Semi Renky

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The Semi Renky is a Japanese 4.5×6 camera that was made by Rengo Koki between 1939 and 1941. It looks like the Olympic. The lens and shutter assembly is mounted on a telescopic tube.

The Semi Renky

The original model of the Semi Renky has a body made of some sort of plastic. A tubular optical finder is mounted on the center of the top plate, with an accessory shoe on the right and the advance knob on the left. There are two red windows at the bottom of the back to control 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 on the top and Tokyo at the bottom. On the body's front left, there is a metal plate marked SEMI RENKY in capital letters (this plate looks similar to the one marked The Olympic Camera Works on the Olympic cameras).

The shutter is everset, made by RKS (maybe for Rengō Kōki Seisakusho) and has T, B, 150, 100, 50, 25 speeds. The lens is a 75/4.5, maybe called Renko[1] in the advertisements, but called Tenobder Anastigmat on one observed example. The aperture scale is at the bottom of the shutter plate. Two different shutter plate markings have been observed:

  • Semi Renky engraved on a small crescent-shaped plate screwed at the top, decorative lines and nothing else;[2]
  • Semi Renky directly engraved at the top, decorative lines, R.K.S. at the bottom, round logo probably reading RKS at the right.[3]

This model is offered from 1939[4] (for ¥45) to 1941[5] (for ¥43).

The New Semi Renky

The New Semi Renky has a new metal body, very similar in shape to the previous model. The top and bottom plates are chromed and the rest is leather covered. The top plate has the same features as the previous model, with a New Semi Renky engraving behind the accessory shoe and maybe a RENGO logo with the serial number at the left of the viewfinder. There is also a red arrow engraved near the advance knob to indicate the film advance direction.

It is advertised in 1941[6] only, in four variants:

  • New Semi Renky I with f:4.5 lens and T, B, 25–150 shutter, for ¥58;
  • New Semi Renky II with f:4.5 lens and T, B, 5–200 shutter, for ¥68;
  • New Semi Renky III with f:3.5 lens and T, B, 5–200 shutter, for ¥85;
  • New Semi Renky U with f:3.5 lens and T, B, 1–200 shutter, for ¥95.

An f:4.5 lens has been observed with the name Tenobder Anastigmat. The two cheaper shutters seem to be everset, but surely not the most expensive one. A round logo beginning with "R" (maybe RKS) has been observed on a T, B, 25–150 shutter.

Different marking styles have been observed on the base of the telescopic tube and the shutter plate:

  • RengoKoki on top of the metal ring (like the previous model), bottom not observed but maybe marked Tokyo; New Renky engraved on a small crescent-shaped plate screwed on the shutter plate;[7]
  • New Renky on top of the metal ring, bottom not observed; Semi Renky engraved on a small crescent-shaped plate screwed on the shutter plate;[8]
  • New Semi Renky on top of the metal ring, another marking beginnning with Rengo Koki on the bottom; Semi Renky directly engraved at the top of the shutter plate, a round logo on the right, presumably RKS, bottom not observed but presumably engraved R.K.S.;[9]
  • same as above but with no marking on the shutter plate, presumably on a Model U.[10].

Notes

  1. Inferred from the katakana レンコー.
  2. On an example presented in this page at Japan Family Camera.
  3. In the advertisements and on an example observed in an eBay auction.
  4. Advertisement for the Semi Renky, published in the November 1939 issue of Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, item 321.
  5. Advertisement for the Semi Renky and New Semi Renky, published in the March 1941 issue of Shashin Bunka, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, item 322.
  6. March 1941 advertisement cited above.
  7. On the Semi Renky I pictured in McKeown.
  8. On the Semi Renky II or III pictured in the March 1941 advertisement cited above.
  9. On a Semi Renky I seen for sale at a dealer.
  10. On what is presumably a Semi Renky U, seen in a Yahoo Japan auction.

Printed bibliography

Links

In Japanese: