ARS Optical Acon 35 Model II / Sky 35 Model II Over the years, I grabbed any odd Japanese camera that had passed by me. I did not realize how many are on the shelves until now, sorting them out. ARS Optical has a good place in the middle, within the odd/esoteric/obscure camera makers category. It is a typical post-war...

Toko Shashin Windsor 35 Toko Shashin, literally Toko Photo, also known as Toko, was one of many camera makers that appeared in Japan after WWII, catering to the 500,000 GI contingent looking for bring-home souvenirs. Like most other makers, it lasted about a decade from inception to wind down. Click the ‘obscure’ on the breadcrumbs at the top of the...

Okaya Lord II A Okaya Koki, translated as Okaya Optical Machinery, was one of several hundred post-war Japanese camera makers that bloomed briefly and withered without leaving any legacy. Little is known about the factory besides its location and a short camera list. I read that Okaya was associated with the Hattori stores that held the rights to the Lord...

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...

Dai-Hyaku Seiki Novo I was recovering from sorting through the Yamato smorgasbord, looking for a simple, one-off camera model. I picked up a Novo 35 rangefinder, a lesser-known post-war Japanese camera. There is hardly anything about the camera and its siblings in print or online. I had to pick up data fragments, yet I am unsure if I got them...