Takahashi Arsen

A few weeks ago, I looked at the Acon 35 by ARS Optical, and the Arsen model came to mind, a kind of name similarity. I pulled the Arsen off the shelf and looked it up online. With the first online result, the Gelto name came up; indeed, they are similar.

Further looking at the little information available, the Arsen shares a lot with the Gelto, but there is no cut-and-dry pointer that they come from the same line.

A Japanese site suggests that Takahashi is the same as the Gelto maker Toa Koki. The Arsen appearance points to the early Gelto, with the same lens and a very similar top. However, it is listed as a stand-alone model, with a sister named Idea that, once you squint hard, looks like the 1922 Konica Idea. So, the Arsen could have been an offshoot of Toa Koki, perhaps made for a distributor, or made at Toa Koki’s earlier incarnation.

Looking into Japanese websites yielded little results, as the same Kanji spelling is for Arsen is also used for Argentina, so it leads nowhere. The distributor’s branded direction is supported by Camera Wiki, suggesting that it was sold by ARS Publishing company, from which the name was derived, and making it a sister to the Acon, attributed to ARS Optical. The entwined names and models are typical to the early Japanese camera industry, be it from interconnected companies, Latinizing name variations or different translations.

The Arsen on my desk does look similar to the Gelto, but more like a poor country cousin of the glamourous Gelto. Besides the finishes, the main difference is the top cover, where the Gelto has what looks like an afterthought, an offset square viewer, where the Arsen has a nicely embedded viewer. The first Gelto was introduced in 1938, and the Arsen followed two years later so that it could be a restyled model.

Online articles, Leitz Auction, Camera Wiki and CLCamera to name a few, show Arsen models that differ from what I have, with another top cover style. All are marked Arsen, but there are no records of different generations. I have no answer to that; it could well be that the top was taken from another Gelto generation. Please see the images below.

The Arsen has a feature that is uncommon at the time. #127 paper-backed rollfilms were numbered for a 3x4cm images. The Arsen uses the same stock, for 4x4cm images. As the paperback did not carry the 4×4 markings, the Arsen has an auto stop mechanism, as used on 35mmm format, not found on #127 format cameras.

Where the late Gelto models are shiny and bright all over, the Arsen has a chromed top, bottom, and black skin. The finishes of this 86 years old camera are well preserved. The Arsen name is embossed in the skin on the side. The camera is known to have a decorative chain to hold the front cover. It can be seen in some online pictures.

The top has elegant, slanting lines, with the viewer is set in the middle. The winder is spring loaded, takes pushed down while turning, I am not sure for what purpose. A frame counter window is next to it, which is very uncommon for this format. As the trigger is not connected to the winder mechanism, a lever at the back releases the winder’s stop, apparently used after each frame. The viewer is as tiny as most of the cameras of that generation. A foldable D-ring sits between the viewer and the winder releases the cover. I assumed the bottom would get off, and it took some time till it dawned on me that it was the top that opened. I guess that else the catch will be at the bottom. The D-ring is the same as the early Gelto models before it was replaced with a lever. As with the other fixed-back cameras, Leica et al., the belly is hidden from the user. It takes some effort to reposition the top and click it in place, and mind the pin at the side. There is a cold accessory shoe but no sync port. Neither is a self-timer. The back has two red lenses covered with two independent sliders. On the bottom are two fixed disks and a threaded mount, yet the camera drops forward with an extruded or retracted lens.

The front is a replica of the Gelto. It has the same collapsible lens assembly that gently locks in place; no need to turn to lock in place. The focusing dial stays on the body, marked meters. At the end of the lens assembly are the aperture dial, closest to the body, two horn-like levers, one to cock the shutter and the other to trigger it. At the front end is the shutter speed dial, T, B, and 5-250. A Grimmel 3.5/50 complements the offering, the same as at the Gelto models.

An option, a rangefinder top conversion by Cyclon was offered by the factory.