Any good Japanese folders?

<p>The Japanese folding cameras seems rare in discuss and I am going to begin the collection of these cameras. Is there any good or worth to collect models?</p>

<p>Konica made some nice Pearl models including at least one which shot 6X4.5 images. The older Mamiya 6 is an interesting camera and had a Zuiko lens. </p>

<p>Zenobia is a really nice 6x4.5 camera, specilly the one with Neo-Hesper lens (4 elements). It does not have rangefinder.</p>

<p>I think they're not discussed that much because not as many got used in the west as did German and US brands. Several of the familiar Japanese camera makers made folders many of which were copies of, or at least similar to, the Ikontas.<br>

I have a Waltax Junior; not a particularly high spec for a collector - 6x4.5 with scale focusing and a triplet lens, but a nice user camera once I'd cleaned it. As the 'junior' implies, there was a better specified model as well. These were the basis of the later Zenobia; you may find some discussion of these (maybe on <a href="http://www.nelsonfoto.com/SMF">NelsonFoto</a> ).<br>

I also have an Atom Six-2, which does 6x6 or something close to 6x4.5 with a removable film mask. Again it has scale focus and a triplet lens. This was intriguing to me because I wasn't familiar with the company (I don't think they lasted long or made many models).<br>

My only other Japanese folder is a Konishiroku Pearlette; a pre-War strut folder. This has no focusing at all. It does 4x6.5 on 127 film. Mine is rather battered and needed quite a bit of help to make it work. I've never seen one in very good condition. There are several models (see<br>

http://www2f.biglobe.ne.jp/~ter-1212/sakura/pearlette.htm ). KonishiRoku (or Rokuo-sha) became Konica.<br>

David Tomei's site:<br>

http://sites.google.com/site/ldtomei/konishirukobabypearl1934<br>

shows a Baby Pearl.<br>

This guy:<br>

http://arukucamera.net/folders.html<br>

has a later Pearl; a much higher spec, with a coupled RF and a coated Tessar-formula lens. He got it in Japan and says they are expensive.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Most as I remember are either 6x6 or 6x4.5, and there are a lot of good ones out there. I know someone who has (or had) a late Semi-Leotax that he claimed was quite good. Many of the 6x4.5 models don't have rangefinders and those that do go for quite a bit more. The 6x6 is easier to find a rangefinder on, but even those don't always have them. If I had my Sugiyama guide with me, I could tell you more.</p>

<p>Of course a book like one of the McKoewn catalogues is a necessity. There were lots of early Japanese folders.</p>

<p>If you're interested in one that were exported, that's much harder. The late 50s photomagazines have a few, rare, ads showing Japanese folders that did make it across the pond. Even as late as 1955, the vast majority of cameras offered are German and even American!<br>

For the Japanese, there was first and foremost competition of a lot of slightly revised pre-war German cameras being imported for the 'cheap' cameras of the time, many of them from the "USSR-occupied zone". The folders are predominantly Super Ikontas, etc. It's not until the 1960s that there was much presence of Japanese cameras here, mostly SLRs, by that time.</p>

<p>Mamiya Six?</p>

<p>http://silverbased.org/mamiya6-folder/</p>

<p>Ed: Oops, just saw that the first response already mentioned it. Olympus made some folders, too. And some of the Mamiya Six actually used Olympus lenses.</p>

<p>http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/camera/index.cfm?ote=1#03</p>

 

<p>Since nobody else has mentioned this one, there's the fujica gs645; a 6x4.5 (obviously!) folder with a 75mm f/3.4 from the early '80s. I've heard that this model can be 'fragile' - certainly you have to follow the correct sequence when folding - but mine has been fine, and I really like the images I get from it. Of course, I bought it after the previous owner had the bellows replaced and the winding mechanism fixed by fuji (he gave me the repair order documentation); this might have been why he sold it to me, as I've heard that these are common problems with them. But mine's worked fine since I got it, so I'm happy.</p>

<p>Camerapedia has this lot:<br>

http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Category:Japanese_folding</p>

<p>Flickr user rebollo_fr has uploaded a lot of Japanese camera-related documents; mostly adverts, which can be good sources of information. Camerapedia uses his pictures.<br>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebollo_fr/</p>

<p>Japanese folders seem to be relatively rare, whether pre or post-WW2. The only prewar one I've ever owned (long since sold) was a Semi-Minolta 6 X 4.5 Ikonta A clone, and it was very nicely constructed although the bellows looked a bit feeble compared to the stuff Zeiss (and Ensign in the UK) were putting out in those days. Maybe Japanese cows weren't being fed enough grain?</p>

<p>Post-war, I have a Zenobia Semi and I agree with Moises that it's a nicely made camera, although mine only has the triplet lens. I also have an early 50s Chrome Six 6 X 6 from sources I'm not that sure of, seeing they seemed to change their name quite regularly. However, both the Zenobia and the Chrome Six have sturdier bellows than the earlier Semi-Minolta, which either indicates a better diet for the average Japanese bovine specimen or that the makers were now importing the leather from overseas</p>

<p>I should also mention that both the Zenobia and the Chrome Six are still working perfectly, optically and mechanically. Now if only my various Ensigns of similar vintage were doing the same, because sturdily built as they are, those damn Epsilon shutters have usually gone to sleep on the lower speeds .....</p>

<p>PETE IN A DEPRESSINGLY HOT PERTH</p>

<p>There are quite a few, but apart from the Mamiya Six, they tend to be a bit scarce in the west. The camerapedia link above is a good place to start.</p>

<p>Many of the better ones are labelled Super Chrome or Super Six or some combination thereof.</p>

<p>The three Japanese folders that I have, or rather two folders and a "popper", are Mamiya Six, Super Fujica Six, and Weha Chrome Six. The latter is the "popper", with an extending lens tube like a Braun Gloria, a Super Ikonta style rotating wedge coupled RF, and no red window. Despite having no red window, there is no auto-film stop, you just have to line the number and arrow up on the film counter. Mine is currently having its shutter tended to.</p>

<p>The best Zenobia is the model with the Neo Hesper lenses, which is four element and very sharp lens. All Prewar japanese folder,s are scarce, some RARE, some Ultra Rare. Handmade from 1935~1950 is the ONLY Folders you should collect, after 1950 mass production by the tens of thousands! all front cell focusing cameras of this period be it German, English , french or Japanese have congealed grease problems and need to be serviced! Shutters get dirty being 70 years old with open slots and need a ultrasonic cleaner! Surprisingly, most of the old bellows leather, i soften up with Neatsfoot oil and they work fine. Post war Folding Japanese Cameras with rangefinders are amazing in quality. Mamiya Automat, Aires Viceroy, konica Pearl, Petri RF are extremely good cameras in 120 rollfilm. If you have a specific question about servicing a particular model get in touch with me, i have taken apart over 55+ Japanese WW2 folding cameras and lots of mamyia Six rangefinders, regards, don</p>