Flora (rigid)

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Japanese Six (6×6)
Postwar models (edit)
folding
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rigid or collapsible
Dia Six | Ehira Chrome Six | Enon Six | Flora | Flashline | Fujipet | Harmony | Mikono-6 | Orion | Ponix | Rich-Ray-6 | Shumy | Weha Chrome Six
Japanese 6×6 TLR, pseudo TLR and medium format SLR ->
Japanese Semi (4.5×6) and older 6×9 ->

The Flora is a Japanese 6×6 camera made at the end of the 1940s. It is said that it was never sold, and the only prototype observed so far is pictured in Sugiyama.[1] The initials N.M.K. engraved on the camera (in lowercase letters) perhaps correspond to the company name.

Description

The Flora is a rigid camera taking 6×6cm pictures. It has a large focusing helical, supporting the lens and shutter assembly. This helical is coupled to a small lens whose window is visible at the bottom of the body, on the camera's left side. The position of the eyepiece is unknown. This lens is certainly a small monocular, used for focusing.

The viewfinder is offset to the left and contained in a short top housing. There are knobs at both ends of the camera, it seems that the right one is used for film advance (an arrow is engraved above) and the other is a mere film flange. Two additional knobs are visible above the top housing, to the right of the viewfinder; one of them is perhaps an exposure counter. There is no body release. The back is hinged to the right and there are strap lugs at both ends of the body.

A marking is visible above the viewfinder, certainly the name Flora. The letter A and the serial number are engraved at the front of the top housing. The prototype pictured in Sugiyama perhaps has no.00023 or 00223. The initials n.m.k. are engraved next to the viewfinder window. The exact same engraving, with the same characteristic lowercase letters, has been observed on an early Vero Four F, dated about 1939. This might indicate some relationship to the Kinshō company which manufactured the Vero Four, but nothing is known for sure.

The lens is a Nissei Anastigmat 7.5cm f/4.5 and has a three-digit serial number. The shutter is engraved NISSEI on the speed rim, it is reported to give T, B, 1–500 speeds.[2] (Nissei shutters are found on other Japanese cameras.)

Notes

  1. Sugiyama, item 3247.
  2. Speeds: Sugiyama, item 3247.

Bibliography

  • 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. Item 3247.

This camera is not listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi.