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Japanese Six (6×6)
Prewar and wartime models (edit)
folding
Adler Six | Bonny Six | Clover-Six | Condor Six | First Six | Gelto Six | Gotex | Green | Lyra Six | Super Makinet Six | Mamiya Six | Miyako Six | Mulber Six | Mulix | National Six | Neure Six | Oko Six | Olympus Six | Pilot Six | Romax | Ugein | Vester-Six | Victor Six | Weha Six
collapsible
Ehira Chrome Six | Minolta Six | Shinko Super | Weha Chrome Six
unknown
Freude Six | Heart Camera | Konter Six | Tsubasa Six
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 | 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 SLR, TLR, pseudo TLR and stereo models ->
Japanese 3×4 and 4×4, 4×5 and 4×6.5, 4.5×6 and older 6×9 ->

The Olympus Six (オリンパス・シックス) is a dual-format folder, taking 6×6cm and 4.5×6cm pictures, released in 1940 by Takachiho (later Olympus).[1] It was the successor of the Semi Olympus II and was followed by the Olympus Chrome Six in 1948.

Description

The Olympus Six is a horizontal folder, and its folding struts are inspired by the Balda products, the same as that of the Semi Olympus II. The body has a mixed diecast and pressed steel construction. There is a folding optical finder in the middle of the top plate. Two hairlines are engraved in the front glass, indicating the field of view for 4.5×6cm exposures. The folding bed release is immediately to the left of the viewfinder, as seen by the photographer. There is a body release at the right of the top plate, next to the right-hand film flange. The advance knob is at the left end, it has the serial number and an arrow engraved, as on the Semi Olympus II. There are strap lugs at both ends of the top plate, replacing the leather handle of the previous model, and there is no accessory shoe.

The back is hinged to the right and the back latch consists of a long sliding bar. There are two red windows in the back, one for each format, with a sliding cover accordingly marked 6X6 or 4.5X6. The bottom plate has two film flanges at the ends, and a 3/8″ tripod thread in the middle.

The OLYMPUS TOKYO logo is embossed in the leather of the folding bed, and the name OLYMPUS–SIX or SUPER–OLYMPUS is embossed in the back, under the red windows.

Prewar and wartime period

Four-element lenses, Koho shutter

The first lenses mounted on the Olympus Six are the Zuiko 75/4.5 (same as on the Semi Olympus and Semi Olympus II) and the new Zuiko 75/3.5, both with four elements.[2] The engraving on the lens rim is Zuiko 1:4,5 f=7.5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxx or Zuiko 1:3,5 f=7.5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxx.

The shutter originally mounted on the camera is a newer version of the Koho, giving 1–200, B, T speeds and adapted to the body release linkage. It still has a self-timer but does not have a thread for a distant release. The Koho shutters were made in the Hatagaya plant, whereas the bodies and lenses were made in the Shibuya plant.[3] Other shutters were mounted after the war (see below).

Whatever the shutter and lens model, the camera has a black depth-of-field scale around the lens, marked OLYMPUS at the bottom. The aperture scale consists of a metal plate placed above the shutter housing, and it is combined with a second scale of shutter speeds, readable from the above.

Announced as the Semi Olympus III

The camera was first announced as the Semi Olympus III (セミオリンパスⅢ型), quite a strange name for a 6×6 camera. It was featured under that name in the July 1940 issue of Asahi Camera and was advertised as such in the June and July 1940 issues of the same magazine.[4] In the June advertisement,[5] the camera is announced as a new model (愈々新型発売) in dual format (6×6 and 4.5×6), and the body release and depth-of-field scale are emphasized. The shutter is mentioned as a Koho II (コーホーⅡ), giving 1–200, B, T speeds, with a self-timer. Two versions are presented, one has a Zuiko (ズイコー) 7.5cm f/4.5 lens and is priced at ¥190, the other has a Zuiko 7.5cm f/3.5 lens and is priced at ¥235. A lens hood is also listed for ¥3. The company names given in the advertisement are the maker Takachiho Seisakusho and the distributor Ataka Shōkai. The pictured camera is indistinguishable from the Olympus Six with f/3.5 lens, there was probably no difference other than the name embossing in the back. No surviving example has been observed so far with markings other than OLYMPUS–SIX or SUPER–OLYMPUS, and the name Semi Olympus III was probably dropped before the camera entered serial production.

The Olympus Six in original documents

The Olympus Six was first advertised under that name in the December 1940 issue of Asahi Camera, and it was featured in the April 1941 issue of the same magazine.[6] The advertisements dated December 1940 and April 1941 in Asahi Camera[7] mention the f/3.5 and f/4.5 lens options, and say that the lenses have four elements. The shutter is called New Koho III (新コーホーⅢ) but has the same features (1–200, B, T, self-timer) as the shutter called Koho II in the advertisement for the Semi Olympus III. The distributor is still Ataka Shōkai.

The December 1940 advertisement only mentions 6×6cm format only (more precisely "6×6m/m", with a typo), whereas the April 1941 advertisement again mentions the dual-format capability. This has been interpreted by some sources as an indication that the Olympus Six was sold for some time in a single-format version,[8] but this probably only reflects a negligence in the advertisement. All the cameras observed so far have two red windows in the back and are dual format.

The picture is the same in the two advertisements, and shows an Olympus Six with f/4.5 lens, recognized by the double lens rim already present on the Semi Olympus II. One source says that the the lens bezel and lens rim differ between the Semi Olympus III and the Olympus Six,[9] but this apparent difference is only caused by the various lens types (f/3.5 and f/4.5) pictured in the advertisements.

In a brochure for the Olympus Six,[10] the shutter is called Koho III. The two versions are listed, with their exact model name and the officially set price: the Olympus Six I (オリンパス・シックスⅠ) with the f/4.5 lens, for ¥128, and the Olympus Six II (オリンパス・シックスⅡ), with the f/3.5 lens, for ¥160. A lens hood is mentioned, fitting both the f/4.5 and f/3.5 lens, and a filter holder (フィルター枠), to fit 30mm diameter filters on the f/4.5 lens.

The Olympus Six I and II were mentioned in the official list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941.[11] The prices were the same as in the brochure cited above, which is thus probably dated late 1940 or early 1941.

The Olympus Six was advertised in Asahi Camera until the last wartime issue dated April 1942, and it was advertised in Hōdō Shashin from December 1941 to May 1943.[12] The shutter is reportedly called Koho II in the advertisements published in Hōdō Shashin.[13] Some confusion seemed to reign about the exact model name of this shutter at the time.

Early surviving examples

The oldest lens numbers observed on the Olympus Six are on the cameras pictured in the brochure cited above: no.697x for the f/4.5 lens and no.7242 for the f/3.5 lens, both mounted on a Koho shutter to 1/200. (However, the f/3.5 lens no.7182 is known with a Koho shutter on what is said to be a prototype of the Olympus Chrome Six.)

Some early examples have a peculiar aperture index with two ears, whereas others have a simple pin. The two-ear index appears in the brochure and in all the advertisements, and it has been observed on actual examples with f/4.5 lens no.7157 and f/3.5 lens no.7382 and 10626.[14] The simple pin has been observed on examples with f/3.5 lens no.7601 and 10727.[15]

Super Olympus, with five-element lenses

The government inquiry listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943 has four models: the Olympus Six I and II, with the Koho shutter to 1/200 and the four-element Zuiko f/4.5 and f/3.5 lens, and the Super Olympus I (スーパーオリンパスⅠ) and Super Olympus II (スーパーオリンパスⅡ), with the same shutter and a five-element Zuiko S lens, respectively 75/4.5 and 75/3.5.[16] An advertisement for the Super Olympus was placed in the February 15, 1944 issue of Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin.[17] In this advertisement, the lens is said to have five elements, and the camera is simply called "Super Olympus" (スーパーオリンパス) with no mention of a model number. The price is given as ¥203 with an f/4.5 lens and ¥243.30 with an f/3.5 lens.[18] Two company names are given: the manufacturer Takachiho Kōgaku Kōgyō and the distributor Ataka Sangyō.

Some sources say that the imports of Schott glass from Germany were stopped because of the war, and that the company had to make the Zuiko lenses from all-Japanese optical glass, causing a redesign of the Zuiko lens into a five-element scheme called Zuiko-S, where the rear doublet of the Tessar design was replaced by a group of three cemented elements.[19] The Zuiko-S lenses are known in f/4.5 aperture (no.12507 and 13501) and in f/3.5 aperture (no.12126).[20] These examples are probably the last wartime Olympus cameras. It is said that the company stopped camera production in 1943.[21] Parts and toolings were stocked in the Suwa plant, a former textile factory in the prefecture of Nagano, used by the company as a dispersal plant from 1943.[22] More than 6,000 prewar and wartime Olympus Six were made, recognizable by their closely matching lens and body numbers.

Postwar period

Production resumed

The production of the camera was resumed in early 1946 in the Suwa plant.[23] The Olympus official website shows a blueprint for the Olympus Six II, reportedly dated January 1946 and redrawn because the original ones were lost in the air raid which destroyed the Hatagaya plant.[24] The lens marking reproduced in this blueprint shows a lens number legible as 7231 or 7251, corresponding to the very first f/3.5 lenses; this is probably because the designer worked from early advertising pictures or from an early example held by the company.

The production details are given month by month in Lewis: 77 cameras in January 1946, 89 in February, 202 in March, 198 in April, 160 in May, 250 in June and 129 in July.[25] It is not known for sure if these figures all correspond to newly produced Zuiko lenses or if they include some examples with spare Zuiko or Zuiko-S. The price of the Olympus Six was set at ¥2,350 in the first postwar official price list, published in July 1946.[26]

Return of the four-element lenses

The Zuiko f/3.5 four-element lens was recomputed for all-Japanese lens glass, and the production was rapidly resumed.[27]

Immediately after the Zuiko-S lenses no.12126, 12507 and 13501, the earliest lens numbers observed on an Olympus Six are no.20016, 20224, 20309 and 20727 (all with Koho shutter), mounted on bodies in the 12xxx and 13xxx range.[28] At least two of them have the SUPER–OLYMPUS embossing on the back; the last one has OLYMPUS–SIX, as well as all subsequent cameras.

The gap between lens no.13501 and 20016, as well as the sudden offset between the body number and lens number, certainly indicates that the serial number sequence was reset at 20001. A higher number is an indication of a postwar lens.[29] The very first ones were certainly mounted on the bodies available in the stocks, complete with their leather covering and awaiting the lens and shutter unit, hence the markings identifying them as Super Olympus.

Other postwar examples with the Koho shutter have lens no.21976 (body no.13721), lens no.22043 (body no.13610), lens no.23504 (body no.14210) and lens no.25625 (body no.15013).[30]

Shortage of shutters

The production of the Koho shutter was stopped by the aerial bombing of the Hatagaya plant,[31] and it seems that the supply of shutters soon became a problem for Takachiho. This may have led the company to use any shutter it could find, hence the variety of shutters found on the surviving postwar Olympus Six. It is said that Mamiya sold some Koho shutters back to Takachiho, from a lot bought during the war for the Mamiya Six, exchanging them for new Zuiko lenses.[32]

An Olympus Six has been observed with a no-name shutter giving T, B, 1–250 speeds, and lens no.24961.[33] Three examples of the Olympus Six have been observed with another type of no-name shutter giving 1–300, B, T speeds, and lens no.24964, 25718 and 25754.[34]

The very late examples of the Olympus Six (with lens number above 30000) have no strap lugs. Five examples have been observed with no strap lugs and various shutter types. One example has lens no.30387 and an unmarked shutter giving 1–200, B, T speeds.[35] (This shutter is not a Koho: the cocking lever is placed differently.) The most well-known example, belonging to the Olympus company, has lens no.30780 and a Copal shutter giving 1–200, B, T speeds, the same as on the later Olympus Chrome Six.[36] The third example is the last known with a Koho shutter: it has lens no.31665 and body no.17328.[37] The last two examples have a Wester shutter made by Nishida, giving 1–200, B, T speeds, with a red-dotted self-timer lever and the name WESTER. N.S.D. at the base of the speed rim.[38] The engraving of the speed scale differs on the two examples. One has lens no.31884, the other has lens no.32707 and body no.18020; these are the last numbers observed on an Olympus Six, and the lens number is even slightly later than no.32603, known on an example of the Olympus Chrome Six.[39]

The offset between the lens and body numbers has widened, certainly because Zuiko lenses were sold to other companies, such as Mamiya for the Mamiya Six. Admitting that the postwar examples have lens numbers above 20000 and body numbers after about 13000, this would make a total of about 5,000 Olympus Six cameras and 12,000 Zuiko lenses assembled between early 1946 and the release of the Olympus Chrome Six in 1948 (body numbers from c.13000 to c.18000, lens numbers from 20001 to c.33000). This is quite consistent with the total of 1,015 cameras for the period between January and July 1946.

It is not known for sure if the production of the body shells restarted after the war or not. Some sources say that all postwar examples were assembled from spare bodies, and that the production of body shells was not resumed before the Olympus Chrome Six.[40] However this would mean that the company's wartime stocks contained about 5,000 Olympus Six bodies, a figure which seems unrealistic.

Late advertising and hybrid drawings

The Olympus Six was advertised in Ars Camera from January to March 1948. The January advertisement[41] mentions a Zuiko f/3.5 lens and a Koho shutter (1–200, B, T). The pictured camera has a Koho shutter and a two-ear aperture index, the same as in the wartime advertisements. The advertisement shows the OLYMPUS TOKYO logo and the company name Takachiho Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K., with the address of the Shibuya headquarters.

The last advertisements for the Olympus Six are in the May to July 1948 issues of Ars Camera.[42] The text of the May advertisement[43] is similar to the one dated January: the camera is called Olympus Six, the lens is the Zuiko f/3.5 and the shutter is the Koho (1–200, B, T). Only the bottom part of the illustration is an original picture, showing an Olympus Six or Chrome Six with a Wester N.S.D. or Copal shutter, whereas the top part is a drawing of the Chrome Six top plate.[44]

Notes

  1. Date: see the documents presented below. This date is also given in this page of the Olympus official website. Some sources say that the Olympus Six was released in 1939 but this is a mistake.
  2. Four elements: advertisements dated December 1940 and April 1941 reproduced in Hibi, p.63 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8. (The December 1940 advertisement is also reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.63.) See also this advertisement dated 1942 or later, reproduced in Nostalgic Camera by Toshio Inamura, and the "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), lens items Lb40 and Lc29. Foster mistakenly says that the f/3.5 lens has five elements in this page at Biofos.
  3. Sakurai Eiichi, p.372 of Shashin Kōgyō no.78.
  4. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.335.
  5. Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.62, and in Hibi, p.63 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8.
  6. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.335.
  7. Advertisements reproduced in Hibi, p.63 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8. The December 1940 advertisement is also reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.63. See also this advertisement dated 1942 or later, reproduced in Nostalgic Camera by Toshio Inamura.
  8. Hibi, p.64 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8. See also this page and this page of the Olympus Photo Club website, certainly after Hibi.
  9. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.335.
  10. Brochure for the Olympus Six (part 1 and part 2), reproduced in the medium format page of the Olympus official website.
  11. "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku", type 4, sections 5B and 6B.
  12. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.335.
  13. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.335.
  14. Lens no.7157 and lens no.7382: examples observed in online auctions. Lens no.10626: example pictured in Sugiyama, item 1216.
  15. Lens no.7601: example pictured in Hibi, p.65 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8. Lens no.10727: example pictured in Francesch, p.60, in McKeown, p.747 and in this page of the Olympus official website.
  16. "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), items 29–30 and 86–7, lens items Lb40, Lb41, Lc29 and Lc30, shutter item 24-P-4.
  17. Advertisement on p.4 of Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin, February 15, 1944, reproduced on p.68 of Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku.
  18. Hibi, p.64 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8, says that the price was ¥208 with f/4.5 lens and ¥248.80 with f/3.5 lens, probably because of a confusion between the numerals 3 and 8 in some hardly legible original document. He also gives May 1943 as the release date, but the Super Olympus was already in the April 1943 inquiry. Foster says in this page at Biofos that the Super Olympus was released in 1945, but this is a mistake; moreover no new products were released in Japan in 1945.
  19. Hagiya, p.15 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20. On p.372 of Shashin Kōgyō no.78, Sakurai Eiichi confirms that the design change was caused by problems in the supply of lens glass. Francesch, p.60, says that all the 75/3.5 have five elements but this is a mistake.
  20. Lens no.12126 and 13501: examples pictured in Hagiya, p.15 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20. Lens no.12507: example pictured in this page (body no.12112).
  21. Sakai, p.7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20, Hagiya, p.15 of the same magazine.
  22. Sakai, p.7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20, Hagiya, p.15 of the same magazine.
  23. Sakai, p.7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20, Hagiya, p.15 of the same magazine.
  24. Blueprint reproduced in the medium format page of the Olympus official website. Air raid destroying the Hatagaya plant: Francesch, pp.27–8.
  25. Lewis, p.60.
  26. Nihon no kamera tanjō kara konnichi made, pp.32 and 34; Lewis, p.60.
  27. Sakurai Eiichi, p.372 of Shashin Kōgyō no.78.
  28. Lens no.20016, body no.12936: example owned by Rebollo_fr. Lens no.20224: example pictured in Fujishima, p.23 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8. Lens no.20309: example observed in a website which is currently dead. Lens no.20727, body no.13501: example observed for sale by a French dealer at the Bièvres fair (2006 and 2007).
  29. The Zuiko-S five-element lens was made to cope with the wartime shortage of lens glass, and any lens made afterwards is postwar.
  30. Body no.13610, lens no.22043: example pictured here in the Italian Wikipedia. Body no.13721, lens no.21976: example pictured in this page. The other examples have been observed in online auctions.
  31. Francesch, p.28.
  32. Lewis, p.64. Same information in Sakai, p.7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20, not explicitly mentioning Mamiya.
  33. Example observed in this page of a Chinese website.
  34. Lens no.24964 and 25718: examples observed in online auctions. Lens no.25754: example pictured in Sugiyama, item 1216. Foster says in this page at Biofos that this is a version of the Olympus Six sold in 1940, but this is a mistake.
  35. Example pictured in Sugiyama, item 1370.
  36. Example pictured in Francesch, p.61, in McKeown, p.748, in Sugiyama, item 1371, in Hagiya, p.15 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20, in this page and this page of the Olympus Photo Club website.
  37. Example observed in an online auction.
  38. Example pictured here and here in the Chromesix website, and example observed in an online auction.
  39. Example pictured in Francesch, p.62 and in McKeown, p.748, in this page of the Olympus official website and in this page of the Olympus Photo Club website.
  40. Hagiya, p.15 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20.
  41. Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.125, and in Hibi, p.64 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.8.
  42. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.348.
  43. Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.125.
  44. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.348, describes the camera as a version of the Olympus Six with tubular finder and accessory shoe, but this camera probably doesn't exist.

Bibliography

Links

General links

In English:

In German:

In Italian:

In Japanese:

In Chinese:

  • Olympus Six with an unknown shutter (T, B, 1–250), you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it.

Literature and advertisements

In Japanese:


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