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February 15, 2024

IOR Orizont

IOR Orizont Romania is one of the central European countries that lagged behind the West, with an economy primarily based on agriculture, hardly over subsistence farming. As in neighbouring countries, the population consists of several ethnicities brought together in a shotgun wedding, which didn’t contribute much to national progress, spirit or pride. After the war, Romania was kept under the...

Categories 35 mm/Obscure/Romania/Viewfinder Comments: 0
February 12, 2024

Tohokoken Camel II

Tohokoken Camel II Japanese camera makers’ names are sometimes difficult to carry over to Western languages. Adding poor historical record-keeping and a glut in post-war camera makers, one may end up with a confusing mix. Here is an example. Tohokoken was established in Japan in 1953 by an employee of a defunct camera maker. The company made several camera models,...

Categories 35 mm/Japan/Obscure/Viewfinder Comments: 0
February 11, 2024

Tokyo Koken Dolca 35

Tokyo Koken Dolca 35 The Dolca 35b is the first model made by Tokyo Koken, one of the many camera makers that flourished post WWII, just to quietly vanish after half a decade or so. The company name means Tokyo Optical, which could be associated with Tokyo Optical Works, another company with a short lifespan, makers of the Dorima TLR line....

Categories 35 mm/Japan/Obscure/Viewfinder Comments: 0
February 10, 2024

Halina 3000

Halina 3000 In the 1970s, Haking / Halina had been making cameras for about twenty years, a mix of entry-level models and attempts at mid-range. Meanwhile, the market had matured into able shooters with a better speed range, quality lenses and auto features. Where the Japanese mainstay was the TLR models, with compacts at second priority, the Germans were going...

Categories 35 mm/Halina/Hong Kong/Viewfinder Comments: 0
February 9, 2024

Halina 35X

Halina 35X / 35X Super In the post-war years, Japan was drawn into a cultural revision and economic and industrial rebound driven by General MacArthur’s reconstruction plan. Far from the scale of the Marshal Plan in Europe, but aggressive enough to set the wheels in motion to make Japan the superpower it is now. Under the occupying rules, Japan was...

Categories 35 mm/Halina/Hong Kong/Viewfinder Comment: 1
February 2, 2024

Nihon Seiki Nescon 35

Nihon Seiki Nescon 35 / Ranger 35 Writing about vintage cameras goes in two paths. On mainstream models, information pours off the screen and spills onto the desk and the floor. Regrettably, most are copy-and-paste pages used as clickbait. It takes a great deal of time and patience to sift through original information and fresh thoughts. Online plagiarism has become...

Categories 35 mm/Japan/Nihon Seiki/Viewfinder Comments: 0
January 31, 2024

Soligor 45

Soligor 45 Soligor was the brand name of products sold by Allied Import-Export, also named Allied Impex, or AiC, distributing photography hardware in the US. They had branch offices at most major centers at the height of their activity. The name Soligor is said to be based on the Japanese nickname of a lens series, Solid Gold, shortened to Soligor....

Categories 35 mm/Japan/Nihon Seiki/Soligor/USA/Viewfinder Comments: 0
January 28, 2024

Taisei Super Westomat 35

Taisei Super Westomat 35 There are two models under this name. The earlier is a three-windows version, viewfinder/rangefinder combination. The second has two windows, a rangefinder only, commonly called Super Westomat 35 II. It was sold as Welmy 35 M-3 and Super Welmy The naming convention echos the Welmy 35, also sold as Westomat 35. Taisei kept recycling model names,...

Categories 35 mm/Japan/Rangefinder/Taisei Koki/USA/Viewfinder Comments: 0
January 27, 2024

Kalimar Kolt 44

Kalimar Colt 44 / Hoei Anny 44 Paying tribute to the Kalimar brand, I pulled two identical cameras off the shelf, the Kalimar 44 and the Anny 44. Both are the same, just different name tags. Kalimar also sold the same camera under Kalimar 44. The 44 mark was popular with other camera models, relating to the frame size of...

Categories 127/Japan/Kalimar/USA/Viewfinder Comments: 0
January 24, 2024

Kalimar A

Kalimar A Kalimar was a photographic equipment distributor in the US, selling cameras and related paraphernalia. It was established in 1938 by MOT brothers Bob and Abe Lipshitz. Whatever value the brand had was taken over by Tiffen in 1999, just in time before the digital trend took over. The name appeared on many pieces of equipment; not much seemed...

Categories 35 mm/Japan/Kalimar/Taisei Koki/USA/Viewfinder Comment: 1

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