Difference between revisions of "Waltax"
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# {{note|3}}{{Showa10ad|Waltax|1062|Nov 1947|Kōka Gekkan}} | # {{note|3}}{{Showa10ad|Waltax|1062|Nov 1947|Kōka Gekkan}} | ||
# {{note|4}}Its address was Tōkyō-to Chiyoda-ku Kanda-Awaji-chō 2, 4 (東京都千代田區神田淡路町２の４). | # {{note|4}}Its address was Tōkyō-to Chiyoda-ku Kanda-Awaji-chō 2, 4 (東京都千代田區神田淡路町２の４). | ||
| − | # {{note|5}}Sold in the [http://www.bearnes.co.uk/Catalogues/EX230402/page4.htm Apr 23, 2002 Photographic Sale] by [http://www.bearnes.co.uk/ Bearne's], | + | # {{note|5}}Sold in the [http://www.bearnes.co.uk/Catalogues/EX230402/page4.htm Apr 23, 2002 Photographic Sale] by [http://www.bearnes.co.uk/ Bearne's], lot No 91. |
# {{note|6}}{{Showa10ad|Waltax II|1063|Dec 1947|Kōka Gekkan}} | # {{note|6}}{{Showa10ad|Waltax II|1063|Dec 1947|Kōka Gekkan}} | ||
# {{note|7}}{{Showa10ad|Waltax III|1064|Aug 1949|Kōka Gekkan}} | # {{note|7}}{{Showa10ad|Waltax III|1064|Aug 1949|Kōka Gekkan}} | ||
Revision as of 23:35, 20 June 2006
The Waltax is a series of Japanese 4.5×6 folders, whose body is copied from the Ikonta A. The prewar and wartime original Waltax was made by Okada Kōgaku. Some sources[1] say that the later Waltax cameras were made by Daiichi. The Zenobia series of folders by Daiichi is very similar to the late Waltax models.
The original Waltax
The original Waltax (ワルタックス) has a folding optical finder and a key to wind the film. The name Waltax is embossed in the front leather. It is offered for ¥185 in wartime advertisements[2] (a case is sometimes offered for an extra ¥7.70). The two distributors are Nihon Shōkai and the wholesale branch of Honjō Shōkai (本庄商会卸部). In one of the ads, the maker is stated as Okakō (岡光, an abbreviation of Okada Kōgaku). When mentioned, the lens is a Kolex Anastigmat 7cm f:3.5, said to be of Tessar type, and the shutter is a Dabit Super with T, B, 1–500 speeds and a body release.
The three wartime advertisements observed seem to show the same picture. The shutter plate is written OKAKO TOKYO at the top, the shutter rim is written DABIT SUPER at the bottom and the aperture is set by an index at the bottom of the shutter housing. McKeown pictures a similar camera (lens No 1402x) under the Okada entry, but the aperture is now set by an index on top of the shutter housing, and there is what looks like a depth of field knob on the top right of the body. The DABIT SUPER marking is now at the bottom of the shutter plate instead of the shutter rim.
The Waltax is still advertised in 1947[3]. In the picture, the camera looks similar to the example pictured in McKeown, except that the depth of field knob is now on the top left. The lens is still a Kolex (No 180xx). The focal length is barely legible on the lens bezel, but it could be 7.5cm. The camera is distributed by Tōyō Shashinki-zai K.K.[4] (東洋寫眞機材株式會社, in old writing), and there is no mention of Okada.
A similar camera, with no depth of field knob, is reported with a Kolex 7.5cm f:3.5 No 19006[5].
Kokusan kamera no rekishi and McKeown both attribute the postwar Waltax, as well as all the following models, to Daiichi Kōgaku, but no original document has been observed yet to sustain this. On the contrary, all the models observed have Okada logos.
The Waltax II and III
The next models of the Waltax all have a finder enclosed in a top housing.
The Waltax II (ワルタックスⅡ型) has auto-stop film advance, an accessory shoe and a depth of field knob on the right of the top housing. It is advertised at least in 1947[6], still distributed by Tōyō Shashinki-zai. There is an Okako logo in front of the accessory shoe.
The Waltax III (ワルタックスⅢ型) is advertised at least in 1949[7]. The Okako logo has moved to the front of the top housing, and there is a flash synch connector added to the shutter. The advertisement mentions flash synchronization and double exposure prevention. According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, these two features distinguish the III from the II. The advertisement also says that it takes 620 film. The lens is a Bio-Kolex f:3.5, and the shutter is called Dabit Compur (ダビツトコンパー) in the ad, probably by mistake.
From the Junior to the Acme
The Waltax Acme (ワルタックスアクメ) is a rangefinder version. The coupled rangefinder, separate from the viewfinder and enclosed in the top housing, is inspired by the Super Ikonta: a pivoting arm mounted on the shutter housing supports a rotating lens in front of one of the two round rangefinder windows. According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, the other characteristics are the same as the Waltax III and it appears in 1951 and 1952 magazines.
The Waltax Senior (ワルタックスシニア) has the same features as the Waltax III and the Waltax Deluxe (ワルタックスデラックス) adds a selftimer.
The Waltax Junior (ワルタックスジュニア) is a cheaper model, with film advance via a red window, a Bio-Kolex f:4.5 lens and an Okako shutter with 25–150 speeds. Its body struts are simplified, and the depth of field knob is replaced by a Waltax Junior engraving on the right of the top housing. The Waltax OKAKO logo has also disappeared from the top housing, but the shutter plate is marked OKAKO in big letters at the bottom.
Notes
- ↑ For example McKeown.
- ↑ Advertisement for the Waltax, published in the Apr 1942 issue of Hōdō Shashin, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, item 345. — Advertisement for the Waltax, visible in Nostalgic Camera, a page of old Japanese ads by Toshio Inamura, originally published between 1942 and 1945. — Template:Gochamaze The background of this advertisement is a map of Southeast Asia, it is written that the Waltax is rapidly expanding in the Southern Coprosperity Sphere (a Japanese expression designating the Asian territories that they were occupying): "南方共榮圏ニ躍進スルワルタックス".
- ↑ Advertisement for the Waltax, published in the Nov 1947 issue of Kōka Gekkan, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, item 1062.
- ↑ Its address was Tōkyō-to Chiyoda-ku Kanda-Awaji-chō 2, 4 (東京都千代田區神田淡路町２の４).
- ↑ Sold in the Apr 23, 2002 Photographic Sale by Bearne's, lot No 91.
- ↑ Advertisement for the Waltax II, published in the Dec 1947 issue of Kōka Gekkan, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, item 1063.
- ↑ Advertisement for the Waltax III, published in the Aug 1949 issue of Kōka Gekkan, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, item 1064.
Printed sources
- 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 345.
- McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). Pages 239 and 745.
Web sources
- Advertisement for the Waltax, visible in Nostalgic Camera, a page of old Japanese ads by Toshio Inamura, originally published between 1942 and 1945.
- Template:Gochamaze
- Catalogue of the Apr 23, 2002 Photographic Sale by Bearne's.
Links
In French:
In Japanese:
In Chinese:
- Okako Waltax, one big picture
