Tsubasa Arawashi
Template:127 Japan The Tsubasa Arawashi[1] (ベビー・オーソ) is a 3×4 camera made by the Japanese company Optochrom in 1939–40.
The body is surely metallic. There is a tubular optical finder centered on the top plate, and the advance knob is at the bottom right of the camera.
The Tsubasa Arawashi is advertised in 1939 in two variants:
The lens name is New Gold in an advertisement dated June[2] and Lucomar in another dated September[3].
The camera is still advertised in 1940[4], in both f:6.3 and f:4.5 variants. They are offered at the same price as before but the shutter speeds are not precised.
The Tsubasa Arawashi also appears in a later Japanese catalogue[5], together with the Tsubasa Chrome, Olympic Four and Vest Olympic. The only variant offered has B, 25, 50, 100 speeds and a Lucomar f:6.3 lens, and the price is ¥25 — case ¥6.70 extra.
Notes
- ↑ Arawashi means "wild eagle" or "ace pilot"; it can be written as 荒鷲 but it appears in katakana (アラワシ) in advertisements seen so far.
- ↑ Advertisement for the Tsubasa Arawashi, published in the June 1939 issue of Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, item 148.
- ↑ Advertisement for the Tsubasa Arawashi and Tsubasa Super Semi, published in the September 1939 issue of Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, item 148 and item 149.
- ↑ Advertisement for the Tsubasa II Super Semi and Tsubasa Arawashi, published in the April 1940 issue of Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, item 150.
- ↑ Observed at a Yahoo Japan auction
Printed bibliography
- Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. Item 148–50.
Timeline
Kigawa timeline ( ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
3×4 | rigid | Baby Chrome | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Baby Oso | Tsubasa Oso | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tsubasa Arawashi | ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4×6.5 | telescopic | Tsubasa Chrome | ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
folding | Tsubasa Spring | ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4.5×6 | strut folding | Semi Chrome B | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
horizontal folding | Tsubasa Super Semi | ... | _ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tsubasa II Super Semi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tsubasa Nettar | Tsubasa Kiko Three | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
vertical folding | Semi Chrome A | Semi Sixteenth (dates unclear) |
Semi Kulax | Kiko Semi | ... | _ | Tsubasa Semi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6×6 | horizontal folding | Gotex | ... | ... | Poppy Six (dates unknown) |
... | Carl Six | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TLR | Kiko Flex | Tsubasaflex | Graceflex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16mm | subminiature | ... | Poppy (dates unknown) |
... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manufacturer: | ... | Kigawa Seimitsu | ... | Kigawa Kōgaku | Carl Kōgaku | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shin Nippon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributor: | Optochrom-sha | ... | Nichiei Shōkai | Kikō Shōji | ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cameras whose actual existence is dubious are in a lighter shade. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cameras in yellow are variants sold and maybe assembled by other companies. |