Waltax

The Waltax (ワルタックス) is a series of Japanese 4.5×6 folders made from 1940 to 1952, whose body is copied from the Ikonta A. Until 1945, the Waltax was made by Okada Kōgaku and distributed by Nihon Shōkai, and the Okaco or Semi Okaco was a rebadged version distributed by Kawara Shashinki-ten.

New models appeared after the war, and some sources say that these postwar Waltax were made by Daiichi Kōgaku, successor of Okada, but no original document has yet been observed to support this. On the contrary, all the Waltax models have Okako logos, and it seems that they were all made by Okada except perhaps the very last ones. When the company changed its name to Daiichi Kōgaku, the Waltax was replaced by the Zenobia, treated in a separate page.

The original Waltax and Okaco

Description

The original Waltax and the Okaco are vertical folders, copied on the 4.5×6 Ikonta, with the typical folding struts. They have a folding optical finder, whose opening is coupled to the release of the folding bed. There is a body release placed to the left of the viewfinder, as seen by the photographer holding the camera horizontally. The film is wound by a key at the bottom right and the tripod screw is at the bottom left. The back is hinged to the left and the latch consists of a long sliding bar. The body's serial number is engraved in the inner side of the back.

An OKAKO TOKYO logo is engraved on the folding struts and embossed in the leather of the back: Okako is the usual abbreviation for Okada Kōgaku. The name is displayed at the front, either Waltax embossed in the front leather, or Okaco etched on a yellowish metal plate riveted to the body, perhaps over the Waltax embossing.

The shutter is a five-bladed Dabit-Super giving T, B, 1–500 or B, 1–500 speeds and made by Okada itself. The lens is a front-cell focusing Kolex made by Okada too.

Prewar and wartime career

The Waltax was first advertised in the May 1940 issue of Asahi Camera and it was featured in the new products column of the same magazine the month after. It is said that the release price was ¥160. A presumably early advertising document for the Waltax shows two red windows near the top of the back, protected by a horizontally sliding common cover. This feature has not been observed so far; it might belong to the earliest examples, maybe to pre-production cameras only.

The Okaco was certainly released in 1941. It does not appear in the official list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941. The earliest known advertisement is in the August 1941 issue of Asahi Camera. It was placed by the wholesale branch of the distributor Kawara Shashinki-ten. The camera, said to be "available soon" (近日発売), is simply called Okaco (オカコー) and is presented alongside the Oko Six and the Letix. The maker is stated as Okakō (岡光, an abbreviation of Okada Kōgaku). The Dabit-Super shutter is mentioned as having five blades and giving T, B, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500 speeds, and a choice of three lenses is given:

• 7.5cm f/2.8, five elements;
• 7cm f/3.5, four elements (Tessar-type);
• 7.5cm f/4.5, four elements (Tessar-type).

The official list of set prices dated November 1941 mentions an Okaco II in an elevated price category, probably corresponding to the f/2.8 version. The camera was also advertised in 1942 or later as the Semi Okaco II (セミオカコーⅡ型), offered at ¥243 with the f/2.8 lens and still described as "available soon". The advertising picture seems the same as in August 1941, with no depth-of-field indicator on the top plate. The distributor is again Kawara Shashinki-ten.

The Waltax continued to be sold in parallel to the Okaco. Three wartime advertisements for the Waltax have been observed, dated 1942 and 1943 and placed by Nihon Shōkai and the wholesale branch of Honjō Shōkai. A plausible theory explaining why the same camera was sold under two different names is that the brand Waltax was owned by Nihon Shōkai and the Okaco was introduced by Okada for sale by other distributors. (The name Waltax is reminiscent of Walz, a name already used for a camera made by Okada and distributed by Nihon Shōkai.) The three advertisements give the price of ¥185 and only mention the Kolex Anastigmat 7cm f/3.5 lens; however it is said that a few advertisements for the Waltax also mention the f/2.8 lens. All three advertisements seem to show the same picture. The shutter plate has the company name OKAKO TOKYO at the top and nothing at the bottom, the shutter name DABIT–SUPER is inscribed at the bottom of the speed setting rim, and the aperture is set by an index at the bottom of the shutter housing. This arrangement slightly differs from the actual examples observed so far (see below).

The government inquiry listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943 has both the Okaco and the Waltax. In the document, the two cameras are said to be distributed by Nihon Shōkai; this would defeat the above theory accounting for the existence of two models, or might be a mistake. The Waltax is registered with a Kolex 75/3.5 and the Okaco with a Kolex 75/2.8, both said to have four elements; this contradicts the August 1941 advertisement saying that the f/2.8 lens has five. When mentioned, the range of speeds is given as T, B, 1–500 in all the wartime documents observed so far.

Postwar revival

The original Waltax was briefly advertised again in late 1947. An advertisement dated November 1947 shows a camera with a depth-of-field scale at the top left and a Kolex lens no.160xx or 180xx. The advertisement was placed by the distributor Tōyō Shashinki-zai, and there is no mention of Okada.

Surviving examples

Okaco, Kolex 7cm f/3.5 lens no.02906, depth-of-field scale on the left, Semi 2600 marking. Pictures courtesy of Audim Culver at Blue Moon Camera. (Image rights)

All the surviving examples observed have a Kolex Anastigmat f/3.5 lens and a single red window at the bottom left of the back, protected by a horizontally sliding cover. The focal length is indicated as 7cm on most cameras, and as 7.5cm on some late examples. Unlike what appears in the wartime Waltax advertising picture, the aperture index is at the top of the shutter housing, and the black shutter plate has OKAKO TOKYO at the top at the top and DABIT–SUPER at the bottom.

The evolution of the camera can be reconstructed from the lens number sequence: the Kolex lens was only used on the Okaco and Waltax and the body, lens and shutter numbers seem to match quite closely. The earliest example observed so far is the Okaco pictured in this page, with lens no.02906. It differs from the other cameras by its thicker lens rim, partly hiding the shutter plate, and by the shutter name DABIT–SUPER repeated at the bottom of the speed setting rim. This additional DABIT–SUPER marking is found on another isolated example (lens no.13465), which is also missing the T exposure.

SEMI.2600 embossing. Picture courtesy of Audim Culver at Blue Moon Camera. (Image rights)

Some examples of the Waltax and Okaco have the name SEMI.2600 embossed in the leatherette strip covering the back latch. This is probably related to the release year: 1940 is year 2600 of the Japanese traditional calendar which was commonly used in military Japan. The name "Semi 2600" is only known from the marking on the camera itself and has not yet been observed on any original document. The SEMI.2600 marking was perhaps used until the end of the war and suppressed in 1945; however this is hard to tell because the corresponding leatherette strip is missing from most surviving cameras.

Most examples have a rotating depth-of-field scale above the main body. The presence and position of this depth-of-field scale is somewhat erratic. Most early examples have the scale at the top left, except for one isolated example where it is absent. The part moved to the top right corner around lens no.10000. The scale is often absent after lens no.15000, but isolated examples have the scale on the left or on the right.

The T exposure, already absent from the anomalous example mentioned above (lens no.13465), gradually disappeared from the speed range around lens no.17000. After lens no.18000, some examples have the focal length engraved as 7.5cm instead of 7cm; however this change was not adopted once and for all, and both engravings were mixed until the end of the production. These various inconsistencies might correspond to the chaotic resume of production immediately after the war.

Original Waltax, Kolex 7cm f/3.5 lens no.17082, no depth-of-field scale. Pictures courtesy of eBayer suvorov_v. (Image rights)

One very late example of the original Waltax (body no.019215, lens no.20502) has a small Waltax nameplate riveted to the body over the leatherette covering, instead of the Waltax embossing found on the other cameras. The last known example has body no.020395 and lens no.20097, and is pictured in this page; it is not known if it originally had the Waltax nameplate or embossing because its leatherette covering is missing.

Original Waltax no.020395, Kolex 7.5cm f/3.5 lens no.20097, Dabit-Super shutter no.018863, no depth-of-field scale. All the leatherette covering is missing. Pictures courtesy of Craig Supplee. (Image rights)

The Waltax II and III

From now on, all the Waltax models have a finder enclosed in a top housing, an accessory shoe and an advance knob on the top left. The red window, protected by a sliding cover, is now at top of the back because the film runs from right to left. The tripod screw is centered and there are two decorative knobs at both ends of the bottom plate.

Advertisements

The Waltax II (ワルタックスⅡ型) was advertised at least in 1947 by the distributor Tōyō Shashinki-zai. There is a rotating depth-of-field scale on the top right and a logo above the top housing in front of the accessory shoe. The advance knob looks a little smaller in the advertising picture than on the later models, and a small hole is visible next to it, for the film advance indicator. There is no exposure counter. The advertisement mentions auto-stop film advance but not double exposure prevention. This is probably an omission: in the advertising picture, no lever is visible to unlock film advance, probably meaning that it is unlocked by the body release itself.

The Waltax III (ワルタックスⅢ型) was advertised at least in 1949 by the same distributor. The advertisement mentions flash synchronization and double-exposure prevention. According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, these two features distinguish the III from the II. However the advertisement for the Waltax III emphasizes flash synchronization: the portion of the picture showing the flash synch connector is enlarged. Flash synch is probably the distinguishing feature between the two models. Examples of the Waltax have been observed without flash synchronization but with double-exposure prevention, and they must surely be identified as Waltax II.

The advertisement for the Waltax III also says that it takes 620 film, the lens is mentioned as a Bio-Kolex f:3.5 and the shutter is called "Dabit Compur" (ダビツトコンパー), surely a mistake. In the camera pictured, the logo has moved to the front of the top housing.

It seems that the later Waltax Senior is simply a renaming of the Waltax III; see below.

Description of a Waltax II

The following description applies to the examples of the Waltax with top housing but no flash synch, assumed to correspond to the Waltax II.

The lens is a Bio-Kolex Anastigmat 7.5cm f:3.5. The shutter has B, 1–500 speeds and is not synchronized. The shutter plate is black, written OKAKO TOKYO at the top and likely DABIT–SUPER at the bottom (only partly visible).

The top housing has a rotating depth-of-field scale on the right (engraved in feet in this example), with the folding bed opening button nearside. The advance knob is on the left; it has a striated top and a red arrow engraved in the rim. Very close to it, there is a small hole, certainly a film advance indicator. The shutter release is also on the same side. No lever is visible to unlock film advance, which is presumably unlocked by the action of the shutter release. The back has one red window, protected by a sliding cover, certainly to set the first exposure.

The name Waltax is embossed in the front leather. Unlike the Waltax II pictured in the ad, there is a Waltax OKAKO logo engraved in front of the top housing, and the serial number is engraved above the top housing in front of the accessory shoe. There is an OKAKO TOKYO logo engraved in the body struts. The back leather is missing, but on later models it is embossed with the same logo.

The viewfinder front trim is very thin, separate from the top housing. The standing leg has a squarish shape. These two characteristics are shared by the cameras pictured in the 1947 and 1949 advertisements mentioned above. All the later examples observed have a thicker finder trim, part of the top housing, and a standing leg with a more pointed shape.

From the Junior to the Acme

The Waltax Junior

The Waltax Junior (ワルタックスジュニア) is a cheaper model. According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, it appears in magazines from 1950 to 1952. The film advance is controlled by a red window in the back, protected by a sliding cover, and there is no film-advance indicator. The lens is a Bio-Kolex Anastigmat 1:4.5 f=7.5cm , uncoated, a triplet lens with front element focusing, combined with an Okako flash-synchronized 2-blade shutter with speeds 1/25–1/150 sec. plus B. The depth-of-field scale is replaced by a Waltax Junior engraving on the right of the top housing.

image by century graphic

The serial number is engraved above the top housing in front of the accessory shoe. The Waltax OKAKO logo has disappeared from the top housing, but there is an OKAKO TOKYO logo embossed in the back leather and the shutter plate is marked OKAKO at the bottom. In view of all these Okako markings, attribution to Daiichi Kōgaku is dubious.

The Waltax Junior seems to be the most common version of the Waltax. Two versions have been observed, and a chronological classification can be attempted based on the serial numbers and other considerations.

The early version has straight body struts, different from all the other Waltax models (illustrated for example in McKeown). On the very first examples, the OKAKO marking at the bottom of the shutter plate is in big fancy letters, the cover for the red window slides under a metal plate attached by four small screws, and the aperture scale is chrome with black numbers.

These features were soon modified: on most examples, the OKAKO marking has a regular font, the red window cover is buried in the back and the aperture scale is black with yellowish numbers.

At a later time, flash synchronization was added and the striated advance knob inherited from the Waltax II was replaced by a newer model, with a red arrow engraved inside a shallow depression on the top. It seems that these two modifications occurred at about the same time but transitional examples exist. The synch connector is usually an ASA bayonet post, but some examples have an unknown type of synch post, consisting of a pin protruding horizontally from the bottom of the shutter housing.

The late version returns to the same body struts as the other Waltax models, engraved with an OKAKO TOKYO logo. It was probably better for the company to have the same standard body for the whole range than to have a special cheaper body for the Junior model. A Waltax Junior has been reported by a camera dealer as having a D.O.C.-Rapid shutter, like the last Waltax Senior models (see below).

The Waltax Senior and Deluxe

Waltax Senior n°31668, Dabit-Super shutter. Pictures courtesy of eBayer rumy. (Image rights)

The Waltax Senior (ワルタックスシニア) is probably the new name of the Waltax III, and all the features are similar. According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, the Waltax Deluxe (ワルタックスデラックス) is the same camera with an added self-timer, and both appear in 1951 and 1952 magazines, together with the Waltax Acme (see below).

A number of Waltax cameras have been observed with flash synchronization and a top housing slightly different from the Waltax II described above. They are assumed to be examples of the Waltax Senior or late Waltax III. No example of the Waltax Deluxe has yet been observed.

They have a thick viewfinder trim, part of the top housing. The advance knob is of the newer type, with a shallow depression, and the hole for the film advance indicator is more distant from the knob than on the Waltax II. The standing leg is also different from the one on the Waltax II, with a more pointed shape. The lens marking has a red C. between Bio-Kolex and Anastigmat, probably indicating a coated lens. The shutter is synchronized, with an ASA bayonet connector on the top left.

The Waltax name is absent from the front leather, but all the other logos are present: Waltax OKAKO in front of the top housing, and OKAKO TOKYO in the struts and in the back leather. Some examples have a MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN marking embossed in a small piece of leather on the back opening.

The early variant has a black shutter plate written OKAKO TOKYO at the top and DABIT–SUPER at the bottom. The late variant has a white unmarked shutter plate, with D.O.C.–RAPID engraved in the shutter rim. Some examples of both variants look like they have a modified synch post with a hole in a red circle, but this may be a regular ASA bayonet post whose tip has been unscrewed. No other difference is visible between the two variants; the shutter characteristics and all the other markings are the same. "D.O.C." may well stand for Daiichi Optical Company, a translation of Daiichi Kōgaku K.K. This late variant is certainly a transitional one, made after Okada either changed its name or was bought by Daiichi and just before the release of the Zenobia, successor of the Waltax.

The Waltax Acme

The Waltax Acme (ワルタックスアクメ) is a rangefinder version of the Waltax Senior. The coupled rangefinder, separate from the viewfinder and enclosed in the top housing, is inspired by the Super Ikonta: a pivoting arm mounted on the shutter housing supports a rotating lens in front of one of the two round rangefinder windows. According to Kokusan kamera no rekishi, the other characteristics are the same as the Waltax III or Senior, and it appears in 1951 and 1952 magazines.

Serial numbers and production

The serial numbers of the body, lens and shutter are very close on all the Okaco and Waltax cameras. The earliest lens number observed is 02906 and the last is 37551. The number sequence continues on the Zenobia models, of which the lowest body serial observed is 39663. If we suppose that the sequence begins at 01000, this makes a total of about 37,000 or 38,000 cameras produced.

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. Items 35, 345 and 1062–8.
• "Kamera no kōtei kakaku kanpō happyō" (カメラの公定価格官報発表, Official announcement of the set prices of the cameras), November 1941. Extract of a table listing Japanese camera production and setting the retail prices, reproduced in "Bebī Semi Fāsuto 'Kore ha bebī wo nanotta semi-ki da'" (ベビーセミファースト"これはベビーを名乗ったセミ機だ", Baby Semi First, 'this is a Semi camera called Baby'), an article by Furukawa Yasuo (古川保男) in Camera Collectors' News no. 277 (July 2000). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. P. 27. Type 3, sections 7B and 8C.
• "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. Items 63 and 66.
• "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku" (国産写真機の公定価格, Set prices of the Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of October 25, 1940 and setting the retail prices from December 10, 1940. Published in Asahi Camera January 1941 and reproduced in 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. Pp.108—9. Type 3, section 7B.
• Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), ISBN 0-935398-16-3 (hard). Pp.56, 61, 75 (brief mentions only).
• 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). Pp.239 and 745.
• 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.24.
• 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. Items 1263 and 1429–32.

Links

General links

In French:

• Waltax Junior (late) at Mario Groleau's site

In Japanese:

• Original Waltax and early prospects in the AJCC website
• Waltax Senior (early) at Puppy's Island
• Waltax Senior (late) at Minorhouse
• Waltax Senior (late) at Maachan no hima tsubushi

In Chinese:

• Original Waltax in a post at a Chinese forum
• Waltax Senior (early) at http://www.gold-camera.com/ (click to enlarge the picture)

Documents

• Advertisements reproduced in Nostalgic Camera, a page of old Japanese advertisements by Toshio Inamura:
  • Advertisement for the Waltax dated 1942
  • Advertisement for the Semi Okaco dated 1942 or later
• Advertisement for the Waltax published in the 3 March 1943 issue of Asahi Graph, reproduced in the Japanese camera page of the Gochamaze website

Timeline

Okada timeline ()																								Daiichi->
Type		1940s																				1950s
		0		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		0		1
4.5×6 folder	viewfinder																						Waltax Junior
		Waltax														Waltax	Waltax II		...	Waltax III		...		Waltax Senior
				Okaco				...																Waltax Deluxe
	rangefinder																							Waltax Acme
Cameras whose actual existence or dates are dubious are in a lighter shade of grey.