Shumy and Harmony
The Shumy and the Harmony are inexpensive 6×6 viewfinder cameras made in Japan, probably at the end of the 1950s. They are attributed to Chūō Shashin-yōhin.[1] It was probably the distributor and the cameras were made by an unknown company.
General description
The Shumy and Harmony have a plastic body with metal top and bottom parts. They were probably the successors of the Ponix, to which they are quite similar except for the top housing containing the viewfinder and the position of the advance knob on the top right. In particular the Harmony exactly corresponds to the description of the Super Ponix announced in Japanese magazines in 1958.
Like for the Ponix, the top plate is removable together with the exposure chamber and spool holders to load the film. There is a single uncovered red window in the middle of the back, to control the film advance. There is also a tripod socket at the bottom. The exposure chamber is curved to compensate the aberrations of the meniscus lens. All the models have a body release and a PC synch post attached to the front of the body, near the top.
The Harmony
The Harmony is the most expensive version, with speed, aperture and distance controls. It has a bright front plate and a bright lens barrel Two focusing scales are visible under the lens, in metres and in feet. The speeds are set by an index at the top right of the lens barrel, with B, F (Fast) and S (Slow) positions. The aperture is set by another index at the top left, with three positions: BRIGHT OR SNOW OR SAND, SUN and HAZY SUN.
The name HARMONY is inscribed on the front plate, above the lens barrel. The front plate is also written MADE IN JAPAN at the bottom.
The Shumy
The Shumy has a fixed-focus lens. It was probably named after the word shumi, meaning "hobby" in Japanese. The lens barrel is all black and is written MADE IN JAPAN at the bottom. It seems to have the same speed settings as the Harmony but no aperture control.[2] The front plate is black and is marked SHUMY at the top.
The Flashline
The Flashline is a name variant of the Shumy. The only visible difference is that the front plate is marked FLASHLINE at the top.
Notes
Bibliography
- 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. 206.
- 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. Items 4145 and 4176.
These cameras are not listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi.
