Tanack 35 to IV-S

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The Tanack are Japanese Leica copies, made from late 1952 by Tanaka Kōgaku. This article treats the main series of Tanack cameras, from the original Tanack 35 to the Tanack IV-S, whose design is very close to that of the Leica. The company made later attempts at producing more advanced rangefinder cameras: the Tanack SD, inspired by the Nikon S2, and the Tanack V3 and VP, closer to contemporary Canon models.

General description

The first generation of Tanack cameras is copied on the Leica screw mount models, with a horizontally running focal-plane shutter and a screw mount lens. The main difference to the Leica is the hinged back. All the models presumably have the same construction, with four main parts: top casting with exposure frame, bottom casting, front body shell and hinged back.

3448548532_910dfaa9f2_d.jpg
Structure of the Tanack IV-S, from Shashin Kōgyō November 1955. (Image rights)

The position of the controls — advance knob, exposure counter, release button, rewind lever, speed dial and extractable rewind knob — is the same as on the Leica. The shutter always has 1/500 top speed. The camera is synchronized for flash, via one or two PC sockets at the front.

3448548366_24d650eef8_m_d.jpg
Viewfinder of the Tanack IV-S, from Shashin Kōgyō November 1955. (Image rights)

The eyepieces of the viewfinder and rangefinder are close together, as on the Leica IIIb, but the rangefinder has no diopter correction. The rangefinder has 1.5× magnification and the windows are physically spaced by 38mm, giving an effective base of 57mm.[1] Some versions of the Tanar standard lenses focus down to 1.5ft, but the rangefinder is coupled until 3.5ft only.[2] On all the models, a screw is visible next to the viewfinder window, certainly for rangefinder adjustment.

The back is hinged to the right for film loading, as seen by the photographer. It is locked by a lever underneath the camera, on the rewind side, with O and S indications (for Open and Shut). The camera can take preloaded cartridges only, because the configuration of the back does not allow to use refillable Leica cassettes; the company said that this feature was abandoned to keep the camera small enough.[3] The pressure plate is permanently attached to the camera back. The tripod thread is on the advance side, under the camera.

All the models have the name Tanack engraved in double-struck letters above the viewfinder, together with the company name Tanaka Optical Company Ltd., and sometimes with a model name. The serial number is engraved in front of the accessory shoe, with N° prefix. Some examples are marked Made in Japan underneath, on the advance or rewind side.

Designer

The designer of the Tanack was a former employee of Kōgaku Seiki, later Nicca, which was founded by Kumagai Genji and made the Nippon Leica copy during the war.[4] He was perhaps called Tanaka, giving his name to the company,[5] or he might have been Saitō Tomosaburō (齋藤友三郎), member of the Tanaka company who wrote a detailed article on the Tanack IV-S in the November 1955 issue of Shashin Kōgyō.[6]

Early models, with separate viewfinder cover

Description

The early Tanack 35 have a top cover made of two parts, as on the Leica models until the IIIb. They also have no strap lugs and a single synch socket, presumably for FP bulbs only. Their main speed dial have the following positions: B, 20–1, 30, 40, 60, 100, 200, 500.

Two main versions exist, with and without slow speeds. The slow speed dial is in front of the body, as on the Leica III, and has T, 1, 2, 4, 8, 20 positions. The cameras with no slow speeds have a round cover instead, with a small leatherette patch. None of these cameras has a model name above the viewfinder cover.

3450268448_f1b3998b02_d.jpg
Tanack 35, no slow speeds, Tanar 50mm f/3.5 collapsible lens.
From the November 1953 special issue of Photo Art. (Image rights)

Original documents

3450268586_fa48ac771e_m_d.jpg
Column on the Tanack 35 in the November 1953 special issue of Photo Art. (Image rights)

The version without slow speeds came first. It was reportedly announced in the December 1952 issue of Ars Camera, under the name "Tanack 35", and was first advertised in the May 1953 issue of the same magazine.[7] The advertisement shows a camera with no slow speeds and a four-digit serial number, perhaps 27x2.[8] It has a collapsible Tanar 50mm f/3.5, and no other lens is listed. The price is not indicated, and the camera is still presented as a new model.

The column in the November 1953 special issue of Photo Art, reproduced on the right, shows the camera with no slow speeds, again called "Tanack 35" only.[9] The pictured camera has a five-digit serial number, perhaps in the 27xxx range, and has the same collapsible Tanar 50mm f/3.5. The price is given as ¥23,800 with that lens.

The version with slow speeds was introduced in Spring 1954, simultaneously with the Tanar 50mm f/2.8 lens. The two versions, with and without slow speeds, were offered concurrently until the end of the year. The company adopted rather illogical model names, relying on the presence of slow speeds and on the standard lens mounted on the camera. The first advertisement for the new version, in Asahi Camera March 1954 (listing the authorized dealers Nittō Shashin-yōhin and Takemoto Shōkai), shows the following names:[10]

  • IIC, no slow speeds, f/3.5 lens, ¥23,800;
  • IIIC, no slow speeds, f/2.8 lens, ¥26,400;
  • IIF, with slow speeds, f/3.5 lens, ¥27,200;
  • IIIF, with slow speeds, f/2.8 lens, ¥29,800.

These are the names found in most original documents, but some advertisements list different, probably mistaken, combinations.[11] (At least one original document mentions five versions for the original Tanack 35, called IIC, IIIC, IF, IIF and IIIF.)[12] Recently, some authors adopted the names "Tanack 35C" and "Tanack 35F", respectively for the cameras without and with slow speeds.[11]

Production and variations

Serial numbers for the early Tanack are confirmed in the 27xxx, 28xxx and 54xxx ranges. The original sequence perhaps started at 2700 or 2701 and jumped to five digits after reaching 2799, as indicated by the number 27x2 visible in the early advertisement mentioned above.[13] It is likely that the first two digits "27" correspond to year 27 of the Shōwa era (i.e. 1952), when the first cameras were produced.

Body no.27959 is the earliest known so far with slow speeds.[14] The existence of that camera, and the absence of any camera with six-digit number, hint that the sequence seamlessly advanced from 27999 to 28000, perhaps during year 1953 (Shōwa year 28) or 1954 (commercial release of the camera with slow speeds). The first two digits are thus roughly related to the year of production, but are no definitive indication. Cameras are known in the 28xxx range up to 28821.[15]

The next batch certainly started at 54000 or 54001, during year 1954. It is distinguished by a newer frame around the viewfinder window, with a more rectangular shape, as adopted on the Leica in 1937. It is also said that the collar around the release button was modified to receive a cable release, and that an anti-rebound device was added to the shutter, but it is not known if these modifications were simultaneous.[16]

The last camera known in the 54xxx range has no.54572 and no slow speeds.[17] It has a small window in the advance knob, for an ASA sensitivity reminder. This device is absent from the later Tanack IIIS, and was perhaps experimental only.

The total production of the original Tanack 35 (with and without slow speeds) can be estimated at about 2,500 units (about 1,900 in the first batch, and about 600 in the second batch). Comparatively few are known to survive, perhaps because the build quality of these early cameras was relatively bad,[18] and they broke down faster than the later models.

Transitional models: Tanack IIIS and IIISa

Description

The Tanack IIIS and IIISa introduced a new integral top cover, combining the top plate and viewfinder cover in a single part. It does not come down towards the lens mount, unlike the top cover of the Leica IIIc and various Leica copies, and its design is unique to the Tanack. There is a small hump under the rewind knob, as on the Leica IIIc, but there is no dioptre correction lever and this hump has no particular purpose. The frame around the viewfinder window is thin, as on the IIIc.

3448548196_0bb7b86533_m_d.jpg
Dual synchronization circuit of the Tanack IIIS and IV-S, from Shashin Kōgyō November 1955. (Image rights)

The model name TYPE–IIIS or TYPE–IIISa is engraved above the viewfinder, between the brand name Tanack and the company name. The milling of the advance and rewind knobs is made of vertical and horizontal lines, instead of the diamond pattern of the earlier models.

The range of speeds is modified, with B, 25–1, 50, 75, 100, 200, 500 positions on the main dial, and T, B, 1, 2, 4, 8, 25 positions on the slow speed dial. The IIIS has two PC synch sockets, for FP or X synchronization, whereas the IIISa has a single socket, as on the previous models.

Documents and actual examples

The Tanack IIIS was only briefly advertised in Japanese magazines dated November and December 1954.[19] The December advertisement in Ars Camera lists the camera as the "Tanack 35 IIIS", available at ¥31,700 with the Tanar 50mm f/2.8, and at ¥29,100 with the rigid Tanar 50mm f/3.5.[20] It states that the camera comes with a guarantee (責任保証付), perhaps because of reliability problems with the earlier model. The pictured camera has a body number in the 67xxx range.

Actual cameras are known with a serial number in the 68xxx range, from 68075 to 68467.[21] The Tanack IIISa does not appear in the original documents, and a single surviving example is known so far.[22] It may have been assembled from an unfinished Tanack 35 main body, without modifying it for dual synchronization.

Tanack IV-S

Description

The Tanack IV-S is by far the most common version. It is very similar to the IIIS, from which it initially differed by the model name TYPE IV–S engraved at the top and by the addition of strap lugs, of a film plane indicator to the rear of the company name, and of two black lines circling the body, under the top cover and above the bottom plate. Various other changes occurred during the production run, introducing further differences to the IIIS.

3447736697_5a096cf0b5_m_d.jpg 3448548812_e486e8b9cb_m_d.jpg 3448550758_b2674b0554_m_d.jpg
Tanack IV-S no.68575, from the first set of pictures sent to the press and used in the user manual.
From Shashin Kōgyō November 1955. (Image rights)

Original documents

3447720541_6f23f1d101_m_d.jpg
Column on the Tanack IV-S in Shashin Kōgyō July 1955. (Image rights)

The Tanack IV-S was advertised in Japanese magazines from January 1955 onwards.[23] The May advertisement in Ars Camera shows a camera with Tanar 5cm f/2 lens, and gives no price and no detail.[24] The camera was not announced in the magazines until Summer,[25] perhaps because it introduced little practical change from the Tanack 35. The July issue of Shashin Kōgyō, reproduced on the right, lists the camera with f/2, f/2.8 or f/3.5 lenses, mentions 1/1000 top speed by mistake, and says that the camera can take pictures until 1.5ft, certainly because all the lens barrels were altered (see Tanar lenses).[26] The camera is priced at ¥38,500 with f/2 lens, and the other prices are unchanged: ¥31,700 with f/2.8 and ¥29,100 with f/3.5.

The camera with f/2 lens appears again as a new product in the September issue of the same magazine, reproduced below,[27] and the November issue contains a detailed article by Saitō Tomosaburō of the Tanaka company.[28]

3448534844_235c8d04d4_d.jpg
Column on the Tanack IV-S in Shashin Kōgyō September 1955. (Image rights)

The October 1955 special issue of Photo Art, reproduced in the bibliography section, mentions a fourth lens option, with a Hexar 50mm f/3.5, at ¥31,600, and says that the camera was available from Spring.[29]

To be continued.

Fakes

A number of fake Tanack cameras have appeared in today's collectors market. These are made from Fed or Zorki bottom-loading cameras, and are very easy to detect from the absence of a hinged back. (The presence of an integral top cover is not a good criterion because genuine early Tanack have a separate top cover for the viewfinder.)

Notes

  1. ↑ Saitō, p.349 of Shashin Kōgyō November 1955.
  2. ↑ Saitō, p.350 of Shashin Kōgyō November 1955.
  3. ↑ Saitō, p.348 of Shashin Kōgyō November 1955: 唯タナックIVSはこのため現在ではマガジンを使用し得ない不便がありますが、小型ボディを標榜しているため一応マガジン使用を断念しました.
  4. ↑ Shirai, pp.25–6 of Maboroshi no kamera o otte: 熊谷氏の会社の職人だった人々が作ったカメラに、やはりライカそっくりの「タナック」、「チヨタックス」、「メルコン」があるという.
  5. ↑ Tanaka is a very common family name in Japan.
  6. ↑ Saitō, pp.348–51 of Shashin Kōgyō November 1955. This magazine frequently contained articles written by top designers of their respective companies.
  7. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.354.
  8. ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.145.
  9. ↑ Column in the November 1953 special issue of Photo Art (no.58), p.86.
  10. ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.586, listing the authorized dealers Nittō Shashin-yōhin and Takemoto Shōkai.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Awano, pp.52–3 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.37.
  12. ↑ Column in the October 1955 special issue of Photo Art (no.87), p.78, reproduced in the bibliography section.
  13. ↑ Advertisement in Ars Camera May 1953 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.145.
  14. ↑ Example pictured in this page at World Leica Copies.
  15. ↑ Example pictured in Awano, p.52 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.37, and in HPR, p.295.
  16. ↑ Awano, p.53 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.37.
  17. ↑ Example pictured in Pont / Princelle, p.247.
  18. ↑ Comments on the unsatisfying build quality are notably found in Awano, p.52 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.37. This is confirmed by the condition of most cameras observed so far.
  19. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.354. Awano, p.53 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.37, says that the IIIS was released in August 1954 but this is unconfirmed.
  20. ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.146.
  21. ↑ Example no.68075 pictured in Awano, p.53 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.37, in Sugiyama, item 3765, and in HPR, pp.296–7 (the serial number is reported in the latter). Example no.68467 observed in an online auction.
  22. ↑ Example pictured in Awano, p.53 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.37, and in Sugiyama, item 3766.
  23. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.354.
  24. ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.145.
  25. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.354.
  26. ↑ Column in Shashin Kōgyō July 1955, p.39.
  27. ↑ Column in Shashin Kōgyō September 1955, pp.183–4.
  28. ↑ Saitō, pp.348–51 of Shashin Kōgyō November 1955.
  29. ↑ Column in the October 1955 special issue of Photo Art (no.87), p.78.

Bibliography

Original documents

3448534604_5cf09033ea_m_d.jpg
Column on the Tanack 35 in the October 1955 special issue of Photo Art. (Image rights)
  • Photo Art rinji zōkan: Zoku kamera no chishiki (フォトアート臨時増刊・続・カメラの知識, Photo Art special issue: Knowledge of cameras, continued). November 1953, no.58 of the magazine. "Kamera gyararī: Naigai kamera 200-shu tenbō" (カメラギャラリー・内外カメラ200種展望, Camera gallery: panorama of 200 Japanese and foreign cameras). P.86.
  • Photo Art rinji zōkan: Kamera no chishiki (フォトアート臨時増刊・カメラの知識, Photo Art special issue: Knowledge of cameras). October 1955, no.87 of the magazine. "Kokusan kamera no saiten 1. 35-miri kamera" (国産カメラの祭典・1・35ミリカメラ, Japanese camera festival 1, 35mm cameras). P.78.
  • Saitō Tomosaburō (齋藤友三郎), of the Tanaka Kōgaku company. "Tanakku IVS-gata no kaisetsu" (タナックIVS型の解説, Comments on the Tanack IV-S). In Shashin Kōgyō no.41, November 1955.
  • Shashin Kōgyō. Advertisements by Shōwa Kōgaku Seiki:
    • no.54, November 1956, p.325;
    • no.56, January 1957, p.6;
    • no.57, February 1957, p.86;
    • no.58, March 1957, p.164;
    • no.59, April 1957, p.250;
    • no.60, June 1957, p.334.
  • Shashin Kōgyō no.37, July 1955. "Kokusan 35-miri kamera sōran" (国産35ミリカメラ総らん, Panorama of Japanese 35mm cameras). P.39.
  • Shashin Kōgyō no.39, September 1955. "Nyūsu furashu" (ニュースフラシュ, News flash). Pp.183–4.
  • Shashin Kōgyō no.52, September 1956. "Kokusan kamera memo" (国産カメラメモ, Memo of Japanese cameras). P.217.
  • Shashin Kōgyō no.53, October 1956. "Renzu kōkan-gata kamera go-shu o kentō suru" (レンズ交換型カメラ五種を検討する, Inspecting five cameras with interchangeable lens). Pp.265–9.
  • Tanaka Optical Co., Ltd. Tanack Type IVS with "Tanar" lens, Direction for using. User manual of the Tanack IV-S. Reproduced in this page by Patrick Badaire and in this page by Stephen @ Lee.

Recent sources

Links

General links

In English:

In French:

In Japanese:

User manuals and documents

Past auction sales

  • Past sales by Westlicht:
    • Tanack IIIS with Tanar 50mm f/3.5: lot no.425 of auction no.14 (November 30, 2008)
    • Tanack IV-S, body only: lot no.406 of auction no.9 (May 20, 2006)
    • Tanack IV-S with Tanar 50mm f/2.8: lot no.356 of auction no.7 (May 21, 2005)
    • Tanack IV-S with Tanar 5cm f/2: lot no.259 of auction no.10 (November 18, 2006)
    • Tanack IV-S with Tanar 5cm f/2: lot no.337 of auction no.12 (November 17, 2007)
  • Past sales by Christies:
  • Past sales by Auction Team Breker:
    • Tanack IV-S with Tanar 5cm f/2: lot no.273 and lot no.274 of the March 25, 2006 auction
    • Tanack IV-S with Tanar 5cm f/2: lot no.455 of the September 30, 2006 auction
  • Tanack IV-S with Tanar 5cm f/2: lot no.250 of the August 23, 2008 auction by Skinner
  • Tanack IV-S with Tanar 5cm f/2: lot no.5 of the May 6, 2006 auction by Tamarkin


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