A yen for old cameras
John Wade’s favourite Japanese classics
You might be forgiven for believing that the Japanese camera industry began in 1959. This was the year the Nikon F was introduced, and it was the camera which largely triggered interest in Japanese cameras. But the Japanese photo industry began long before.
There is evidence of a daguerreotype camera being made in Japan as early as 1845, just six years after the process had been announced in France. In the early days, Japan was a closed country, but later the doors were opened to foreign trade, and Japanese manufacturers became aware of German cameras. So they built their own versions: the Japanese Canon was inspired by the German Leica, while the Japanese Nikon was inspired by the German Contax.
Japanese cameras come to the West
By the start of the 20th century, camera manufacture in Japan was thriving, but little was known about it in the West. Then came two World Wars, followed by the Korean War between 1950 and 1953, which became a turning point. As foreign war correspondents flooded into the East, they became aware for the first time of Japanese optics which not only fitted their German cameras, but were the equal of, and in some cases better than, their own German lenses. It was a major step towards the world becoming aware of Japanese products.
Unfortunately, here in the UK, Board of Trade restrictions following the end of World War II in 1945 prevented the import of luxury foreign items. So the British remained largely ignorant of Japanese cameras until the restrictions were lifted in 1959.
By the end of the 1960s, Japanese cameras had a stronghold. Then camera collecting took off as a hobby, and collectors discovered previously unknown early Japanese models. Today, some of these cameras remain collectors’ items. But many are still usable with readily available 35mm and 120 film, as well as 127, which can be found on the internet.