Difference between revisions of "Semi Renky"
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| + | |image=[http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebollo_fr/1517521519/in/pool-camerapedia/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2128/1517521519_e7c1e9544d_m_d.jpg]<br>''Picture courtesy of [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/ Pacific Rim Camera]. {{with permission}}'' | ||
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The '''Semi Renky''' and '''New Semi Renky''' are Japanese 4.5×6 cameras made by [[Rengō|Rengō Kōki]] and distributed by [[Fuku Bōeki]] between 1939 and about 1943. | The '''Semi Renky''' and '''New Semi Renky''' are Japanese 4.5×6 cameras made by [[Rengō|Rengō Kōki]] and distributed by [[Fuku Bōeki]] between 1939 and about 1943. | ||
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== The New Semi Renky == | == The New Semi Renky == | ||
=== Description === | === Description === | ||
| + | {| class="plainlinks" align="center" style="text-align: center; clear: both;" | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | || [http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebollo_fr/1517521519/in/pool-camerapedia/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2128/1517521519_e7c1e9544d_d.jpg] | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | || ''New Semi Renky I.''<br>''Picture courtesy of [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/ Pacific Rim Camera]. {{with permission}}'' | ||
| + | |} | ||
The '''New Semi Renky''' (ニューセミレンキー) has a new metal body,<REF> The {{Inquiry1943_short}} says that the camera has a [[bakelite]] body but the pictures observed show a metal body. </REF> very similar in shape to the previous model. The top and bottom plates are chrome plated and the rest is leather covered. The top plate has the same features as the previous model; the name ''New Semi Renky'' is engraved behind the accessory shoe and a ''RENGO KOKI'' logo is inscribed at the left of the viewfinder together with the serial number. A red arrow is engraved near the advance knob to indicate the film advance direction. | The '''New Semi Renky''' (ニューセミレンキー) has a new metal body,<REF> The {{Inquiry1943_short}} says that the camera has a [[bakelite]] body but the pictures observed show a metal body. </REF> very similar in shape to the previous model. The top and bottom plates are chrome plated and the rest is leather covered. The top plate has the same features as the previous model; the name ''New Semi Renky'' is engraved behind the accessory shoe and a ''RENGO KOKI'' logo is inscribed at the left of the viewfinder together with the serial number. A red arrow is engraved near the advance knob to indicate the film advance direction. | ||
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=== Variations === | === Variations === | ||
Different marking styles have been observed on the base of the telescopic tube and on the shutter plate. No two identical examples have been observed so far. These variations are summarized in the following table: | Different marking styles have been observed on the base of the telescopic tube and on the shutter plate. No two identical examples have been observed so far. These variations are summarized in the following table: | ||
| − | {| border="1" cellpadding="4" style="margin: 0.5em 2em; text-align: center; border-collapse: collapse;" | + | {| class="plainlinks" border="1" cellpadding="4" style="margin: 0.5em 2em; text-align: center; border-collapse: collapse;" |
|- | |- | ||
| rowspan="2" | Camera | | rowspan="2" | Camera | ||
| colspan="2" | Base of the telescopic tube | | colspan="2" | Base of the telescopic tube | ||
| colspan="3" | Shutter plate | | colspan="3" | Shutter plate | ||
| + | | rowspan="2" | Picture | ||
|- | |- | ||
|| top | || top | ||
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|| unknown | || unknown | ||
|| nothing | || nothing | ||
| + | || | ||
|- | |- | ||
|| New Semi Renky I<br>(August 1941 advert)<REF> [http://syasinsyuu.cool.ne.jp/camera/syasinki11.jpg Advertisement] published in ''[[Gakusei no Kagaku]],'' reproduced in the [http://kyoto.cool.ne.jp/syasinsyuu/index.htm Gochamaze website]. </REF> | || New Semi Renky I<br>(August 1941 advert)<REF> [http://syasinsyuu.cool.ne.jp/camera/syasinki11.jpg Advertisement] published in ''[[Gakusei no Kagaku]],'' reproduced in the [http://kyoto.cool.ne.jp/syasinsyuu/index.htm Gochamaze website]. </REF> | ||
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|| unknown | || unknown | ||
|| nothing | || nothing | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|| New Semi Renky I<REF> Example pictured in [http://www.chinesecamera.net/viewthread.php?action=printable&tid=14610 a post of a Chinese forum]. </REF> | || New Semi Renky I<REF> Example pictured in [http://www.chinesecamera.net/viewthread.php?action=printable&tid=14610 a post of a Chinese forum]. </REF> | ||
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|| ''R.K.S.'' | || ''R.K.S.'' | ||
|| ''RKS'' logo<br>(rounded letters) | || ''RKS'' logo<br>(rounded letters) | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|| New Semi Renky I<REF> Example offered for sale by a dealer. </REF> | || New Semi Renky I<REF> Example offered for sale by a dealer. </REF> | ||
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|| ''R.K.S.'' | || ''R.K.S.'' | ||
|| ''RKS'' logo<br>(straight letters) | || ''RKS'' logo<br>(straight letters) | ||
| + | || [http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebollo_fr/1518495212/in/pool-camerapedia/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2066/1518495212_b1f2737242_t_d.jpg]<br>''{{with permission}}'' | ||
|- | |- | ||
|| New Semi Renky II or III<br>(March 1941 advert)<REF> Advertisement published in ''[[Shashin Bunka]],'' reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p. 104. </REF> | || New Semi Renky II or III<br>(March 1941 advert)<REF> Advertisement published in ''[[Shashin Bunka]],'' reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p. 104. </REF> | ||
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|| unknown | || unknown | ||
|| nothing | || nothing | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|| New Semi Renky U<REF> Example observed in an online auction. </REF> | || New Semi Renky U<REF> Example observed in an online auction. </REF> | ||
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|| ''Rengo Koki Works. Tokyo'' | || ''Rengo Koki Works. Tokyo'' | ||
| colspan="3" | silver face, no marking | | colspan="3" | silver face, no marking | ||
| + | || | ||
|} | |} | ||
Revision as of 21:12, 8 October 2007
The Semi Renky and New Semi Renky are Japanese 4.5×6 cameras made by Rengō Kōki and distributed by Fuku Bōeki between 1939 and about 1943.
Contents
The Semi Renky
Description
The Semi Renky (セミレンキー) has a body made of some sort of plastic, called mikaton (ミカトン).[1] There is a metal telescopic tube supporting the lens and shutter assembly, and the overall aspect is similar to the Semi Olympic model. A tubular optical finder is mounted in the middle of the top plate, with an accessory shoe on the right and the advance knob on the left. There are two uncovered red windows at the bottom of the back to control the film advance. The back opens to the right, together with the back halves of the top and bottom plates.
At the base of the telescopic tube there is a massive metal ring engraved RengoKoki at the top and Tokyo at the bottom. On the body's front left, there is a metal plate marked SEMI RENKY in capital letters (it looks similar to the plate marked The Olympic Camera Works on the Olympic models).
The shutter is everset and has T, B, 150, 100, 50, 25 speeds. The lens is a 75/4.5 and the aperture scale is at the bottom of the shutter plate.
Advertisements and other documents
The Semi Renky was advertised in the November 1939 issue of Asahi Camera,[2] costing ¥45 with a Renko 75/4.5 lens. The list of set prices compiled in late 1940 and published in January 1941 mentions the Semi Renky for ¥43.[3]
The Semi Renky was advertised together with the New Semi Renky in the March 1941 issue of Shashin Bunka,[4] at the lower price of ¥43. The advertisement still gives Renko as the lens name and it says that the shutter was made by RKS (maybe for Rengō Kōki Seisakusho). The Semi Renky was still in the official price list dated November 1941.[5]
Variations
The surviving examples have variations in the shutter plate markings and in the lens name. These are summarized in the following table:
| Camera | Shutter plate | Lens name | ||
| top | bottom | right | ||
| Semi Renky[6] | Semi Renky (direct inscription, gothic letters) |
unknown | RKS logo (rounded letters) |
Renko Anastigmat |
| Semi Renky[7] | Semi Renky (direct inscription, rounded letters) |
R.K.S. | RKS logo (straight letters) |
Tenobder Anastigmat |
| Semi Renky[8] | Semi Renky (separate plate, rounded letters) |
nothing | nothing | unknown |
The New Semi Renky
Description
|
| New Semi Renky I. Picture courtesy of Pacific Rim Camera. (Image rights) |
The New Semi Renky (ニューセミレンキー) has a new metal body,[9] very similar in shape to the previous model. The top and bottom plates are chrome plated and the rest is leather covered. The top plate has the same features as the previous model; the name New Semi Renky is engraved behind the accessory shoe and a RENGO KOKI logo is inscribed at the left of the viewfinder together with the serial number. A red arrow is engraved near the advance knob to indicate the film advance direction.
The back is removed together with the bottom plate for film loading, and there is a tripod screw surrounded by a locking key in the middle of the bottom. There are two red windows near the bottom of the back, protected by an internal common cover actuated by a vertically sliding lever.
The lens name is surely Tenobder Anastigmat on all the models. The Tenobder 75/4.5 lens has three elements and was made by Suzuki; it was certainly also the case of the f/3.5 lens.[10] (They were probably identical to the Well lenses mounted on the Well.)
Advertisements
The late 1940 official price list cited above mentions the "New Semi Renky I" (¥62), "New Semi Renky II" (¥74), "New Semi Renky III" (¥85) and "New Semi Renky U" (¥98), with no further detail.[11] In the March 1941 advertisement mentioned above for the Semi Renky,[12] the New Semi Renky was offered in the same four versions:
- New Semi Renky I: f/4.5 lens, T, B, 25–150 speeds (¥58);
- New Semi Renky II: f/4.5 lens, T, B, 5–200 speeds (¥68);
- New Semi Renky III: f/3.5 lens, T, B, 5–200 speeds (¥85);
- New Semi Renky U: f/3.5 lens, T, B, 1–200 speeds (¥95).
The 25–150 shutter is certainly the same as mounted on the Semi Renky. The 5–200 shutter (shown in the advertising picture) seems to be everset, the 1–200 is surely not.
In an advertisement published in the August 1941 issue of Gakusei no Kagaku,[13] the first version was offered alone for the same price, with no mention of a model number, and the lens name was given as Tenobder Anastigmat.
Versions called New Semi Renky UI and UII were mentioned in the official price list dated November 1941.[14] The New Semi Renky was still listed in the government inquiry compiled in April 1943. Two versions are mentioned by the document, both with a Tenobder 75/4.5 lens. One has a "Semi Renky" shutter (25–150, T, B) and the other has a YSK shutter (5–200, T, B) made by Rengō. They correspond to the New Semi Renky I and II.
Variations
Different marking styles have been observed on the base of the telescopic tube and on the shutter plate. No two identical examples have been observed so far. These variations are summarized in the following table:
| Camera | Base of the telescopic tube | Shutter plate | Picture | |||
| top | bottom | top | bottom | right | ||
| New Semi Renky I[15] | RengoKoki | unknown | New Renky (separate plate) |
unknown | nothing | |
| New Semi Renky I (August 1941 advert)[16] |
New Renky | unknown | New Renky (separate plate) |
unknown | nothing | |
| New Semi Renky I[17] | New Semi Renky | Rengo Koki Works. Tokyo | Semi Renky (directly inscribed, gothic letters) |
R.K.S. | RKS logo (rounded letters) |
|
| New Semi Renky I[18] | New Semi Renky | Rengo Koki Works. Tokyo (presumably) |
Semi Renky (directly inscribed, rounded letters) |
R.K.S. | RKS logo (straight letters) |
 (Image rights) |
| New Semi Renky II or III (March 1941 advert)[19] |
New Renky | unknown | Semi Renky (separate plate, rounded letters) |
unknown | nothing | |
| New Semi Renky U[20] | New Semi Renky (presumably) |
Rengo Koki Works. Tokyo | silver face, no marking | |||
Notes
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343, item 321.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 104.
- ↑ Template:Kakaku1940 short, type 3, section 1.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 104.
- ↑ "Kamera no kōtei kakaku kanpō happyō", November 1941, type 3, section 1.
- ↑ Example pictured in Sugiyama, item 4064, and examples pictured in the advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 104.
- ↑ Example observed in an online auction.
- ↑ Example pictured in this page at Japan Family Camera.
- ↑ The "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras") says that the camera has a bakelite body but the pictures observed show a metal body.
- ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), lens item Lc18.
- ↑ Template:Kakaku1940 short, type 3, section 3A, 4A, 5A, 7A.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Shashin Bunka, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 104.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
- ↑ "Kamera no kōtei kakaku kanpō happyō", November 1941, type 3, sections 4B and 7B.
- ↑ Example pictured in McKeown, p. 819.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Gakusei no Kagaku, reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
- ↑ Example pictured in a post of a Chinese forum.
- ↑ Example offered for sale by a dealer.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Shashin Bunka, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 104.
- ↑ Example observed in an online auction.
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 321–2.
- "Kamera no kōtei kakaku kanpō happyō" (カメラの公定価格官報発表, Official announcement of the set prices of the cameras), November 1941. Extract of a table listing Japanese camera production and setting the retail prices, reproduced in "Bebī Semi Fāsuto 'Kore ha bebī wo nanotta semi-ki da'" (ベビーセミファースト"これはベビーを名乗ったセミ機だ", Baby Semi First, 'this is a Semi camera called Baby'), an article by Furukawa Yasuo (古川保男) in Camera Collectors' News no. 277 (July 2000). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. P. 27. Type 3, sections 1, 4A, 7B.
- "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" (国産写真機ノ現状調査, Inquiry into Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943. Reproduced 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: Presentation and use of 69 machines). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2004. ISBN 4-87956-072-3. Pp.180–7. Items 73–4.
- Template:Kakaku1940 Type 3, sections 1, 3A, 4A, 5A, 7A.
- 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). P. 819.
- Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Item 4064.
Links
In Japanese:
- Semi Renky at Japan Family Camera (pictures only)
- Advertisement for the New Semi Renky published in the August 1941 issue of Gakusei no Kagaku, reproduced in the 120 film camera page of the Gochamaze website
In Chinese:
- New Semi Renky in a post at www.chinesecamera.net
