Teraoka Auto Tera IIb / Auto Terra

The Auto Terra camera line was made in Japan by Teraoka Seikosho. The company was named after the founder’s name, Teraoka Takeharu, with the suffix ‘Seiko’, a term that appears on many Japanese products. It translates to success or excellence, with an added ‘Sho’ for place or home. It could be something like ‘Smith’s House of Excellence’ in English. The ‘Tera’ of the owner’s name was Latinized into ‘Terra’, and a brand was born.

All online references state that the company’s roots go back to the early 20th century when it produced adding machines and commercial scales. Adding machines do not mean much to today’s users, as a calculator is readily available on all phones made in the past two decades. When I got my first job and had to assist in invoicing, I got a mighty, handle-operated contraption that could only add, subtract, and multiply. For division, I was on my own. This was in 1972, and that machine was cutting-edge technology.

Adding machines are precision equipment, engaging cogs, levers and springs in concert, so when Japan fell into the camera craze, it was natural for that company to join.

Moving from one industry to another is a common path, sometimes a matter of survival. I haven’t seen many saddles or horseshoe makers around, so I guess they have evolved into a current trade. Many of today’s mega-corporations came from humble beginnings in different industries: Panasonic made electrical plugs, Sharp made pencils, Toyota and Brother made sewing machines, Sony made toasters, and Suzuki made weaving machines.

Teraoka presented its first camera in 1955 and the last in 1961. Such a period is brief, even at the comparable short-lived Japanese camera makers of the time. Looking at the camera, I would guess they could not compete with the other makers, as this model stands head and shoulders above the run-of-the-mill models. Moreover, the camera on my desk is flowless and operates as if it came today off the line, much more than can be said about others I have of that generation. Some 400 camera makers were competing over the 500,00 American GIs stationed there, so selling an expensive product to an immature market was challenging.

• Most cameras made in post-war Japan were styled after Geman models. The Auto Terra models were completely different.
• Auto Terra, the first model, was a 35mm klapp model with a coupled rangefinder and a spring motor, six frames on a full winding. The shutter speed of 500 was above the typical standards of the era, and 2.8/the 44 lens was fast enough for low-speed film available. Besides the Super L model, the company used its self-branded Plover (Tamron?) lenses. All following models kept the same shutter speed, with either Seikosha or Copal.
• Auto Terra I or II was introduced in the same year. Naming depends on which book you rely on. It is an elusive model; I have not seen any offered for sale or changing hands. Other than being a monobloc, this camera had the same specifications as the first model.
• Auto Tera IIa and IIb followed in 1957; note the ‘Tera’ rather than ‘Terra’ name. Either the die maker mistakenly dropped it, or a dye-in-the-wool sticky designer omitted an ‘R.’ All the rest of the models are named Auto Terra. The Auto Tera Iib is widely available, whereas the IIa is not seen anywhere other than in the guidebooks.
• Auto Terra IIBS followed in the same year and returned the Terra spelling. A fast 1.9/45 lens. Up to twelve frames with a full winding.
• Auto Terra IIL of 1958 added an uncoupled selenium meter. Same lens as the BS.

All previous cameras were spring-loaded for film transport only, and the shutter had to be cocked by the mighty lever mounted on the lens barrel.

• Auto Terra Super / Super A of 1959 had combined the shutter cocking with the film transport, so one press took a snapshot. An upgraded mechanism allowed up to 20 exposures per wind-up. Back to the 2.8/44 lens. A long-gone distributor, Aetna Optix, also sold it in the US as Optika Auto 35, together with Exakta and RIttreck cameras.
• Auto Terra Super L of 1960 added a light meter. A 1.8 Zunow lens replaced the Plover brand lens used for the earlier models.
• Auto Terra P for police was the last of the lot, introduced in 1961, and was all black. Used for the same purpose as the Robot traffic cameras. This model was a viewfinder and is rare today. Some fake repainted Auto Terra Super show up for sale.

The Auto Tera IIb shares a design cue with the Werra line, which was born in the same year. It has graceful, smooth lines and is a pleasure to look at and hold. This camera requires a manual. There are none online, I was lucky to have one with the camera I got, which is posted here. The English manual language is odd; I still look for the meaning of ‘Patrony’.

The camera is larger and heavier than the Japanese equivalents of the time, more on par with the bulky East German. Nonetheless, it falls nicely in hand, the viewer is offset and nose-friendly, and all controls are easy to reach and operate. On the downside, it is over-engineered and confusing; see below.

Like the Werra, the top is almost bare.

• A cold accessory shoe and a modest self-setting frame counter.
• The back has a large, bright viewer, showing a diamond rangefinder patch and a hard-to-find parallax frame.
• A small memo disk showing film attributes.

The action is on the front and bottom.

• The sizeable front viewer window is mirror-like coated, useful for selfies or whatever they called it seventy years ago.
• On the body, in descending order, are a bulbous trigger actuation knob, a remote trigger socket and a small serrated knob. The knob has three positions:
  • D, to allow for double exposure,
  • A, default position, for auto frame advance,
  • R, for rewind.
• The lens barrel is busy with:
  • A focusing ring mounted flush with the body, easy to use, with an added finger rest.
  • An oversized, can-not-be-missed lever that falls under the left-hand index finger releases the auto winder clutch and feeds the film one frame forward. The DOF markings are on the base ring.
  • Next is the shutter speed selector ring, which is heavy on slow speeds to match the film sensitivity of the time. The speeds goes up to 500, more than the typical on compatible cameras.
  • The flash synch selector is on the other side, offers M-F-X. Being a modern camera at the time, the manufacturer introduced a new material, plastic; this is the only plastic on this camera.
  • The front dial is the aperture settings.
  • All markings and dials are easy to read and use. Again, uncommon with other models of the era.
• The bottom has two fold-down arms:
  • The one that looks like a lock mechanism on other cameras is the spring winder.
  • The fold-down lever at the end is the rewind crank.
  • Hidden beneath it is the back cover release button.
  • The back hinges open, exposing a well-machined body, an integral take-off spool and a gentle pressure plate.

Good to know:

Using the camera without a manual can be challenging.

• First, wind up the spring-loaded mechanism using the fold-down thumb nut set at the bottom.
• To shoot, press the film feeder lever to position fresh fame
• Press the trigger.
• Repeat this sequence for each frame.
• For a double exposure, set the knob below the winder release to D.
• The shutter will not operate without film. See the manual to bypass it.
• Both controls should not be pressed simultaneously. First, push the winder lever, then the trigger.
• In the Auto Terra Super, winding and trigger actuation are combined into one click.

For the collector, these models are a prized catch. The price would be high, but the Tauto Terra cameras are a fine example of post-war Japanese ingenuity and engineering, with an original model, unlike other cameras of the time that were copies of German models.