Walz Automat 44
The Walz Automat 44 and Walz Automat M44 are Japanese 4×4 TLR, made by Walz in 1959–60. They were the most advanced 4×4 TLR ever, with crank advance and start mark film loading, plus an exposure meter on the M44.
Contents
The Walz Automat 44
Description
The Walz Automat 44 has the classical TLR shape. The front standard moves back and forth for focusing; it is driven by a lever at the bottom, running on a distance scale engraved in metres.
The film is advanced by a crank on the photographer's right, and the shutter is wound at the same time. The position of the first exposure is set by aligning the start mark of the leader paper to a mark inside the body.[1] There is a round exposure counter window on the same side, near the strap lug. The opposite side has an accessory shoe near the top, the two film flanges and a PC synch socket buried in the middle.
The viewing hood contains a sportsfinder, and the nameplate reads WALZ Automat. The viewing screen has a Fresnel lens.[2] The speed and aperture are set by two wheels placed between the two lenses, and the settings are visible in a window above the viewing lens, the same as on the Rolleiflex. The shutter release in on the side of the front standard, and contains a thread for a cable release. Next to it is a small knob certainly acting as a release lock.
The shutter is a Copal-SV (B, 1–500),[3] completely hidden in an elaborate casing, and the name COPAL is inscribed below the taking lens. The M/X selector is on the photographer's left, it consists of a small lever directly protruding out of the shutter through a cut-out in the casing. The self-timer lever has a red dot and is on the same side at the bottom.
The lenses are Zunow 6cm f/2.8; the taking lens has four elements in three groups and a five-digit serial number, whereas the viewing lens has no number and is probably a triplet.[4] Both have a bayonet attachment for filters or a hood. The lens numbers observed so far are all in the 6xxxx range; the lenses are the same as on the semi-automatic Halma 44 and Prinz 44 and certainly share the same number sequence.
Commercial life
The Walz Automat 44 was announced in Japanese camera magazines dated July and August 1959, and advertisements are reported from August 1959 to February 1960.[5] The October 1959 advertisement in Asahi Camera[6] presents the Automat 44 as the "camera for the mother" (お母さまのカメラ) whereas the Walz Envoy 35 was the "camera for the father" (お父さまのカメラ), with the catch-phrase "Envoy for Dad, 44 for Mum" (パパはエンボイ!ママヨニョン!). More seriously, it also gives the price of ¥15,600 (case ¥1,200 extra).
The Automat 44 is most often found in two-tone gray finish, the same as the Rolleiflex Baby Grey. It was perhaps available in other colours as well; some pictures seem to show a blue finish, it is not known for sure if these photos have bad colour balance or if the colour is indeed different.[7]
The Walz Automat M44
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 1846.
- Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), 0-935398-16-3 (hard). P. 98 (brief mention only).
- 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). P. 981.
- Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Items 2282–3.
Links
In English:
- Walz Automat 44 picture by Pacific Rim at pbase
In Japanese:
- Pages at Asacame:
- Walz Automat 44, Primo Jr and Minolta Miniflex
- Japanese 4×4 TLRs, including the Walz Automat 44
- Walz Automat 44 in a page of the AJCC website
- List of 4×4cm TLRs at the 44 Club
- Walz Automat 44 in a page about 127 film cameras in the je2luz camera site
- Walz Automat M44 and other 4×4 TLRs in a post at Nana-chōme no tabe (click on the picture to enlarge)
