Toyoca 35 (TLR)

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2150674108_6a7b074815_m_d.jpg
Picture courtesy of Bernard Guéant. (Image rights)
Japanese 35mm TLR (edit)
24×36mm Haco 35 | Hulda 35 | Samocaflex 35 | Toyoca 35 | Yallu Flex
Japanese 4×4 TLR, 6×6 TLR and pseudo TLR ->

The Toyoca 35 (トヨカ35) TLR, sometimes called "Toyocaflex 35" (トヨカフレックス35), is a Japanese 35mm TLR made by Tougodo from 1955 to 1957. The Haco 35 and Hulda 35 are name variants.

Description

The Toyoca 35 TLR is shaped as a conventional 35mm camera with a mirror box and viewing lens grafted on one side of the taking lens. There is an additional direct vision finder in the top housing, above the taking lens. The film runs horizontally and is advanced by a knob at the right end of the top plate, as seen by the photographer. The knob has an arrow indicating the turning direction, and its base is surrounded by an exposure counter; it is not coupled to the shutter, which must be cocked separately by hand. Next to the advance knob is the shutter release, surrounded by a removable milled cup which is sometimes missing on the examples found today; this release button is interlocked with the advance for double exposure prevention. The accessory shoe is to the right of the direct vision finder. The viewing hood for the reflex finder is on the left, and contains a magnifying lens hinged at the front and erected by a small lever on the side. There is a condenser in the reflex finder, for a brighter illumination of the corners, and the viewing screen has a cross and parallax indications on the left.[1] The rewind knob is at the left end of the top plate.

The camera name Toyoca 35, is engraved on a nameplate screwed above the viewing lens; variations in the engraving are known (see below), sometimes with quotes around "35". There is a lens-shaped TOYOCA FLEX logo and "35" above the direct vision finder. The body serial number is inscribed in front of the accessory shoe.

The back is hinged to the right; inside the camera the exposure chamber and pressure appear offset to the right because of the mirror box. There are knob-like flanges at both ends of the bottom plate. The one on the advance side contains a tripod thread, there is a smaller knob next to it, with A and R indications, to unlock the sprocket shaft for film rewind. The bottom plate also has the words MADE IN JAPAN engraved in small characters.

2150674108_6a7b074815_m_d.jpg 2150674110_aee1572c0a_m_d.jpg 2150674112_779b4b224d_m_d.jpg
2150674126_db1a040081_m_d.jpg 2150674116_daa75cd830_m_d.jpg 2150674120_504f75b80e_m_d.jpg
Toyoca 35 (TLR) no.56881, B, 1–300 speeds, silver lens rim.
Pictures courtesy of Bernard Guéant. (Image rights)

The two lenses and the shutter unit move together for focusing; the helical surrounding the taking lens is driven by a focusing tab. The shutter gives B, 1–200 or B, 1–300 speeds (see below) and has a self-timer. It has an additional release lever on the side, opposite the self-timer lever, used in case the user accidentally trips the main release without having cocked the shutter first: the lock for double exposure prevention then makes the main release unoperable and the loaded film frame would otherwise be lost.[2] There are two PC synch sockets buried in the main body under the viewing lens, with F and X indications corresponding to flash bulbs or electronic flash.

The taking lens is an Owla Anastigmat 4.5cm f/3.5 and the viewing lens is a Viewer Owla Anastigmat 4.5cm f/3.5. The lens numbers are in the same range, and the two lenses are probably identical except for the marking.

Evolution of the Toyoca 35

The Toyoca 35 slightly evolved during its production run.

First version, NKS shutter

The first version has an NKS shutter (B, 1–200), with either one of four different nameplates. The aperture scale is above the shutter casing and has the NKS logo. The black shutter plate sometimes has TOYOCA at the bottom, but this is not the sign of a shutter change.[3] The first version is also distinguished by the shape of the focusing tab, reproducing the shape of the fixed part of the mount, and by the presence of a spring-loaded infinity stop. The examples of the first version are said to focus down to 2.5ft.[4]

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Toyoca 35 (TLR) no.55973, taking lens no.541121, viewing lens no.541446, NKS shutter (B, 1–200), second nameplate variant.
Picture courtesy of Alexander Schulz. (Image rights)

At least four nameplate variants exist with the NKS shutter. The first nameplate has no underlining, a plain Toyoca with a squarish "y" letter and perhaps '35' in single quotes. It is only known from the April 1955 advertisement in Asahi Camera.[5] The second nameplate has the word Toyoca underlined from the bottom of the "T" to the end of the "a", with a round "y" letter and no quotes around 35.[6] The third nameplate has bars coming out of the letters "y" and "a", underlining the word Toyoca, and has "35" in double quotes.[7] The fourth nameplate has long bars coming out of the "T" and "y" letters and double quotes.[8]

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Second, third and fourth nameplate variants (from left to right).
Left and right pictures courtesy of Alexander Schulz. (Image rights)
Middle picture from the October 1955 special issue of Photo Art. (Image rights)

Second version, 1/300 top speed

2441204173_8bc7546983_t_d.jpg 2441204177_ce880e32fa_t_d.jpg
Old and new focusing tab. (Image rights)

On the second version, the NKS shutter was replaced by a different model, giving B, 1–300 speeds. The new shutter is also distinguished by a different position and shape of the shutter cocking lever, and by the aperture scale moved to the bottom of the shutter plate. The second version is also distinguished by a new focusing tab with no infinity stop. It seems that the close focusing distance was modified at the same time, and became 3ft or perhaps 3.5ft.[9]

2438790665_64ee575a36_m_d.jpg 2438790669_e57ebc8bcc_m_d.jpg
Toyoca 35 (TLR) no.57205, taking lens no.56818, viewing lens no.541247, B, 1–300 speeds, black lens rim.
Pictures courtesy of Alexander Schulz. (Image rights)

All the cameras of the second version have the fourth nameplate type. The early examples retain the silver taking lens rim of the previous version.[10] The last examples have a black instead of silver taking lens rim.[11]

Hulda 35 and Haco 35 name variants

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Hulda 35 no.56605, NKS shutter, HULDA FLEX logo.
Picture courtesy of Alexander Schulz. (Image rights)

The Hulda 35 is a name variant of the Toyoca 35, mainly differing by the HULDA "35" nameplate. It is only known with the NKS shutter (B, 1–200). Some examples have a HULDA FLEX logo engraved on the top housing, but at least one is known with the TOYOCA FLEX logo instead.[12]

The Haco 35 is another name variant of the Toyoca 35, probably made for export only.[13] It was certainly sold by the same distributor as the Haco-44 TLR. The only example observed so far is pictured in Sugiyama.[14] It has the newer shutter to 1/300 and the newer focusing tab, and its taking lens has a silver rim. Its nameplate reads HACO "35", and it is unclear if the top housing has TOYOCA or HACO.

Commercial life

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Column on the Toyoca 35 (TLR) in the October 1955 special issue of Photo Art. (Image rights)

The Toyoca 35 TLR was featured in Japanese magazines dated February 1955, and was first advertised on the same month.[15] Advertisements dated April, June and November 1955 in Asahi Camera give the price of ¥11,000 (case included).[16] In all these, the shutter is mentioned as an NKS (B, 1–200), and the pictured camera corresponds to the first version, mainly recognized by the aperture scale at the top of the shutter casing. The nameplate in the April picture is of the first type, and it is of the third type in the June and November pictures.

The camera was also featured in the October 1955 special issue of Photo Art.[17] The picture and the price are the same as in the June and November advertisements.

The November 1956 advertisement in Asahi Camera gives the price of ¥1956, with ¥1,000 extra for the case.[18] The shutter name is not mentioned. In the picture, the aperture scale is at the bottom, indicating that the camera is of the second version, and the taking lens has a silver rim.

The last reported advertisement is dated January 1957.[19]

Total production

The observed or reported body numbers of the Toyoca 35, Haco 35 and Hulda 35 have five digits in the 55xxx, 56xxx and 57xxx range; the first two digits might indicate the year of production but this is yet unclear.[20] The known taking and viewing lens numbers usually have either six digits in the 541xxx range or five digits in the 55xxx range, and a few taking lenses have a five-digit number in the 56xxx or 58xxx range.[21] The spanned range tends to indicate that the viewing and taking lenses were numbered in separate sequences; the lens number prefix might indicate the year of production too. The total production can be estimated at little less than 2,000 units.

Notes

  1. ↑ Details of the reflex finder: Awano, p.155 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.35.
  2. ↑ Release lever described in Awano, p.155 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.35. It is visible on the cameras with 1/200 and 1/300 top speed.
  3. ↑ Compare the cameras pictured in Sugiyama, items 3822 and 3823: the shutter controls are identical and the only difference is the TOYOCA marking (and the nameplate variant).
  4. ↑ Awano, p.155 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.35, says 2.5ft on the "early version" (初期型).
  5. ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.152.
  6. ↑ Examples pictured in this article (no.55973), in this page at Kamera Tenjiba, in this page at Nekosan, and observed in online auctions.
  7. ↑ Examples pictured in Sugiyama, item 3823, in Awano, p.155 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.35, and in Watakushi no ni-gan-refu kamera-ten, p.31.
  8. ↑ Examples pictured in Sugiyama, item 3822, and in this page at Historic Camera.
  9. ↑ Awano, p.155 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.35, says 3ft; another source reports 3.5ft.
  10. ↑ Examples pictured in this article (no.56881), in McKeown, p.932 (where the shutter is wrongly described as an NSK), and in Kuno, pp.129–30 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
  11. ↑ Examples pictured in this article (no.57205) and observed in an online auction.
  12. ↑ Hulda 35 with HULDA FLEX: examples pictured in this article (no.56605) and in Kuno, p.130 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10. Hulda 35 with TOYOCA FLEX: example pictured in the 18 December 1996 Christies auction catalogue, lot no.187.
  13. ↑ Export only: Sugiyama, item 3271.
  14. ↑ Sugiyama, item 3271.
  15. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.356.
  16. ↑ Advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.152.
  17. ↑ Special issue of Photo Art October 1955 Kamera no chishiki, p.73.
  18. ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.152.
  19. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.356.
  20. ↑ Known body numbers: from 55444 to 55973, from 56470 to 56881, and from 57161 to 57205.
  21. ↑ Known taking lens numbers: from 541024 to 541918, from 55126 to 55431, 56818, 58026 and 58070. Known viewing lens numbers: from 541154 to 541930, and from 55115 to 55733.

Bibliography

Links

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In Japanese:

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