Futami Six

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Japanese Six (6×6)
Postwar models (edit)
folding
Aires Viceroy | Angel Six | Aram Six | Astoria Super Six | Atom Six | Balm Six | Baron | Beauty Six (1950) | Beauty Six (1953) | Calm Six | Carl Six | Centre Six | Crown | Crystar Six | Daido Six | Dorima Six | Doris Six | Ehira Six | Elbow Six | First Six | Flora Six | Fodor Six | Frank Six | Fujica Six | Super Fujica Six | Futami Six | Gotex | Grace Six | Kohken Chrome Six | Kyowa Six | Liner Six | Lyra Six | Mamiya Six | Middl Six | Mihama Six | Mine Six | Minon Six | Mizuho Six | Motoka Six | Mount Six | Muse Six | Super Naiku | Ofuna Six | Olympus Six | Olympus Chrome Six | Orion Six | Oscar Six | Pigeon Six | Planet | Please Six | Pluto Six | Poppy Six | Press Van | Press Van-120 | Proud Chrome Six | Proud Super Six | Renown Six | Ricoh Six | Ruvikon | Ruvinal | Sanon Six | Silver Six | Sisley 1 | Sisley 2 & 3 | Sister Six | Tenar Six | Toho Six | Tomic | Toyoca Six | Ugein Six | Wagen Six | Walcon 6 | Welmy Six | Wester | Windsor Six
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 Futami Six[1] is a Japanese 6×6cm folding camera, about which very little is known.

Description

The Futami Six is a horizontal folder, with three-part folding struts inspired by the 6×6 Ikonta. The camera can take 6×6cm or 4.5×6cm exposures. The top housing contains two separate viewfinders — one for each format, distinguished by 12E.X. and 16E.X. indications on the rear. The main viewfinder, for 6×6cm, has a square window at the front surrounded by a metal frame; the other viewfinder has a round window imitating the second-image window of rangefinder cameras.

The rest of the top housing is straightforward, with a shutter release on the right, as seen by the photographer, an accessory shoe on the same side, a small button on the left to release the folding bed, and an advance knob at the left end.

The back is hinged to the right for film loading, and is retained by a sliding bar on the left. It contains two red windows, protected by horizontally sliding individual covers, with 16EX and 12EX indications.

Markings

The name FUTAMI is engraved on the top housing, together with MODEL I. The words FUTAMI KOKI are embossed in the leather covering on the back. This surely corresponds to the manufacturer, whose name is presumably Futami Kōki.

There is a logo embossed on the front door and at the front of the ever-ready case. There is no engraving on the folding struts, unlike most other folding cameras of the time.

Surviving examples

No original document mentioning the camera or its manufacturer Futami Kōki has been found yet. The only surviving example known so far is pictured in an article by Furukawa Haruo in Camera Collectors' News.[2] It has a Seriter lens and an NKS shutter synchronized via an ASA bayonet post. This lens and shutter combination is very common on Japanese folding cameras produced around 1952–3.

Notes

  1. The camera itself is only marked FUTAMI and MODEL I, and the name "Futami Six" is conjectural only, though very likely.
  2. Furukawa, pp.23–5 of Camera Collectors' News no.266.

Bibliography

  • Furukawa Haruo (古川保男). "Futami (shikkusu, semi ken'yōki): 'Futamigaura no hatsuhinode'" (Futami[シックス・セミ兼用機]・'二見ヶ浦の初日の出', Futami [Six and Semi formats]: 'First rising sun at Futamigaura'). In Camera Collectors' News no.266 (August 1999). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. Pp.23–5.

The Futami Six is not listed in Sugiyama or in Kokusan kamera no rekishi.