Takane

Takane Kōgaku (高嶺光学, Takane Optical) was the maker of several folding roll-film cameras.

Models

Daido Six

Daidō Seiki (大同精工), the predecessor of Takane, brought out the Daido Six in December 1953. This was a rangefinderless folder whose body was based on that of the Mihama Six (which the company was making for Suruga). It had two finders, for 6×6 and 6×4.5; and two windows for film numbers. Like all its successors, the Daido came with a 75mm f3.5 lens; this one was from a dealer in Ikebukuro (Tokyo) and was named "Daido"; it had front-cell focussing. The NKS shutter provided for speeds of 1–¹/₂₀₀ and B.

Daido Semi

Daidō brought out the Daido Semi at the same time as the Daido Six. This was a simplified and cheaper version, for 6×4.5 only.

Sisley 55

The Sisley (シスレー, shisurē) 55, released around May 1954, was the first product of the newly renamed Takane Kōgaku. It added a non-coupled rangefinder to the Daido Six, a folder whose body was based on that of the Mihama Six (which Takane was making for Suruga). It had two windows for film numbers (for 6×6 or 6×4.5;). Like all its successors, the Sisley 55 came with a 75mm f3.5 lens; this one was named "Deep-C" and had front-cell focussing (calibrated in feet). The NKS shutter provided for speeds of 1–¹/₂₀₀ and B.

Mine Six

The Mine (ミネ) Six, released in March 1955, was a major upgrade by Takane Kōgaku of the Sisley 55. Like all the Mine Six models that would follow, its body was based on that of the Mihama Six (which Takane was making for Suruga). It had two windows for film numbers; the frame size (6×6 or 6×4.5;) was selected via a lever on the front of the camera. Like all its successors, the Mine Six came with a unit-focussing 75mm f3.5 lens; here, it was a Nittō Kominar. The camera had a Rectus shutter with speeds of 1–¹/₂₀₀ and B.

Sources / further reading

• Hagiya Takeshi (萩谷剛). "Gunma-ken Takasaki-shi no kameramēkā" (群馬県高崎市のカメラメーカー, A camera-maker in Takasaki, Gunma). Chapter 7 of Zunō kamera tanjō: Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari (ズノーカメラ誕生：戦後国産カメラ10物語, The birth of the Zunow camera: Ten stories of postwar Japanese camera makers). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1999. ISBN 4-257-12023-1 In Japanese only. First published in issue 27 (December 1993) of Kamera rebyū: Kurashikku kamera senka (カメラレビュー・クラシックカメラ専科), this history of Takane is based on Hagiya's interviews with four people who had been key figures in the company.

• Nakamura Fumio (中村文夫). Tsuzuki: Supuringu kamera de ikō: Mine shikkusu (続・スプリングカメラでいこう：ミネシックス, Let's use folders (continued): The Mine Six). Shashin Kōgyō (写真工業), March 2003.

• Kamera rebyū: Kurashikku kamera senka (カメラレビュー・クラシックカメラ専科), no. 55. Has an article on the Mine Six.

External links

• Daido Six a terse page (in Japanese) about the Daido Six, with photographs, at the Japan Family Camera website
• The Takumar 75/3.5 of a Mine Six IIF used on a K-mount Pentax (in Japanese)