Seito Ref

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Japanese medium-format SLR (edit)
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The Seito Ref is a Japanese 6×6 SLR camera, announced by Seitō Kōgaku in late 1940.

Contents 1 Sources 2 Description 3 Notes 4 Bibliography 5 Links

Sources

The Seito Ref was not mentioned in the official list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941, presumably because it was not yet ready to sell.^[1] The camera was advertised in December 1940 with an f/3.5 lens for ¥120.^[2] It was mentioned as "available soon" (近日発売).

The Seito Ref was still mentioned in the "Inquiry into Japanese cameras" ("Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa"), listing the Japanese camera production as of April 1943.^[3] The camera was curiously registered as made of wood. The maker's name is unfortunately missing from the document, but the maker of the lens was mentioned as Seitō.^[4]

No surviving example has been observed so far, and it is not known if the camera was actually sold.

Description

The Seito Ref has a brick-shaped body, containing the vertically running rollfilm. The controls, such as the film advance and shutter release, are grouped on the left-hand side plate. The shutter gives 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 300 speeds and is certainly of the focal plane type. There is a large SEITO REF nameplate in front of the viewing hood. The lens is perhaps interchangeable and the lens mount is marked SEITO at the top and KOGAKU at the bottom. The standard lens is a three-element Seito 75/3.5 made by Seitō itself.^[5]

Notes

1. ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku".
2. ↑ Advertisement published in Kohga Gekkan, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.77.
3. ↑ "Inquiry into Japanese cameras" ("Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa"), item 128.
4. ↑ "Inquiry into Japanese cameras" ("Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa"), lens item Lb31.
5. ↑ "Inquiry into Japanese cameras" ("Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa"), lens item Lb31.

Bibliography

• Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. Item 134.
• "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku" (国産写真機の公定価格, Set prices of the Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of October 25, 1940 and setting the retail prices from December 10, 1940. Published in Asahi Camera January 1941 and reproduced in Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10〜40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. Pp. 108–9. The Seito Ref does not appear in this list.
• "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" (国産写真機ノ現状調査, Inquiry into Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943. Reproduced in Supuringu kamera de ikou: Zen 69 kishu no shōkai to tsukaikata (スプリングカメラでいこう: 全69機種の紹介と使い方, Let's try spring cameras: Presentation and use of 69 machines). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2004. ISBN 4-87956-072-3. Pp.180–7. Item 128.

This camera is not listed in Sugiyama.

Links

In Japanese:

• Japanese 6×6 SLR cameras at the Coolys Creek blog