Neoca 35-K

Mizuho Koki Seisakusho began making klapp cameras in 1951 under the Mizuho brand. The Klapp cameras still belonged to the pre-war era, and the 35mm format became the common standard for hobbyists and professionals alike. In 1954, the company was renamed Neoca Kabushiki Kaisha, assumingly Neoca is derived from Neo (new) Camera. Under the new name, they concentrated on monobloc, compact 35mm cameras.

The company made only a few models: eleven rangefinders and a single viewfinder. As shown in the table below, you may note that most were variants with the same body and different lens and shutter combinations. Further, Neoca made cameras for Brunberger in Germany, Tor Optical in the US and Rank in the UK. A later incarnation of the company, as Royal Camera of Japan, sold to Hanimex as well.

In the post-war Japanese home market, camera sales relied on the buying power of the 500,000 GI contingent stationed there. I assume Necoca did not get a foothold in this market and shut down in 1960. Neoca cameras are still available in the used market, and a working model is worth having.

The Camera on my desk is the only viewfinder Neoca made, the 35-K. It is not a great camera, and judging by its quality, there might be a good reason why Neoca did not last long. I have some earlier Mizuho klapp models, which I will look at later.

The 35-K is a tiny camera, about the size of the Halina 35, but much lighter, 430gr vs the Halina 500gr. So much that it feels like a toy. It is an all-metal camera made before plastics came into fashion. It is simple to use, no user manual is required.

• The fully removable back is secured by a bottom thumb screw that contains the mounting thread.
• Two legs at the base sides brace the camera, yet it falls on its nose when set on a flat surface.
• Twin cogs guide the film to the take-off spool, all rotated by the winder. The cogs part is paramount, as it keeps a constant frame size independent of the changing diameter of the take-off spool.
• The viewer is bright and clear, with a parallax frame.
• The top has a lever winder with a film speed memo disk, a rewind release knob, a manual reset frame counter, a cold shoe and a fold-down rewind lever. The rewind lever folds down into the body and does not extend for use.
• The front lens assembly is offset, probably to allow for the space taken by the spool and guide cogs.
• Closest to the body, there is a serrated ring that just turns. It is inherited from the rangefinder models, where this ring is used for focusing.
• Next comes the aperture dial and, thereafter, the shutter speed dial. Both are independent of each other and are adorned with colourful markings. The manual refers to the colours in the way of light condition aid.
• The front dial is for focusing. On my model it is marked in feet. The depth of the field is marked around it, and it is difficult to read.
• A synch port is on the side, with no self-timer.

For the collector, all Neoca cameras are keepers.

Neoca camera models

Model	Year	Type	Winder	Shutter	Lens	image link
35 1S	1955	Rangefinder	Knob	Ceres B, 1-300	Nekkor 3.5/45
35 2S	1955	Rangefinder	Lever	Rectus B, 1-300	Nekkor 3.5/45
35 A	1957	Rangefinder	Knob	Rectus B, 1-300	Nekkor 3.5/45
35 III S	1957	Rangefinder	Lever	Rectus B, 1-300	Nekkor 2.8/45
35 IV S	1959	Rangefinder	Lever	Citizen B, 1-400	Nekkor 2.8/45
35 SV	1959	Rangefinder	Knob	Citizen B, 1-500	Nekkor 1.8/45
35 SV Delux	1959	Rangefinder	Lever	Citizen B, 1-500	Zunnow 1.8/45
35 SV Super	1959	Rangefinder	Lever	Citizen B, 1-500	Zunnow 2.8/45
Robin 35	1955	Rangefinder	Lever	Citizen B, 1-500	Nekkor 3.5/45
S	1956	Rangefinder	Lever	Citizen B, 1-500	Neokor 2.8/45
Torca 35	1956	Rangefinder	Knob	Rectus B, 1-300	Nekkor 3.5/45
35 K	1959	Viewfinder	Lever	Neoca B, 25-300	Nekkor 3.5/45

Neoca 35-K specifications