Difference between revisions of "Semi Wester (postwar)"
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|image=[http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebollo_fr/2361845013/in/pool-camerapedia/ http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/2361845013_8c1a0bb726_m_d.jpg]<br>''Picture courtesy of eBayer camera$. {{with permission}}'' | |image=[http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebollo_fr/2361845013/in/pool-camerapedia/ http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/2361845013_8c1a0bb726_m_d.jpg]<br>''Picture courtesy of eBayer camera$. {{with permission}}'' | ||
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| − | + | ''See also the [[Wester (wartime 4.5×6)|wartime Wester]], a very different 4.5×6cm camera made by the same manufacturer in the first half of the 1940s.'' | |
| − | + | The '''Semi Wester''' (セミウエスター) is a [[Japanese 4.5×6 folders|Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera]] made around 1951 by [[Nishida]]. It was followed by the [[Wester 6×6 folders]]. | |
== Description == | == Description == | ||
Revision as of 11:14, 29 August 2010
See also the wartime Wester, a very different 4.5×6cm camera made by the same manufacturer in the first half of the 1940s.
The Semi Wester (セミウエスター) is a Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera made around 1951 by Nishida. It was followed by the Wester 6×6 folders.
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 is retained by a sliding bar on the right. It has a single green-coloured rectangular window at the bottom, protected by a sliding cover.
The name Semi Wester is engraved on the top plate, on the viewfinder's left, and the company name NISHIDA OPTICAL CO. is inscribed on the viewfinder's right. The initials NKK (for Nishida Kōgaku Kōgyō) 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.
The ever-ready case is made of brown leather and is embossed Wester at the front.
 
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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) |
Commercial life
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.[2] Some examples have a serial number engraved on the top plate (known numbers are 1989 and 2009); others have no serial number and a larger spacing between the words NISHIDA and OPTICAL CO.
  
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| Semi Wester no.1989, Wester Anastigmat 7.5cm f/3.5 lens no.19142, NKK Wester shutter. Pictures copyright Tsuguhide Nakagi. (Image rights) |
Name variant
A name variant of the Semi Wester was featured in 1951 in Japanese magazines.[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). No surviving example has yet been observed, and this variant was perhaps not commercially sold.
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 article and in this page at AEI Collectibles (no.1989); other example pictured in this article (no.2009); example observed in an online auction (no serial number).
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.374, saying that it is the same as the Semi Wester.
- ↑ 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
