Riken 35 / Ricoh 35

Going back in time are the Ricoh 35 / Riken 35. The Riken name goes back to the early last century when a quasi-government body was established under this name to promote scientific research. Riken Optical was established in 1927 and branched into camera-making in 1936.

Like the later Ricoh 500 models, Ricoh used the 35 name with various suffixes for over fifty unrelated Ricoh cameras. Some Ricoh / Riken 35 models had morphed unchanged into 500 or 300 models, such as the Riken 35S into the Ricoh 500 or the Ricoh 35 Deluxe into the Ricoh 300.

The Ricoh 35 and Riken 35 are identical. The Riken model came in 1955 and was renamed Ricoh within the year. Adding to the confusion, a second version of the Riken 35 was briefly made, where the front horns were amalgamated into one larger cover. This model is rarely seen for resale.

The cameras of that era were based on the klapp type, where the movement from the fixed top to the folding base / retracting lens assembly and/or the movement from the focusing dial to the viewer was conveyed through a set of arms and levers. Here, as in other cameras of the time, the levers are still external but are concealed by the mighty horn-like covers.

The camera is all metal, made well before the plastic era. Although smaller than the post-war German models, it weighs as much, meaning it feels unexpectedly heavy. It is free of luxury frills, having just the necessities for shooting. Operating is straightforward; you can safely skip the manual. A scant speed offering of B, 10-200, is in line with the modest lens, a 3.5/45, no fireworks at the time, and well below the minimum of just a decade later.

The viewer is Ricoh-typical large and bright, with a good rangefinder patch of decent travel, easy to focus. The frame counter skirt around the winder knob takes manual reset.

An odd feature is the fold-down, bottom-mounted winder, not commonly seen before or after that period. To cater to the purist (I guess), there is also a traditional knob winder, where both wind the film and cock the shutter. I am not aware of any other camera having such an attribute.