Difference between revisions of "Semi Olympus"

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The '''Semi Olympus''' (セミ・オリンパス) is a 4.5×6cm folder. It was the first camera made by Takachiho (predecessor of [[Olympus]]), released in 1936 or 1937 and succeeded by the [[Semi Olympus II]]. Today, the camera is often called "Semi Olympus I", but it seems that this designation was not used at the time it was sold.  
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The '''Semi Olympus''' (セミ・オリンパス) is a 4.5×6cm folder. It was the first camera made by Takachiho (predecessor of [[Olympus]]), released in 1936 or 1937 and succeeded by the [[Semi Olympus II]]. Today, the camera is often called "Semi Olympus I", but it seems that this designation was not used at the time it was sold.  
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
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The Semi Olympus is a 4.5&times;6cm folding camera for 16 exposures on 120 film, with a vertical folding bed and a folding optical finder. The body is a copy of the German [[Baldax]] (the large model for #0 shutter size). It was made by the Japanese company [[Proud]], and it is the same as the body of the prewar [[Semi Proud]].<REF> Sakurai Eiichi, pp.64&ndash;5 of {{KKS}} no.20, Hagiya, p.14 of the same magazine, Hibi, p.62 of {{KKS}} no.8 and other sources. Francesch, pp.23 and 56&ndash;7, says that the body was made by the German company [[Plaubel]], but this is a confusion. </REF>
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The Semi Olympus is a 4.5×6cm folding camera for 16 exposures on 120 film, with a vertical folding bed and a folding optical finder. The body is a copy of the German [[Baldax]] (the large model for #0 shutter size). It was made by the Japanese company [[Proud]], and it is the same as the body of the prewar [[Semi Proud]].<REF> Sakurai Eiichi, pp.64–5 of {{KKS}} no.20, Hagiya, p.14 of the same magazine, Hibi, p.62 of {{KKS}} no.8 and other sources. Francesch, pp.23 and 56–7, says that the body was made by the German company [[Plaubel]], but this is a confusion. </REF>
  
 
The advance knob is at the bottom right, as seen by the photographer holding the camera horizontally. The film advance is controlled by red windows. The back is hinged to the left and the back latch is covered by a leather handle. The folding bed release is to the right of the viewfinder and there is no body release. The name ''OLYMPUS'' is embossed in the front leather.
 
The advance knob is at the bottom right, as seen by the photographer holding the camera horizontally. The film advance is controlled by red windows. The back is hinged to the left and the back latch is covered by a leather handle. The folding bed release is to the right of the viewfinder and there is no body release. The name ''OLYMPUS'' is embossed in the front leather.
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== Origin ==
 
== Origin ==
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[[Olympus|Takachiho]] started to develop camera lenses in 1934.<REF> Date: Sakurai, p.371 of ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' no.78; Maitani, [http://www.olympus-zuiko.com/dev_spirits/maitani/vol01/index.html "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken"]; Sakai, p.7 of {{KKS}} no.20; Francesch, p.19. </REF> The design team was led by Pr. Miyata <!-- Shōichi or Hisaichi -->(宮田尚一) and comprised Ing. Yanagawa (future chief researcher for lens design in the 1950s); it was placed under the supervision of Mr Suzuki, chief of the optical department.<REF> Sakurai Eiichi mentions Pr. Miyata and Ing. Yanagawa on p.371 of ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' no.78, and Pr. Miyata and Mr Suzuki on p.64 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> The first results, tried in mid 1936, included a 105/4.5 and a 75/4.5, both with four elements in three groups.<REF> 105/4.5 and 75/4.5: Hagiya, p.13 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> Two lens elements out of four were made of Japanese lens glass, supplied by the Osaka Industrial Research Institute (大阪工業試験所, Ōsaka Kōgyō Shikensho).<REF> Hagiya, p.13 of {{KKS}} no.20, about the 75/4.5. </REF> Various camera manufacturers were approached but the lenses did not sell. Miyazaki Shizuma (宮崎静馬), founder of [[Proud|Proud-sha]], talked to Mr Kura (内蔵), in charge of commercial planning at Takachiho, and suggested making a camera around the Zuiko lens and selling it under the "Olympus" brand, already registered by Takachiho for microscopes.<REF> Sakurai Eiichi, p.64 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> He offered to supply the camera bodies, the same as those of the [[Semi Proud]], and insisted on adopting the [[Compur]] shutter, to make the camera easier to sell.<REF> Sakurai Eiichi, pp.64&ndash;5 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> According to Sakurai Eiichi, only one lot was made before the shutter imports stopped;<REF> Sakurai Eiichi, p.65 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> he does not state the reason for this, although it might have been the outbreak of war with China.
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[[Olympus|Takachiho]] started to develop camera lenses in 1934.<REF> Date: Sakurai, p.371 of ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' no.78; Maitani, [http://www.olympus-zuiko.com/dev_spirits/maitani/vol01/index.html "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken"]; Sakai, p.7 of {{KKS}} no.20; Francesch, p.19. </REF> The design team was led by Pr. Miyata <!-- Shōichi or Hisaichi -->(宮田尚一) and comprised Ing. Yanagawa (future chief researcher for lens design in the 1950s); it was placed under the supervision of Mr Suzuki, chief of the optical department.<REF> Sakurai Eiichi mentions Pr. Miyata and Ing. Yanagawa on p.371 of ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' no.78, and Pr. Miyata and Mr Suzuki on p.64 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> The first results, tried in mid 1936, included a 105/4.5 and a 75/4.5, both with four elements in three groups.<REF> 105/4.5 and 75/4.5: Hagiya, p.13 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> Two lens elements out of four were made of Japanese lens glass, supplied by the Osaka Industrial Research Institute (大阪工業試験所, Ōsaka Kōgyō Shikensho).<REF> Hagiya, p.13 of {{KKS}} no.20, about the 75/4.5. </REF> Various camera manufacturers were approached but the lenses did not sell. Miyazaki Shizuma (宮崎静馬), founder of [[Proud|Proud-sha]], talked to Mr Kura (内蔵), in charge of commercial planning at Takachiho, and suggested making a camera around the Zuiko lens and selling it under the "Olympus" brand, already registered by Takachiho for microscopes.<REF> Sakurai Eiichi, p.64 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> He offered to supply the camera bodies, the same as those of the [[Semi Proud]], and insisted on adopting the [[Compur]] shutter, to make the camera easier to sell.<REF> Sakurai Eiichi, pp.64–5 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> According to Sakurai Eiichi, only one lot was made before the shutter imports stopped;<REF> Sakurai Eiichi, p.65 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> he does not state the reason for this, although it might have been the outbreak of war with China.
  
 
== Documents ==
 
== Documents ==
 
The Semi Olympus was featured in a column of the March 1937 issue of ''[[Camera Club]]''; this is the oldest mention reported in Japanese photographic magazines.<REF> {{Kokusan}}, p.335. </REF>
 
The Semi Olympus was featured in a column of the March 1937 issue of ''[[Camera Club]]''; this is the oldest mention reported in Japanese photographic magazines.<REF> {{Kokusan}}, p.335. </REF>
  
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The camera was advertised in the June 1937 issue of ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' and in the July 1937 issue of ''[[Ars Camera]]''.<REF> Hibi, p.63 of {{KKS}} no.8. </REF> The advertisement in ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' was placed by the distributor [[Yamashita|Yamashita Yūjirō Shōten]].<REF> Advertisement on p. A65 of the magazine; reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p.62, in Hibi, p.62 of {{KKS}} no.8 and in Hagiya, p.10 of {{KKS}} no.20. (From the July issue, Takachiho used its one page in ''Asahi Camera'' to advertise the [[Olympus Standard]].)</REF> It mentions two versions, one with a [[Rulex|Rulex A]] shutter (1&ndash;200, T, B) made by [[Neumann & Heilemann]], priced {{yen|78|1937}}, the other with an [[Compur|Auto-Compur]] shutter (1&ndash;250, T, B), priced {{yen|98|1937}}, with a supplement of &yen;5 for the case. (Some sources say that the camera was priced at &yen;105, but no original document has yet been found to confirm this.)<REF> Price of &yen;105: Sakurai Eiichi, p.65 of {{KKS}} no.20, Hagiya, p.14 of the same magazine. Even the testimony of Sakurai is not completely certain: such a minor detail might have been remembered wrongly. </REF> The ''Asahi Camera'' advertisement states that the camera's dimensions are 13&times;7.5&times;4 cm, and that it weighs 540g.
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The camera was advertised in the June 1937 issue of ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' and in the July 1937 issue of ''[[Ars Camera]]''.<REF> Hibi, p.63 of {{KKS}} no.8. </REF> The advertisement in ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' was placed by the distributor [[Yamashita|Yamashita Yūjirō Shōten]].<REF> Advertisement on p. A65 of the magazine; reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p.62, in Hibi, p.62 of {{KKS}} no.8 and in Hagiya, p.10 of {{KKS}} no.20. (From the July issue, Takachiho used its one page in ''Asahi Camera'' to advertise the [[Olympus Standard]].)</REF> It mentions two versions, one with a [[Rulex|Rulex A]] shutter (1–200, T, B) made by [[Neumann & Heilemann]], priced {{yen|78|1937}}, the other with an [[Compur|Auto-Compur]] shutter (1–250, T, B), priced {{yen|98|1937}}, with a supplement of ¥5 for the case. (Some sources say that the camera was priced at ¥105, but no original document has yet been found to confirm this.)<REF> Price of ¥105: Sakurai Eiichi, p.65 of {{KKS}} no.20, Hagiya, p.14 of the same magazine. Even the testimony of Sakurai is not completely certain: such a minor detail might have been remembered wrongly. </REF> The ''Asahi Camera'' advertisement states that the camera's dimensions are 13×7.5×4 cm, and that it weighs 540g.
  
 
== Surviving examples ==
 
== Surviving examples ==
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The '''version with Compur shutter''' is usually said to be the earliest one. Two surviving examples are known, with lens no.1048 and 1141 or 1142.<REF> Lens no.1048: example pictured in Francesch, p.56, in {{McKeown}}, p.747 and in {{Sugiyama}}, item 1213. Lens no.1141 or 1142: example owned by John Foster and pictured in [http://www.biofos.com/coll/subcoll/folder.html this page of his own website] and [http://www.chezrossi.net/chromesix/slides/sellens1.html here at Chromesix]. </REF> It is very plausible that the serial number sequence began at 1001: this was a very common practice at the time among Japanese optical companies.<REF> It would be extremely difficult to prove this assertion though, unless the lens registries are still held by the Olympus company. </REF> The Compur shutter plate has the ''FD'' logo on the right (for <U>F</U>riedrich <U>D</U>eckel), the usual ''COMPUR'' marking at the bottom and a small plate marked ''OLYMPUS'' screwed at the top, at the place usually provided in the Compur rim-set shutters to display the camera maker's name. The aperture scale goes from 4.5 to 22 and is screwed to the bottom. The shutter itself gives T, B, 1&ndash;250 speeds, has a self-timer and a screw to attach a soft release. There is an arm in front of the shutter plate, linked to the Compur shutter. It is tripped by the photographer's right hand and acts as a release. The Compur was designed for a body release, and without this linkage the position of the release lever would have been impractical because of the folding struts. The same device, with an exactly similar part, is known on some examples of the [[Semi Proud]] with Compur shutter.<REF> Example of the Semi Proud pictured in Hibi, p.62 of {{KKS}} no.8, and example pictured in an advertisement dated February 1938 reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p.89. </REF> This is perhaps an indication that the Compur were supplied by [[Proud|Proud-sha]].
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The '''version with Compur shutter''' is usually said to be the earliest one. Two surviving examples are known, with lens no.1048 and 1141 or 1142.<REF> Lens no.1048: example pictured in Francesch, p.56, in {{McKeown}}, p.747 and in {{Sugiyama}}, item 1213. Lens no.1141 or 1142: example owned by John Foster and pictured in [http://www.biofos.com/coll/subcoll/folder.html this page of his own website] and [http://www.chezrossi.net/chromesix/slides/sellens1.html here at Chromesix]. </REF> It is very plausible that the serial number sequence began at 1001: this was a very common practice at the time among Japanese optical companies.<REF> It would be extremely difficult to prove this assertion though, unless the lens registries are still held by the Olympus company. </REF> The Compur shutter plate has the ''FD'' logo on the right (for <U>F</U>riedrich <U>D</U>eckel), the usual ''COMPUR'' marking at the bottom and a small plate marked ''OLYMPUS'' screwed at the top, at the place usually provided in the Compur rim-set shutters to display the camera maker's name. The aperture scale goes from 4.5 to 22 and is screwed to the bottom. The shutter itself gives T, B, 1–250 speeds, has a self-timer and a screw to attach a soft release. There is an arm in front of the shutter plate, linked to the Compur shutter. It is tripped by the photographer's right hand and acts as a release. The Compur was designed for a body release, and without this linkage the position of the release lever would have been impractical because of the folding struts. The same device, with an exactly similar part, is known on some examples of the [[Semi Proud]] with Compur shutter.<REF> Example of the Semi Proud pictured in Hibi, p.62 of {{KKS}} no.8, and example pictured in an advertisement dated February 1938 reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p.89. </REF> This is perhaps an indication that the Compur were supplied by [[Proud|Proud-sha]].
  
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The '''version with Rulex shutter''' is generally unknown to Western collectors. However one surviving example has recently surfaced (first pictured in this page), with lens no.1137. The Rulex gives 1&ndash;200, B, T speeds and has the early type of shutter plate, as described in the [[Rulex]] page. It has an ''OLYMPUS'' nameplate screwed to the top of the shutter plate, the same as on the Compur shutter. The aperture scale looks the same as on the Compur.
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The '''version with Rulex shutter''' is generally unknown to Western collectors. However one surviving example has recently surfaced (first pictured in this page), with lens no.1137. The Rulex gives 1–200, B, T speeds and has the early type of shutter plate, as described in the [[Rulex]] page. It has an ''OLYMPUS'' nameplate screwed to the top of the shutter plate, the same as on the Compur shutter. The aperture scale looks the same as on the Compur.
 
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It is usually said that there is a later '''version with Koho shutter'''. The [[Koho]] shutter was made by [[Olympus|Takachiho]] itself and was mounted on the [[Semi Olympus II]] and later on the [[Olympus Six]]. It was first announced for the Semi Olympus II under the name "Laurel". The existence of a Semi Olympus with Koho shutter would imply a sales overlap with the Semi Olympus II. No advertisement for this version is known, and none of the advertisements for the Semi Olympus II mentions the original model.
 
It is usually said that there is a later '''version with Koho shutter'''. The [[Koho]] shutter was made by [[Olympus|Takachiho]] itself and was mounted on the [[Semi Olympus II]] and later on the [[Olympus Six]]. It was first announced for the Semi Olympus II under the name "Laurel". The existence of a Semi Olympus with Koho shutter would imply a sales overlap with the Semi Olympus II. No advertisement for this version is known, and none of the advertisements for the Semi Olympus II mentions the original model.
  
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Two surviving examples of the Semi Olympus actually exist with a Koho shutter. One has lens no.1078 and a shutter giving 1&ndash;200, B, T speeds.<REF> Example pictured in Hibi, pp.62 and 63 of {{KKS}} no.8, in ''Orinpasu-ten'' (cover, pp.3 and 4) and in ''Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten, p.23. </REF> The lens number is close to the other numbers mentioned above. However the shutter version is strange: the Koho was first produced for the [[Semi Olympus II]] with 1/150 top speed, and the switch to 1/200 top speed did not occur before at least late 1939.<REF> The 1/150 top speed is still mentioned in the advertisement for the Semi Olympus II published in ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' October 1939, reproduced in [http://www.warbirds.jp/heiki/31000.htm this page of the Heiki Seikatsu website]. </REF>
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Two surviving examples of the Semi Olympus actually exist with a Koho shutter. One has lens no.1078 and a shutter giving 1–200, B, T speeds.<REF> Example pictured in Hibi, pp.62 and 63 of {{KKS}} no.8, in ''Orinpasu-ten'' (cover, pp.3 and 4) and in ''Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten, p.23. </REF> The lens number is close to the other numbers mentioned above. However the shutter version is strange: the Koho was first produced for the [[Semi Olympus II]] with 1/150 top speed, and the switch to 1/200 top speed did not occur before at least late 1939.<REF> The 1/150 top speed is still mentioned in the advertisement for the Semi Olympus II published in ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' October 1939, reproduced in [http://www.warbirds.jp/heiki/31000.htm this page of the Heiki Seikatsu website]. </REF>
  
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The other example has lens no.6358 and is held at the Olympus gallery.<REF> Example pictured in Francesch, p.57, in {{McKeown}}, p.747, in {{Sugiyama}}, item 1214, in [http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/camera/ this page of the Olympus corporate site] and in many other sources. </REF> It has a Koho shutter giving 1&ndash;150, B, T speeds. This time the lens number is problematic: the other four cameras are in the 10xx and 11xx range, the lowest lens number observed so far on a [[Semi Olympus II]] is no.144x in an advertisement dated May 1938 (see below) and no.2001 on an actual example, and the lens no.7157 has been observed on an [[Olympus Six]], dated about 1940.<REF> Semi Olympus II with lens no.144x: advertisement in ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' May 1938, p.A52, reproduced in Hagiya, p.62 of {{KKS}} no.8. &mdash; Semi Olympus II with lens no.2001: example held at the Olympus gallery, pictured in Francesch (cover page) and in {{McKeown}}, p.747. &mdash; Olympus Six with lens no.7157: example observed in an online auction. </REF> The lens no.6358 would not have been produced before about 1939.
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The other example has lens no.6358 and is held at the Olympus gallery.<REF> Example pictured in Francesch, p.57, in {{McKeown}}, p.747, in {{Sugiyama}}, item 1214, in [http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/camera/ this page of the Olympus corporate site] and in many other sources. </REF> It has a Koho shutter giving 1–150, B, T speeds. This time the lens number is problematic: the other four cameras are in the 10xx and 11xx range, the lowest lens number observed so far on a [[Semi Olympus II]] is no.144x in an advertisement dated May 1938 (see below) and no.2001 on an actual example, and the lens no.7157 has been observed on an [[Olympus Six]], dated about 1940.<REF> Semi Olympus II with lens no.144x: advertisement in ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' May 1938, p.A52, reproduced in Hagiya, p.62 of {{KKS}} no.8. — Semi Olympus II with lens no.2001: example held at the Olympus gallery, pictured in Francesch (cover page) and in {{McKeown}}, p.747. — Olympus Six with lens no.7157: example observed in an online auction. </REF> The lens no.6358 would not have been produced before about 1939.
  
 
It is thus likely that the two surviving cameras are composite. They were probably created by the company itself, outside the regular production. They could have been made to dispose of a stock of unsold Semi Olympus bodies. However the fact that one of them remains the property of the company suggests that they were made for an internal purpose, perhaps to serve as a testbed for the Koho shutters.
 
It is thus likely that the two surviving cameras are composite. They were probably created by the company itself, outside the regular production. They could have been made to dispose of a stock of unsold Semi Olympus bodies. However the fact that one of them remains the property of the company suggests that they were made for an internal purpose, perhaps to serve as a testbed for the Koho shutters.
  
 
== Release date ==
 
== Release date ==
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Most sources say that the camera was first sold in 1936; some specify September.<REF> September 1936: Sakai, p.7 of {{KKS}} no.20. This source seems extremely accurate on all points. </REF> This date has not yet been confirmed by any original document.<REF> The fact that it is stated in the official history of [[Olympus]] does not constitute a proof in itself. Examples abound of mistakes spread around the 1950s by major Japanese companies about their prewar past, and repeated ever since. One of them is the company [[Minolta]], which made major mistakes in the release dates of its prewar models (see the [[Semi Minolta]] article) and in the name of its earliest camera (see the [[Nifcarette]] article). Another is the historical article published by the sales department of Olympus in the August 1960 issue of ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' (no.100), where it is said that the film plane corrector and D.Zuiko lens of the [[Olympus Chrome Six]] were released in 1951 (instead of 1952 and 1954 respectively), and that the Olympus Chrome Six V has an uncoupled rangefinder. </REF> The archives of the company were destroyed in the 1945 air raids over Tokyo,<REF> Francesch, p.27. </REF> and the earliest mention found of the 1936 release year is an article dated 1958 by Sakurai Eiichi, who entered the company in 1935 and later became its chief camera designer.<REF> Sakurai, p.372 of ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' no.78. This article already contains the "official" story of the Compur version followed by the Koho version. </REF> In an interview dated 1992,<REF> "Zadankai: Orinpasu no michi", pp.64&ndash;71 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> Sakurai describes a sequence of events which took place between the final lens tests in June or July 1936<REF> June 1936: Francesch, p.20. July 1936: Sakai, p.7 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> and the release of the camera &mdash; attempts to sell the Zuiko lenses alone, contacts with Proud, procurement of shutters and contacts with a distributor &mdash; but he does not state if these were a matter of days or months. Matsuzaki Sōichirō (松崎惣一郎), Sakurai's brother-in-law, remembers that he was shown an example of the Semi Olympus around 1936.<REF> Matsuzaki, p.28 of {{KKS}} no.76. He says that he was shown the camera at about the same time Sakurai married his sister. </REF>
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Most sources say that the camera was first sold in 1936; some specify September.<REF> September 1936: Sakai, p.7 of {{KKS}} no.20. This source seems extremely accurate on all points. </REF> This date has not yet been confirmed by any original document.<REF> The fact that it is stated in the official history of [[Olympus]] does not constitute a proof in itself. Examples abound of mistakes spread around the 1950s by major Japanese companies about their prewar past, and repeated ever since. One of them is the company [[Minolta]], which made major mistakes in the release dates of its prewar models (see the [[Semi Minolta]] article) and in the name of its earliest camera (see the [[Nifcarette]] article). Another is the historical article published by the sales department of Olympus in the August 1960 issue of ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' (no.100), where it is said that the film plane corrector and D.Zuiko lens of the [[Olympus Chrome Six]] were released in 1951 (instead of 1952 and 1954 respectively), and that the Olympus Chrome Six V has an uncoupled rangefinder. </REF> The archives of the company were destroyed in the 1945 air raids over Tokyo,<REF> Francesch, p.27. </REF> and the earliest mention found of the 1936 release year is an article dated 1958 by Sakurai Eiichi, who entered the company in 1935 and later became its chief camera designer.<REF> Sakurai, p.372 of ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' no.78. This article already contains the "official" story of the Compur version followed by the Koho version. </REF> In an interview dated 1992,<REF> "Zadankai: Orinpasu no michi", pp.64–71 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> Sakurai describes a sequence of events which took place between the final lens tests in June or July 1936<REF> June 1936: Francesch, p.20. July 1936: Sakai, p.7 of {{KKS}} no.20. </REF> and the release of the camera — attempts to sell the Zuiko lenses alone, contacts with Proud, procurement of shutters and contacts with a distributor — but he does not state if these were a matter of days or months. Matsuzaki Sōichirō (松崎惣一郎), Sakurai's brother-in-law, remembers that he was shown an example of the Semi Olympus around 1936.<REF> Matsuzaki, p.28 of {{KKS}} no.76. He says that he was shown the camera at about the same time Sakurai married his sister. </REF>
  
 
The September 1936 date might correspond to the completion of the first prototypes rather than the release to the public. In any case, the first sales took place on a very small scale, with a total of less than 500 Olympus cameras completed as of May 1938.<REF> This is inferred from the lens no.144x visible in an advertisement for the [[Semi Olympus II]] published in ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' May 1938, p.A52, and reproduced in Hibi, p.62 of {{KKS}} no.8. See [[Semi Olympus II]] for a more detailed discussion. </REF> They may have remained unmentioned by photographic magazines for a few months: the first mention of the camera is in a relatively minor magazine, and it never appeared in the columns of mainstream magazines such as ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' or ''[[Ars Camera]]''.<REF> {{Kokusan}}, p.335. </REF>
 
The September 1936 date might correspond to the completion of the first prototypes rather than the release to the public. In any case, the first sales took place on a very small scale, with a total of less than 500 Olympus cameras completed as of May 1938.<REF> This is inferred from the lens no.144x visible in an advertisement for the [[Semi Olympus II]] published in ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' May 1938, p.A52, and reproduced in Hibi, p.62 of {{KKS}} no.8. See [[Semi Olympus II]] for a more detailed discussion. </REF> They may have remained unmentioned by photographic magazines for a few months: the first mention of the camera is in a relatively minor magazine, and it never appeared in the columns of mainstream magazines such as ''[[Asahi Camera]]'' or ''[[Ars Camera]]''.<REF> {{Kokusan}}, p.335. </REF>
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* {{Showa10}} Item 37.
 
* {{Showa10}} Item 37.
 
* {{Francesch Olympus}}
 
* {{Francesch Olympus}}
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* Hagiya Takeshi (萩谷剛). "Kōkoku kara miru Orinpasu kamera no nagare" (広告から見るオリンパスカメラの流れ, "Olympus camera history seen through the advertisements"). {{KKS020}} Pp.&nbsp;10&ndash;1.
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* Hagiya Takeshi (萩谷剛). "Kōkoku kara miru Orinpasu kamera no nagare" (広告から見るオリンパスカメラの流れ, "Olympus camera history seen through the advertisements"). {{KKS020}} Pp.10–1.
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* Hagiya Takeshi (萩谷剛). "Orinpasu kamera no subete 1: supuringu kamera <senzen-hen>" (オリンパスカメラのすべて1・スプリングカメラ戦前編, "All of Olympus cameras 1: folding cameras [prewar]"). {{KKS020}} Pp.13&ndash;5.
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* Hagiya Takeshi (萩谷剛). "Orinpasu kamera no subete 1: supuringu kamera <senzen-hen>" (オリンパスカメラのすべて1・スプリングカメラ戦前編, "All of Olympus cameras 1: folding cameras [prewar]"). {{KKS020}} Pp.13–5.
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* Hibi Takashi (日比孝). "Nihon no supuringu kamera: Orinpasu" (日本のスプリングカメラ・オリンパス, "Japanese folding cameras: Olympus"). {{KKS008}} Pp.62&ndash;5.
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* Hibi Takashi (日比孝). "Nihon no supuringu kamera: Orinpasu" (日本のスプリングカメラ・オリンパス, "Japanese folding cameras: Olympus"). {{KKS008}} Pp.62–5.
 
* {{Lewis}} P.53 (brief mention only).
 
* {{Lewis}} P.53 (brief mention only).
−
* Maitani Yoshihisa (米谷美久). [http://www.olympus-zuiko.com/dev_spirits/maitani/vol01/index.html "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken"] (カメラ創りへの冒険, "Venturing into camera production"). Volume 1 of [http://www.olympus-zuiko.com/dev_spirits/index.html ''Haikei &mdash; Sekkeisha yori''] (拝啓・設計者より, "Dear Sir, from the designer"). Published in the [http://www.olympus-zuiko.com/ Zuiko Club website], belonging to the Olympus Imaging Corp.
+
* Maitani Yoshihisa (米谷美久). [http://www.olympus-zuiko.com/dev_spirits/maitani/vol01/index.html "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken"] (カメラ創りへの冒険, "Venturing into camera production"). Volume 1 of [http://www.olympus-zuiko.com/dev_spirits/index.html ''Haikei — Sekkeisha yori''] (拝啓・設計者より, "Dear Sir, from the designer"). Published in the [http://www.olympus-zuiko.com/ Zuiko Club website], belonging to the Olympus Imaging Corp.
−
* Matsuzaki Sōichirō (松崎惣一郎). "'Orinpasu kurōmu shikkusu' to sono koto domo" (「オリンパスクロームシックス」とその周辺のことども, "About the 'Olympus Chrome Six'"). {{KKS076}} Pp.28&ndash;31. (The author is Sakurai Eiichi's brother-in-law.)
+
* Matsuzaki Sōichirō (松崎惣一郎). "'Orinpasu kurōmu shikkusu' to sono koto domo" (「オリンパスクロームシックス」とその周辺のことども, "About the 'Olympus Chrome Six'"). {{KKS076}} Pp.28–31. (The author is Sakurai Eiichi's brother-in-law.)
 
* {{McKeown12}} P.747.
 
* {{McKeown12}} P.747.
 
* Olympus Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. sales department (オリンパス光学工業{{kabu}}営業部). "Semi Orinpasu kara Orinpasu Ōto Ai" (セミオリンパスからオリンパスオートアイ, From the Semi Olympus to the Olympus Auto Eye). ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' no.100 (August 1960). P.24. (Contains major inaccuracies.)
 
* Olympus Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. sales department (オリンパス光学工業{{kabu}}営業部). "Semi Orinpasu kara Orinpasu Ōto Ai" (セミオリンパスからオリンパスオートアイ, From the Semi Olympus to the Olympus Auto Eye). ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' no.100 (August 1960). P.24. (Contains major inaccuracies.)
 
* ''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.) P.23.
 
* ''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.) P.23.
−
* ''Orinpasu-ten &mdash; oputo-dejitaru-tekunolojī no kiseki'' (オリンパス展・オプトデジタルテクノロジーの軌跡, Olympus exhibition, the tracks of opto-digital technology). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 2005. (Exhibition catalogue, no ISBN number.)
+
* ''Orinpasu-ten — oputo-dejitaru-tekunolojī no kiseki'' (オリンパス展・オプトデジタルテクノロジーの軌跡, Olympus exhibition, the tracks of opto-digital technology). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 2005. (Exhibition catalogue, no ISBN number.)
−
* Sakai Shūichi (酒井修一). "Orinpasu no rekishi" (オリンパスの歴史, "History of Olympus"). {{KKS020}} Pp.6&ndash;9.
+
* Sakai Shūichi (酒井修一). "Orinpasu no rekishi" (オリンパスの歴史, "History of Olympus"). {{KKS020}} Pp.6–9.
−
* Sakurai Eiichi (桜井栄一). "Orinpasu kamera no rekishi" (オリンパスカメラの歴史, "Brief History of Olympus cameras"). ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' no.78 (October 1958). Pp.371&ndash;5.
+
* Sakurai Eiichi (桜井栄一). "Orinpasu kamera no rekishi" (オリンパスカメラの歴史, "Brief History of Olympus cameras"). ''[[Shashin Kōgyō]]'' no.78 (October 1958). Pp.371–5.
−
* {{Zukan}} Items 1213&ndash;4.
+
* {{Zukan}} Items 1213–4.
−
* "Zadankai: Orinpasu no michi" (座談会・オリンパスの道, "Conversation: the way of Olympus"). Interview of Sakurai Eiichi (桜井栄一), Maitani Yoshihisa (米谷美久) and Kawazoe Mitsuo (河添光男), by Saeki Kakugorō (佐伯恪五郎). {{KKS020}} Pp.64&ndash;71.
+
* "Zadankai: Orinpasu no michi" (座談会・オリンパスの道, "Conversation: the way of Olympus"). Interview of Sakurai Eiichi (桜井栄一), Maitani Yoshihisa (米谷美久) and Kawazoe Mitsuo (河添光男), by Saeki Kakugorō (佐伯恪五郎). {{KKS020}} Pp.64–71.
  
 
== Links ==
 
== Links ==

Revision as of 22:29, 25 January 2008

544747394_b9539dba1f_m_d.jpg
Picture courtesy of Henk. (Image rights)
Japanese Semi (4.5×6)
Prewar and wartime models (edit)
folding
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The Semi Olympus (セミ・オリンパス) is a 4.5×6cm folder. It was the first camera made by Takachiho (predecessor of Olympus), released in 1936 or 1937 and succeeded by the Semi Olympus II. Today, the camera is often called "Semi Olympus I", but it seems that this designation was not used at the time it was sold.

Description

The Semi Olympus is a 4.5×6cm folding camera for 16 exposures on 120 film, with a vertical folding bed and a folding optical finder. The body is a copy of the German Baldax (the large model for #0 shutter size). It was made by the Japanese company Proud, and it is the same as the body of the prewar Semi Proud.[1]

The advance knob is at the bottom right, as seen by the photographer holding the camera horizontally. The film advance is controlled by red windows. The back is hinged to the left and the back latch is covered by a leather handle. The folding bed release is to the right of the viewfinder and there is no body release. The name OLYMPUS is embossed in the front leather.

The lens is a four-element Zuiko 75mm f/4.5, focused by turning the front element. It was the first serial produced camera lens from the future Olympus company. The lens rim is engraved Takatiho Tôkyô Zuikô 1:4.5 f=75mm. No.1xxx,[2] except on one composite example described below.

Origin

Takachiho started to develop camera lenses in 1934.[3] The design team was led by Pr. Miyata (宮田尚一) and comprised Ing. Yanagawa (future chief researcher for lens design in the 1950s); it was placed under the supervision of Mr Suzuki, chief of the optical department.[4] The first results, tried in mid 1936, included a 105/4.5 and a 75/4.5, both with four elements in three groups.[5] Two lens elements out of four were made of Japanese lens glass, supplied by the Osaka Industrial Research Institute (大阪工業試験所, Ōsaka Kōgyō Shikensho).[6] Various camera manufacturers were approached but the lenses did not sell. Miyazaki Shizuma (宮崎静馬), founder of Proud-sha, talked to Mr Kura (内蔵), in charge of commercial planning at Takachiho, and suggested making a camera around the Zuiko lens and selling it under the "Olympus" brand, already registered by Takachiho for microscopes.[7] He offered to supply the camera bodies, the same as those of the Semi Proud, and insisted on adopting the Compur shutter, to make the camera easier to sell.[8] According to Sakurai Eiichi, only one lot was made before the shutter imports stopped;[9] he does not state the reason for this, although it might have been the outbreak of war with China.

Documents

The Semi Olympus was featured in a column of the March 1937 issue of Camera Club; this is the oldest mention reported in Japanese photographic magazines.[10]

The camera was advertised in the June 1937 issue of Asahi Camera and in the July 1937 issue of Ars Camera.[11] The advertisement in Asahi Camera was placed by the distributor Yamashita Yūjirō Shōten.[12] It mentions two versions, one with a Rulex A shutter (1–200, T, B) made by Neumann & Heilemann, priced ¥78, the other with an Auto-Compur shutter (1–250, T, B), priced ¥98, with a supplement of ¥5 for the case. (Some sources say that the camera was priced at ¥105, but no original document has yet been found to confirm this.)[13] The Asahi Camera advertisement states that the camera's dimensions are 13×7.5×4 cm, and that it weighs 540g.

Surviving examples

The version with Compur shutter is usually said to be the earliest one. Two surviving examples are known, with lens no.1048 and 1141 or 1142.[14] It is very plausible that the serial number sequence began at 1001: this was a very common practice at the time among Japanese optical companies.[15] The Compur shutter plate has the FD logo on the right (for Friedrich Deckel), the usual COMPUR marking at the bottom and a small plate marked OLYMPUS screwed at the top, at the place usually provided in the Compur rim-set shutters to display the camera maker's name. The aperture scale goes from 4.5 to 22 and is screwed to the bottom. The shutter itself gives T, B, 1–250 speeds, has a self-timer and a screw to attach a soft release. There is an arm in front of the shutter plate, linked to the Compur shutter. It is tripped by the photographer's right hand and acts as a release. The Compur was designed for a body release, and without this linkage the position of the release lever would have been impractical because of the folding struts. The same device, with an exactly similar part, is known on some examples of the Semi Proud with Compur shutter.[16] This is perhaps an indication that the Compur were supplied by Proud-sha.

The version with Rulex shutter is generally unknown to Western collectors. However one surviving example has recently surfaced (first pictured in this page), with lens no.1137. The Rulex gives 1–200, B, T speeds and has the early type of shutter plate, as described in the Rulex page. It has an OLYMPUS nameplate screwed to the top of the shutter plate, the same as on the Compur shutter. The aperture scale looks the same as on the Compur.

544747394_b9539dba1f_d.jpg 544747398_6abb7ac42a_d.jpg
Semi Olympus, Rulex shutter, Zuikô 7.5cm f/4.5 lens no.1137.
Pictures courtesy of Henk. (Image rights)

It is usually said that there is a later version with Koho shutter. The Koho shutter was made by Takachiho itself and was mounted on the Semi Olympus II and later on the Olympus Six. It was first announced for the Semi Olympus II under the name "Laurel". The existence of a Semi Olympus with Koho shutter would imply a sales overlap with the Semi Olympus II. No advertisement for this version is known, and none of the advertisements for the Semi Olympus II mentions the original model.

Two surviving examples of the Semi Olympus actually exist with a Koho shutter. One has lens no.1078 and a shutter giving 1–200, B, T speeds.[17] The lens number is close to the other numbers mentioned above. However the shutter version is strange: the Koho was first produced for the Semi Olympus II with 1/150 top speed, and the switch to 1/200 top speed did not occur before at least late 1939.[18]

The other example has lens no.6358 and is held at the Olympus gallery.[19] It has a Koho shutter giving 1–150, B, T speeds. This time the lens number is problematic: the other four cameras are in the 10xx and 11xx range, the lowest lens number observed so far on a Semi Olympus II is no.144x in an advertisement dated May 1938 (see below) and no.2001 on an actual example, and the lens no.7157 has been observed on an Olympus Six, dated about 1940.[20] The lens no.6358 would not have been produced before about 1939.

It is thus likely that the two surviving cameras are composite. They were probably created by the company itself, outside the regular production. They could have been made to dispose of a stock of unsold Semi Olympus bodies. However the fact that one of them remains the property of the company suggests that they were made for an internal purpose, perhaps to serve as a testbed for the Koho shutters.

Release date

Most sources say that the camera was first sold in 1936; some specify September.[21] This date has not yet been confirmed by any original document.[22] The archives of the company were destroyed in the 1945 air raids over Tokyo,[23] and the earliest mention found of the 1936 release year is an article dated 1958 by Sakurai Eiichi, who entered the company in 1935 and later became its chief camera designer.[24] In an interview dated 1992,[25] Sakurai describes a sequence of events which took place between the final lens tests in June or July 1936[26] and the release of the camera — attempts to sell the Zuiko lenses alone, contacts with Proud, procurement of shutters and contacts with a distributor — but he does not state if these were a matter of days or months. Matsuzaki Sōichirō (松崎惣一郎), Sakurai's brother-in-law, remembers that he was shown an example of the Semi Olympus around 1936.[27]

The September 1936 date might correspond to the completion of the first prototypes rather than the release to the public. In any case, the first sales took place on a very small scale, with a total of less than 500 Olympus cameras completed as of May 1938.[28] They may have remained unmentioned by photographic magazines for a few months: the first mention of the camera is in a relatively minor magazine, and it never appeared in the columns of mainstream magazines such as Asahi Camera or Ars Camera.[29]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sakurai Eiichi, pp.64–5 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20, Hagiya, p.14 of the same magazine, Hibi, p.62 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8 and other sources. Francesch, pp.23 and 56–7, says that the body was made by the German company Plaubel, but this is a confusion.
  2. ↑ "Takatiho" and "Takachiho" are alternative romanizations of the same name. The pronunciation has the "chi" of "chilly", not the "ti" of "tinfoil".
  3. ↑ Date: Sakurai, p.371 of Shashin Kōgyō no.78; Maitani, "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken"; Sakai, p.7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20; Francesch, p.19.
  4. ↑ Sakurai Eiichi mentions Pr. Miyata and Ing. Yanagawa on p.371 of Shashin Kōgyō no.78, and Pr. Miyata and Mr Suzuki on p.64 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20.
  5. ↑ 105/4.5 and 75/4.5: Hagiya, p.13 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20.
  6. ↑ Hagiya, p.13 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20, about the 75/4.5.
  7. ↑ Sakurai Eiichi, p.64 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20.
  8. ↑ Sakurai Eiichi, pp.64–5 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20.
  9. ↑ Sakurai Eiichi, p.65 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20.
  10. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.335.
  11. ↑ Hibi, p.63 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8.
  12. ↑ Advertisement on p. A65 of the magazine; reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.62, in Hibi, p.62 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8 and in Hagiya, p.10 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20. (From the July issue, Takachiho used its one page in Asahi Camera to advertise the Olympus Standard.)
  13. ↑ Price of ¥105: Sakurai Eiichi, p.65 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20, Hagiya, p.14 of the same magazine. Even the testimony of Sakurai is not completely certain: such a minor detail might have been remembered wrongly.
  14. ↑ Lens no.1048: example pictured in Francesch, p.56, in McKeown, p.747 and in Sugiyama, item 1213. Lens no.1141 or 1142: example owned by John Foster and pictured in this page of his own website and here at Chromesix.
  15. ↑ It would be extremely difficult to prove this assertion though, unless the lens registries are still held by the Olympus company.
  16. ↑ Example of the Semi Proud pictured in Hibi, p.62 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8, and example pictured in an advertisement dated February 1938 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.89.
  17. ↑ Example pictured in Hibi, pp.62 and 63 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8, in Orinpasu-ten (cover, pp.3 and 4) and in Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten, p.23.
  18. ↑ The 1/150 top speed is still mentioned in the advertisement for the Semi Olympus II published in Asahi Camera October 1939, reproduced in this page of the Heiki Seikatsu website.
  19. ↑ Example pictured in Francesch, p.57, in McKeown, p.747, in Sugiyama, item 1214, in this page of the Olympus corporate site and in many other sources.
  20. ↑ Semi Olympus II with lens no.144x: advertisement in Asahi Camera May 1938, p.A52, reproduced in Hagiya, p.62 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8. — Semi Olympus II with lens no.2001: example held at the Olympus gallery, pictured in Francesch (cover page) and in McKeown, p.747. — Olympus Six with lens no.7157: example observed in an online auction.
  21. ↑ September 1936: Sakai, p.7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20. This source seems extremely accurate on all points.
  22. ↑ The fact that it is stated in the official history of Olympus does not constitute a proof in itself. Examples abound of mistakes spread around the 1950s by major Japanese companies about their prewar past, and repeated ever since. One of them is the company Minolta, which made major mistakes in the release dates of its prewar models (see the Semi Minolta article) and in the name of its earliest camera (see the Nifcarette article). Another is the historical article published by the sales department of Olympus in the August 1960 issue of Shashin Kōgyō (no.100), where it is said that the film plane corrector and D.Zuiko lens of the Olympus Chrome Six were released in 1951 (instead of 1952 and 1954 respectively), and that the Olympus Chrome Six V has an uncoupled rangefinder.
  23. ↑ Francesch, p.27.
  24. ↑ Sakurai, p.372 of Shashin Kōgyō no.78. This article already contains the "official" story of the Compur version followed by the Koho version.
  25. ↑ "Zadankai: Orinpasu no michi", pp.64–71 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20.
  26. ↑ June 1936: Francesch, p.20. July 1936: Sakai, p.7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20.
  27. ↑ Matsuzaki, p.28 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.76. He says that he was shown the camera at about the same time Sakurai married his sister.
  28. ↑ This is inferred from the lens no.144x visible in an advertisement for the Semi Olympus II published in Asahi Camera May 1938, p.A52, and reproduced in Hibi, p.62 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8. See Semi Olympus II for a more detailed discussion.
  29. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.335.

Bibliography

Links

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In Japanese:


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