The Kinsi (キンシ)[1] is a 3×4 strut folding camera, made by Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō (now Ricoh) between 1941 and 1943.[2]
The New Olympic II (a 4.5×6 bakelite camera) also has Kinsi engravings, see Semi Olympic.
Description
The Kinsi is a strut folding camera, inspired by the Dolly 3×4 camera made by the German company Certo.[3] The camera has a folding optical finder in the middle of the top plate, and the advance knob is on the left. The button on the right of the viewfinder releases the front standard. There is a folding leg, allowing the camera to stand vertically on a table. The name Kinsi is embossed in the front leather. The back is hinged to the left and contains two red windows to control the film advance.
The lens is a front-cell focusing Kinsi Anastigmat 5cm f/4.5. It has three elements and was made by Riken.[4] The shutter is an everset Licht, made by Seikōsha, providing 25, 50, 100, B, T speeds. This variant of the Licht shutter has a funny device: there is a hole at the bottom of the shutter plate, where you can introduce a needle, held by a long thread. The picture is taken when you pull the thread, so you can take pictures of yourself. This is explained with pictures on this page by Nekosan.
Advertisements and other documents
The Kinsi was announced in advertisements for the Olympic Four dated March and April 1940, together with the Gaica and Roico.[5] The camera was listed in the Template:Kakaku1940 short, compiled on October 25, 1940 and published in January 1941, under the name "Kinsi I" (¥48).[6] It was pictured in advertisements dated January and February 1941 for the Riken camera range, with no further detail.[7] It was described as the Kinsi I (キンシⅠ型) in advertisements dated February and April 1941, where it was offered for ¥48.[8] In advertisements dated October and November 1942, the description was identical but the price was ¥56.80.[9]
The camera was still described in the "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), listing the Japanese camera production as of April 1943, under the name "Kinsi I" again.[10] There is no record of a Kinsi II.
Notes
- ↑ The name Kinsi (pronounced kinshi) can be written 金鵄, then meaning "golden eagle". It all the advertisements observed, it is written in katakana: キンシ.
- ↑ Made by Riken: "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), item 165. This page of the Ricoh official website says otherwise, certainly by mistake.
- ↑ This page of the Ricoh official website says that the Kinsi was a copy of the Zeh Goldi, that is obviously not true, the Goldi being of the folding bed type. Tanaka, p. 18 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 14 and this page at Asacame say that it is a copy of the Dolly.
- ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), lens item Jc11.
- ↑ Advertisements published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp. 64 and 104.
- ↑ Template:Kakaku1940 short, type 1, section 4B.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Gakusei no Kagaku January 1941 and advertisement published in Gakusei no Kagaku February 1941, reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Camera February 1941, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 104. Advertisement published in Gakusei no Kagaku April 1941, reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Shashin Bunka October 1942, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 58. Advertisement published in Asahi Graph 18 November 1942, reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
- ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), item 165.
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 70. (See also the advertisements for items 47 and 323–4.)
- "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" (国産写真機ノ現状調査, Inquiry into Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943. Reproduced in Supuringu kamera de ikou: Zen 69 kishu no shōkai to tsukaikata (スプリングカメラでいこう: 全69機種の紹介と使い方, Let's try spring cameras: Presentation and use of 69 machines). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2004. ISBN 4-87956-072-3. Pp.180–7. Item 165.
- Template:Kakaku1940
- 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. 828.
- Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten (思い出のスプリングカメラ展, Exhibition of beloved self-erecting cameras). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 1992. (Exhibition catalogue, no ISBN number.) P. 25.
- 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 1076.
- Tanaka Masao (田中政雄). "Senzen no kamera 2: Supuringu kamera" (戦前のカメラ1・スプリングカメラ, Prewar cameras 2: folding cameras). Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.14, October 1989. No ISBN number. Rikō kamera no subete (リコーカメラのすべて, special issue on Ricoh). Pp. 16–9.
Links
In Japanese:
- Kinsi in the film camera list at the Ricoh official website
- Riken 127 cameras and A-Z 127 film cameras at Asacame, with the Kinsi on this page
- Prewar Japanese 127 camera page including the Kinsi, and a page about the thread-and-pin selftimer at Nekosan's site
- Advertisements reproduced in the Japanese camera page, the small format camera page and the camera company page of the Gochamaze website:
- Advertisement for the Riken range picturing a Kinsi, published in the January 1941 issue of Gakusei no Kagaku
- Advertisement for the Riken range picturing a Kinsi, published in the February 1941 issue of Gakusei no Kagaku
- Advertisement for the Kinsi I and Olympic Four published in the April 1941 issue of Gakusei no Kagaku
- Advertisement for the Kinsi I published in the 18 November 1942 issue of Asahi Graph
Asahi Bussan and Riken prewar and wartime cameras ( ) | ||
---|---|---|
rigid or collapsible | ||
Vest Adler | Gokoku | Semi Kinsi | Letix | Olympic | New Olympic | Regal Olympic | Semi Olympic | Super Olympic | Vest Olympic | Riken No.1 | Ricohl | Roico | Seica | Zessan | ||
folders | pseudo TLR | TLR |
Semi Adler | Adler III | Adler A | Adler B | Adler C | Adler Four | Adler Six | Gaica | Heil | Kinsi | Chukon Ref | Ricohflex | Ricohflex B |