Weha Six
The Weha Six (ウエハーシックス) is a Japanese 6×6 folding camera. It was distributed by Yamamoto Shashinki-ten in 1938 and 1939 and its maker is unknown.[1]
General description
The Weha Six is a horizontal folder. It has rounded body edges and folding struts inspired by the Balda products. The advance knob is at the top right and the back is hinged to the left. The tubular optical finder is in the middle of the top plate.
Advertising
The Weha Six was released in early 1938.[2] The advertising pictures show a manual parallax-correcting device placed under the tubular finder, similar to the device mounted on some Balda cameras. Two buttons are visible above the top plate: the left-hand button is certainly the body release while the right-hand button probably opens the folding bed.
An advertisement dated June 1938[3] lists three lens and shutter combinations:
- Lidex C shutter, Weha Anastigmat 75/4.5 lens (¥53);
- Prontor II shutter, body release, Weha Anastigmat 75/4.5 lens (¥85);
- Prontor II shutter, body release, Weha Anastigmat 75/3.5 lens (¥95).
The Lidex shutter has the same name as the first shutter made by Minolta at the beginning of the 1930s, it is not known if it is related.
An advertisement dated April 1939[4] lists similar combinations:
- Weha Six I (Ⅰ型): "C shutter", f/4.5 lens (¥53);
- Weha Six II (Ⅱ型): Prontor II shutter, f/4.5 lens (¥95);
- Weha Six II: Prontor II shutter, f/3.5 lens (¥105).
Actual examples
Three actual examples have been observed so far, all with a body release. One has the parallax correcting finder, an Orion Anastigmat 7.5cm f/4.5 lens and a shutter giving T, B, 5–200 speeds, marked Mars Tokyo at the top and Lex at the bottom.[5] The other two have a larger finder with no parallax compensation, a Weha Anastigmat 75mm f/3.5 lens and a shutter giving 400–1, B, T speeds, marked Kōki T.T.S.H. at the top and probably Patents pending at the bottom.[6]
Notes
- ↑ Dates: advertisements and articles listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 334.
- ↑ The earliest advertisement listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 334, is dated January 1938.
- ↑ Advertisement published in the 8 June 1938 issue of Asahi Graph, reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 59.
- ↑ Sugiyama, item 1266.
- ↑ Sugiyama, item 1267, and example observed in an online auction.
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 20.
- 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 1266–7.
Links
In Japanese:
- Advertisement for the Weha Six and other cameras published in the 8 June 1938 issue of Asahi Graph, reproduced in the camera company page of the Gochamaze website
