Petri 7, 7 S

Kuribayashi was one of the early camera makers in Japan, dating back to the early last century. Till WWII, they sold cameras under the ‘First’ brand via Minagawa Shoten, an external distributor that owned the First trade name. Note that Tokiwa Seiki, another early camera maker, made cameras for the same distributor until about WWII, so model names could seep or overlap from one maker to another.

The Petri name was introduced post WWII, I assume was easier to pronounce for the post-war GI contingent in Japan. Kuribayashi sold cameras under the Petri brand till its demise in 1977, when Cosina took the moniker and offered a long list of cheap SLR cameras under the Petri label. For the purist collector, it means that the authentic Petri cameras are the models made between 1945 and 1977.

The Petri 7 family was a line of cheap and straightforward cameras made to compete with rangefinders made by all Japanese makers. To stand out from the crowd, it vailed the models with many creative appellations, including Green-O-Matic, Circle Eye, Collor Corrected, Combination Coating, Blue Magic Scope and Diamond Eye. Today, once looking at cameras offered on eBay, all it does is confuse the buyer as the seller may offer any of the titles rather than simply the model itself. See also the first rangefinder by Petri, the similarly named Petri 35 2.8 Color Corrected Super.

Petri cameras were not best sellers for the collector, nor do they hold value. The model that changes hands most is the 7S described here, either as many were sold at the time or as they gained popularity as a cheap and able shooter.

The Petri 7 family contains:

• Petri 7, 1961, selenium meter
• Petri 7S, 1962, selenium meter
• Petri Touch, 1962, AKA blue magic scope, no meter.
• Petri Pro 7, 1962, selenium meter
• Petri Racer, 1966. CdS meter
• Petri 7 S-II, 1976, selenium meter

Petri Half 7 is linked by name only; it belongs to a different family, format and style.

Most models had two lens options, a 2.9/45 and 1.9/45. Later, 1.9 was replaced with 1.8, whereas the Petri 7 had the 1.9 and 1.8 options, depending on the production run.

There were no significant changes within the different models. The 7 is a lightweight and compact camera; at 660 gr, it meets the historical average of fixed lens rangefinders, with the 7S shedding 60 gr and the Racer drooped further to anywhere between 500 and 550 gr (I don’t have one to weigh, and different sites quote different weights).

The Petri Touch has no meter, and the Racer has a CdS meter. The rest of the models in the group carry a selenium meter adorning the lens. Other than the Racer, all models shoot without batteries.

Generation changes were a different winder lever, trigger location or meter reading location. See the specifications for the first two models below.

Using the 7 and 7S takes no imagination. All settings you need are on the lens barrel. Closest to the body is the focusing dial, supported with an ample finger rest. Next comes the aperture setting dial, and the shutter speed dial at the front. The film speed setting is embedded in the dial, and values are visible through a notch in it. Changing the film speed takes holding the dial and moving a small fin protruding further down. In the three cameras I have, pushing this fin took some effort. The timer lever and synch selector are mounted on the side of the barrel. The frame counter is embedded within the winder base and takes strong nails to reset.

The viewer is large and clear, friendlier than the typical Japanese or German cameras of the era. Bright parallax marks and clear distance patch are a blessing. At the right, the meter needle hovers over a scale and is positioned per speed and aperture settings.

The 7S moved the cocking lever to within the body, where Petri made a big deal out of it where all you need is to slide your thumb over the back, and it will meet the lever. With the top-mounted winder gone, a self-resetting frame counter has a dedicated window. The needle in the viewer stayed, with an additional lens on the top fascia. The dials on the lens barrel are similar to the 7.

For the collector, it is a typical 35mm post-war Japanese rangefinder, cheaply available and nice to have. For a photographer, it is a practical, simple and cheap shooter that punches well above its cost.

Petri 7

Petri 7 S