is known with a synchronized shutter and a PC synch. It is unknown if this is original. Francesch says that a magnesic flash was sold as an accessory. The speed rim is unmarked on this example.

The price was ¥195 in 1937, ¥210 in early 1939, ¥255 in late 1939 and ¥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. The advance knob and shutter release are of the early type. Pictures courtesy of Frank Slade. (Image rights)

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 (engraved MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN at least in some examples), 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.

The Semi Minolta IIIB

Semi Minolta IIIB n°18157, Rokkor 75mm f:3.5 lens. The shutter plate is black and the specific synch pin is visible in the lens close-up. Pictures courtesy of eBayer virtualmerch. (Image rights)

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. An early example, pictured in this page, is known with the same shutter markings as on the IIIA and a specific synch pin on the left of the shutter housing.

A later one has been observed with an ASA bayonet synch connector (on the top right of the shutter housing) and a white shutter plate, like the later IIIC, marked KONAN-RAPID and CHIYOKO with no macrons. The speed rim is engraved S-KONAN-RAPID at the bottom, the "S" presumably meaning Synchronized.

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 late IIIB but on all the examples observd=ed the synch connector is of the same specific type as the early IIIB pictured in this page. 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 is the same specific type found on most IIIB and IIIC. 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 is 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.) Pp. 9–10.
• Scheibel, Anni Rita and Joseph. 70 Jahre Minolta Kameratechnik — Von der Nifcalette bis zur Dynax 9. Stuttgart: Lindemanns Verlag, 3rd edition, 1999. ISBN 3-89506-191-3. Pp. 16–7, 22–5, 30 and 32–3.
• Tanimura Yoshihiko (谷村吉彦). "Supuringu kamera <semi minoruta>" (スプリングカメラ<セミミノルタ>, "Semi Minolta" self-erecting camera). Kamera Rebyū Bessatsu: Kurashikku Kamera Senka / All about Historical Cameras, no. 12 (special issue on Minolta camera no subete [ミノルタカメラのすべて, Minolta history]), pp. 19–24.

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 German:

• Auto Semi Minolta at kefk.net

In Japanese:

• Semi Minolta (original model), Auto Semi Minolta and Semi Minolta III(A) 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
• Molta rangefinder at Hitorigoto Used Camera Blog
• 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:

• Advertisements reproduced in the Gochamaze website:
  • Advertisement for the Minolta range published in the 23 March 1938 issue of Asahi Graph
  • Advertisement for the Auto Semi Minolta published in the 5 January 1939 issue of Asahi Graph
  • Advertisements for the Auto Semi Minolta published in the 26 July 1939 and 17 April 1940 issues of Asahi Graph
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• Advertisement for the Minolta range published in 1954, reproduced in a page of Japanese postwar advertisements in the Shashin-Bako website