Tomioka
Tomioka was founded in 1924 in Tokyo, Shinagawa (品川) by Tomioka Masashige (冨岡正重) as Tomioka Kōgaku Kenkyūsho (冨岡光学研究所, meaning Tomioka Optical Laboratory).[1] The first lenses were released around 1932.[2] They were the Lausar (ローザー) four-element Tessar-type lenses, available in 50mm, 75mm and 105mm focal lengths.[3]
The company name was changed to Tomioka Kōgaku Kikai Seizōsho (冨岡光学機械製造所) in 1933.[4] It was in Tokyo, Nihonbashi for some time and it was located in Tokyo, Ōmori in 1943.[5]
After the war, the company was incorporated as K.K. Tomioka Kōgaku Kikai Seizōsho (㈱冨岡光学機械製造所), based in Tokyo, Ōme (青梅).[6] The company supplied lenses to a number of Japanese camera makers like Yashica and Royal Camera Company. In addition to the Lausar, other types and brand names include Tominon, Tominor, Tri-Lausar, Tomi-Kogaku, Auto-Tominon, Tomi-Yashinon, Yashimar, Yashikor, Yashinon, Heliotar and Lumaxar. (Yashinon lenses have a reputation of good quality.) Tomioka was bought by Yashica in 1968 and changed its name to Tomioka Kōgaku K.K. (冨岡光学㈱, Tomioka Optical Co., Ltd.) in 1969.[7] The Tomioka plant made Carl Zeiss licensed optics for use on some Japanese cameras, like the Contax. These were made with at least some Zeiss tooling and personnel.[8] Rumours say that Carl Zeiss progressively took control of the production facility but they seem wrong.[9] Tomioka became part of the Kyocera group in 1983 after the merge of Kyocera and Yashica and became Kyocera Optec Co., Ltd. (京セラオプテック㈱) in 1991.[10] The company currently (2007) still exists.
Sources
- Baird, John R. The Japanese Camera. Yakima, WA: Historical Camera Publications, 1990. ISBN 1-879561-02-6. Pp. 58–61.
- Camera Lens News no. 3. Winter 1997/1998. (Carl Zeiss quarterly newsletter, available in pdf format at zeiss.de and reproduced in this page of Dante Stella's website.)
- Camera Magazine 1996-2: pp. 24–27. Article in Dutch.
- Inoue, Mitsuo (井上光朗). "Shashin renzu no yoake. Renzu-ya Funsenki" (写真レンズの夜明け・レンズ屋奮戦記, Dawn of the photographic lens – Fierce war tales between lens shops). Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.14, October 1989. No ISBN number. Rikō kamera no subete (リコーカメラのすべて, special issue on Ricoh). Pp 128–132.
- "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" (国産写真機ノ現状調査, Inquiry into Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943. Reproduced in Supuringu kamera de ikou: Zen 69 kishu no shōkai to tsukaikata (スプリングカメラでいこう: 全69機種の紹介と使い方, Let's try spring cameras: Presentation and use of 69 machines). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2004. ISBN 4-87956-072-3. Pp.180–7.
Links
In English:
- Company outline (and Japanese version) at the Kyocera Optec official website (former Tomioka)
- Tomioka lenses in Barry Toogood's tlr-cameras.com
- Post at photo.net with unverified information about the fate of the Tomioka plant
