Graflex Century 35 Ne

In 1959, Kowa introduced four rangefinder cameras under the Kallo brand:

• Kallo 140, 1.4/50 lens
• Kallo 180, as above, 1.8/45 lens
• Kallo 181, as above, with a meter
• Kallo 281, as above, with 2.8/48 lens.

After Graflex whet their appetite with the homegrown Graphic 35 and the more successful Kowa-made Century 35, Graflex adopted the Kallo 181 as their 1959 Century 35 Ne model. Other than the lens that had changed to an industry standard 2.0/45, it is the same as the original Kowa.

Little information is offered online or in print on the Century 35 Ne or the sister Kallo.

The camera design is modern, even in today’s style, ahead of the previous Kowa / Graflex rangefinder models. The selenium lightmeter is connected with the shutter and aperture settings, leaving no guessing room. The meter cover is slotted to be closed with a bright background, the same style as the Contaflex models.

Three rings at the front of the lens assembly control the settings: closest to the body is the aperture, thereafter is the shutter speed, and at the front is the film speed, which is an odd placement. All three rings are coupled, so once a correct EV is established, a turn of the shutter ring is compensated by the aperture.

The manual does not assist much with the dials’ settings, being curt and somewhat cryptic. My unit has a dead meter, so making sense of the settings is confusing.

For the collector, I would assume that this model was not popular at the time, and neither is it sought after today. The Kallo 140 is an exception, as it fetches a much higher price than the rest of the group.