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Proud was a Japanese camera maker before World War II.

History[]

The company was simply called Proud-Sha (プラウド社, meaning Proud Company) and was based in Tokyo.[1] The logo was the word Proud in handwritten script, underlined by a loop coming from the initial letter "P".

The company was founded was Miyazaki Shizuma (宮崎静馬), son of the owner of a large camera shop in Suda.[2] Most of the cameras were copies of German folders, like the Zeh Goldi or the Balda Baldax, and the camera bodies were made by a sub-contracting factory.[3]

It was Miyazaki Shizuma who suggested to the company Takachiho (predecessor of Olympus), which had developed a camera lens, to venture into camera production, and the bodies of the original Semi Olympus were supplied by Proud.[4] Camera bodies were also supplied to Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō for the Adler Four 4×4cm camera.

Miyazaki Shizuma was also engaged in the lens maker Miyoshi Kōgaku, as the responsible of the commercial aspects.[5] This explains why Miyoshi became Proud's main lens supplier, displacing the German company Friedrich. It seems that Proud was gradually merged into Miyoshi, which finally took over the camera producing activity. The Semi Prux 4.5×6 horizontal folder (a copy of the Kodak Duo) was jointly advertised by the two companies in 1939–40. Miyoshi later continued the production of cameras with the Roavic (inspired by the Kodak Duo Series II) and the Alma Four.

The postwar Proud models made by Sumida Optical Works are certainly a continuation of the prewar Proud company. This company also revived the Roavic as the Apollo and Mikado (said to be made in cooperation with Nishida).

See Sumida for all postwar Proud cameras.

Camera list[]

127 film[]

120 film[]

It is unclear whether the Semi Rosen, Semi Rosen III and Semi Rosen U were made by Proud or not.

Film plate[]

  • Proud (6.5×9cm, 1933–4)

It is unclear whether the Rosen 6.5×9cm model (c.1935) was made by Proud or not.

Other products[]

  • Proud roll holder (ロールホルダー), in three versions (A, B, C), sold at ¥5 from 1936[6]

Notes[]

  1. Based in Tokyo: advertisement dated December 1936 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.104. McKeown, p.804, says that Proud was also called Rosen Camera Fabrik and K.S. Fabrik. The latter seems to be a confusion, see the corresponding page.
  2. Sakurai Eiichi, p.64 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20.
  3. Made by a sub-contractor: Sakurai Eiichi, p.64 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20.
  4. Sakurai Eiichi, p.64 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.20.
  5. Inoue, p.131 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14.
  6. Columns in Asahi Camera July 1936, p.249, and August 1936, p.377.

Bibliography[]

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