Seiki Kogaku (later Canon) would create a copy of the Leica II rangefinder called the Hansa Kwannon which upon it’s release, would be known as the first Canon camera. Like Nippon Kogaku, a lot of those early Japanese cameras were heavily based off existing German designs. Little, if any, of Nippon Kogaku’s early production ever made it into the hands on non-military personnel.Īs a result, in the 1920s and 30s, a variety of smaller optics companies would be formed to produce cameras and other commercial goods. Nippon Kogaku’s primary goal was to produce optical equipment for the Japanese Imperial Navy such as submarine scopes, binoculars, and other equipment. As a result, in 1917, the three most prominent Japanese companies, Iwaki Glass Seizo-sho, Tokyo Keiki Seisaku-sho, and Fuji Lens Seizo-sho all merged together to form a single national Japanese optics company, which would be called Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, or Japan Optical Industries Co., Ltd. Japan was no longer able to get things from Europe and were forced to rely on their own ingenuity and optical knowledge. This all changed when the first World War broke out in Europe. Since the early 20th century, the bulk of Japanese optics were either imported or copied from German designs. The Japanese camera industry has a had a long history of mimicking and copying the German camera industry. Viewfinder: Coupled Reflex Waist Level Viewfinderįlash Mount: Coldshoe and M and X Flash Sync Lens: 75mm f/3.5 Chiyoko Rokkor coated 4-elements (taking), 75mm f/3.2 View-Rokkor coated 4-elements (viewing) Later Autocords could be equipped with a CdS light meter and support for 220 roll film.įilm Type: 120 Roll Film (twelve 6cm x 6cm exposures per roll)
#Minolta autocord cds iii price series#
The Autocord series had features that compared favorably to the Franke & Heidecke Rolleiflex of the same era, including an excellent 4-element f/3.5 Rokkor lens, lever wind with automatic frame advance, helical focus, self-timer, and double exposure override. It is the only Autocord with a Seiko shutter, but without a light meter. This particular model is an export model for North America, and was made in 1958. The entire Autocord series was very popular and produced several variants. They are also sought-after collectibles!Īdd an external link (Only for members of Forum).This is a Minolta Autocord Twin Lens Reflex camera made by Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko between the years of 19. To sum up, Autocords are excellent TLRs that give outstanding results for a very fair price. The Autocord feature on this page is a RG 2nd version, from 1962 (no light meter, no 220 film). There has been many variations of the Minolta Autocord, the latest versions have a built-in CdS meter and can accept 220 rollfilm. 1 filters and hoods, Minolta Autopole (dedicated polarizing filter), Minolta Paradjuster (for correcting parallax). The Autocord can receive many accessories, including Bay. The earliest Optipers have a maximum speed of 1/ 400th, all the other shutters fire up to 1/ 500th. The Autocord has features-a-plenty: accessory shoe, flash sync, tripod socket, shutter release lock, self-timer, sport-finder, double exposure capability… The shutter can be an Optiper, a Seiko or a Citizen. The truth is that the difference is hard to tell, especially on small prints, but it’s definitely good value for money!
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The quality of this lens is astonishing, some say it matches Xenar, Planar and even Xenotar lenses. The taking lens is a Minolta Rokkor ( Chiyoko Rokkor on the earlier versions) 75mm 1:3.5, and the viewing lens is a slightly brighter 75mm 1:3.2. As a consequence, the film is bent after being exposed, and not before! The film flatness is therefore excellent, better than in any other TLR. Unlike all the other TLRs, the film is placed in the upper part of the camera and the empty spool in the lower part. The other very interesting feature of the Autocord is the film transportation. However, this is the only weak point of the Autocord: the overall quality of construction can compete with pretty much any TLR, including Rolleiflex! Focusing is very smooth and easy… that is, if the tip of the focusing knob doesn’t break! It is made of cheap Zamak, and it is definitely a weak point of this camera – always check it before buying an Autocord! Just another TLR? No! this one is different from Rolleiflex, Rolleicord, Yashica Mat…įirst of all, the focusing system consists of a bronze helicoid: this system is better than the other TLR’s since it is impossible to misadjust! The focusing is therefore made using a focusing knob located below the lenses (not on one side of the camera, unlike most of the TLRs). The Minolta Autocord is a Twin-Lens Reflex ( TLR).