Semi Rosen
The Semi Rosen (セミ・ローゼン) is a series of Japanese 4.5×6 folders. At least three different cameras share the name "Semi Rosen". They were distributed by Ōsawa Shōkai, that was probably the owner of the Rosen name. Their maker is unclear[1], perhaps it was the company Proud like the Baby Rosen and Rosen Four. A proposed attribution to K.S. Fabrik is surely a mistake.[2]
Contents
The original model
The original model is an Ikonta copy, with a folding optical finder, advertised in 1937[3]. It does not seem to have a body release, and it is embossed ROSEN in the front leather. There is a key for film advance, and a patented device for advance control, apparently consisting of a red window offset to the extreme left of the back. The camera is offered with a Rosen Anastigmat f:4.5 lens and a Rosen shutter giving T, B, 5–250 speeds, for ¥58 — case extra ¥5. An auxiliary rangefinder called Cosmos (コスモス) is offered too, apparently in two versions, graduated in meter or in feet, both for ¥15.
The Semi Rosen III
The only record of the Semi Rosen III is found in Kokusan kamera no rekishi. Its source is the new products column of the April 1940 issue of Asahi Camera. The Semi Rosen III is said to be a Baldax copy with a folding optical finder and a body release. The lens and shutter combinations mentioned are a Rosen 75/4.5 lens on a Rex[4] or Keef[5] shutter and a Welta[6] 75/4.5 lens on a Prontor II shutter.[7]
No record of a Semi Rosen II has been found yet, but it probably existed too.
The Semi Rosen U
The Semi Rosen U is another Ikonta copy, advertised in 1942[8]. Its body looks different from the original model: it is more angular, has metal trimming and seems to be die cast metal instead of pressed steel. The Semi Rosen U has a folding optical finder and a body release. It is embossed Rosen in the front leather. It is offered in an advertisement dated January 1942[9] with a shutter called Presto[10] or Rapid-Presto[11], giving T, B, 1–500 speeds, and two lens options:
Two other lens and shutter combinations are presented in the book Kamera Zukan by Sugiyama and Naoi:[12]
- f:5.6 Coronar lens, Prouder II shutter, giving T, B, 1–175 speeds;
- f:4.5 Hildar lens, Rapid-Presto shutter, giving T, B, 1–500 speeds.
The shutter plate of the Presto-equipped variant is engraved PRESTO near the top, RAPID-PRESTO at the bottom of the speed ring, and something else near the bottom, apparently ending in FABRIK (maybe K.S. FABRIK, see the K.S. Fabrik page).[13]
However, a Semi Rosen U has been reported[14] with a K.S. Nippon marking on the back. It was equipped with a Rapit Anastigmat 75mm f:3.5 lens and a shutter marked K.K.S.
The postwar Rosen
A postwar Japanese 4.5×6 folder called Rosen has been observed once.[15] Its body completely differs from the Semi Rosen described above. It is thought to be a version of the Tsubasa Semi and is described in the corresponding page.
Notes
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi attributes the Semi Rosen to Ōsawa Shōkai, but it was probably a distributor only.
- ↑ McKeown describes the Semi Rosen U in two places, attributing it to Proud, under the name "Rosen Semi", p. 804, and to K.S. Fabrik, under the same "Semi Rosen", p. 572. The latter attribution is probably a confusion with the company making the shutter, see K.S. Fabrik.
- ↑ Advertisement published in the April 1937 issue of Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 104.
- ↑ Inferred from the katakana レックス.
- ↑ Inferred from the katakana キーフ.
- ↑ Inferred from the katakana ウエルタ.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343.
- ↑ Advertisement published in the January 1942 issue of Hōdō Shashin, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 105.
- ↑ Name given in the January 1942 advertisement.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343; McKeown, p. 572 and 804.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343. These combinations are also mentioned in McKeown, pp. 572 and 804, probably after Sugiyama.
- ↑ Example of the Semi Rosen U pictured in McKeown, p. 804. McKeown calls this model the "Rosen Semi".
- ↑ In an eBay auction.
- ↑ In a Yahoo Japan 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 328–30.
- 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. 572 and 804.
