Difference between revisions of "Semi Wester (postwar)"
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== Description == | == Description == | ||
| − | The postwar Semi Wester is a horizontal folder with straight diagonal struts. There is a folding optical finder in the middle of the top plate. The folding bed release is on the left and the body release on the right, as seen by the photographer. The advance knob is at the right end, and there is an accessory shoe at the | + | The postwar Semi Wester is a horizontal folder with straight diagonal struts. There is a folding optical finder in the middle of the top plate. The folding bed release is on the left and the body release on the right, as seen by the photographer. The advance knob is at the right end of the top plate, and there is an accessory shoe at the other end. The back is hinged to the left, and has a single green-coloured rectangular window at the bottom, protected by a sliding cover. The initials ''NKK'' (for <u>N</u>ishida <u>K</u>ōgaku <u>K</u>ōgy<u>K</u>) are embossed in the leatherette of the front door, and the name ''SEMI WESTER'' is embossed on the back. |
| − | The lens is a Wester Anastigmat 7.5cm f/3.5 | + | The lens is a front-cell focusing Wester Anastigmat 7.5cm f/3.5. The shutter is a Wester giving B, 1–200 speeds, with a self-timer and a synch pin at the bottom. The shutter plate is inscribed ''WESTER'' at the top and the rotating rim is engraved ''N.K.K.'' at the bottom. |
== Documents and actual example == | == Documents and actual example == | ||
The Semi Wester was featured in Japanese magazines dated 1951 but no advertisement is reported.<REF> {{Kokusan}}, p.346. </REF> | The Semi Wester was featured in Japanese magazines dated 1951 but no advertisement is reported.<REF> {{Kokusan}}, p.346. </REF> | ||
| − | + | Very few surviving examples have been observed so far, and the known body numbers are 1989 and 2009.<REF> Example pictured in {{SUG}}, item 1439, and in {{Kokusan}}, p.343; example pictured in this page (no.2009); example observed in an online auction (no.1989). </REF> | |
== Name variant == | == Name variant == | ||
Revision as of 15:59, 16 November 2008
The Semi Wester (セミウエスター) is a Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera made around 1951 by Nishida.
It is very different from the wartime Semi Wester, and it was followed by the Wester 6×6 folders.
Contents
Description
The postwar Semi Wester is a horizontal folder with straight diagonal struts. There is a folding optical finder in the middle of the top plate. The folding bed release is on the left and the body release on the right, as seen by the photographer. The advance knob is at the right end of the top plate, and there is an accessory shoe at the other end. The back is hinged to the left, and has a single green-coloured rectangular window at the bottom, protected by a sliding cover. The initials NKK (for Nishida Kōgaku KōgyK) are embossed in the leatherette of the front door, and the name SEMI WESTER is embossed on the back.
The lens is a front-cell focusing Wester Anastigmat 7.5cm f/3.5. The shutter is a Wester giving B, 1–200 speeds, with a self-timer and a synch pin at the bottom. The shutter plate is inscribed WESTER at the top and the rotating rim is engraved N.K.K. at the bottom.
Documents and actual example
The Semi Wester was featured in Japanese magazines dated 1951 but no advertisement is reported.[1]
Very few surviving examples have been observed so far, and the known body numbers are 1989 and 2009.[2]
Name variant
A name variant of the Semi Wester was featured in Japanese magazines dated 1951.[3] The name is only known in katakana: "セミロード I", perhaps for Semi Lord I.[4] It reportedly has a Lord (ロード) 75/3.5 lens and a synchronized Wester shutter (B, 1–200, self-timer).
Pictures
  
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| Semi Wester no.2009, Wester Anastigmat 7.5cm f/3.5 lens no.19348, NKK Wester shutter. Pictures courtesy of eBayer camera$. (Image rights) |
Notes
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.346.
- ↑ Example pictured in Sugiyama, item 1439, and in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.343; example pictured in this page (no.2009); example observed in an online auction (no.1989).
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.374.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.374, says "Semi Roud I" but this source is not very reliable for Roman spellings, and "Semi Lord" is more plausible.
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 386 and 1046.
- 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 1439.
Links
In Japanese:
- Semi Wester among other cameras at AEI Collectibles
