The Asahiflex was a
35 mm single-lens reflex camera
A camera is an instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. As a pivotal technology in the fields of photograp ...
built by the Asahi Optical Corporation (later to become
Pentax
was a Japanese camera and optical equipment manufacturer. Currently, it exists as the Pentax Life Care Business Division of Hoya's medical endoscope business, as well as the digital camera brand of Ricoh Imaging, a subsidiary of Ricoh.
Penta ...
).
Asahi Optical introduced its first 35 mm camera in 1952. Unlike the majority of Japanese camera manufacturers of the time, Asahi made a conscious decision not to produce a mere German rangefinder copy, a relatively simple task. Instead, Asahi decided to copy the
Praktiflex, a 1939 design, made in the German Democratic Republic. Asahi's designers (Nobuyuki Yoshida and Ryohei Suzuki) were convinced of the inherent superiority of the SLR and so proceeded along these lines. This effort resulted in the Asahiflex I, which was also the first Japanese 35 mm SLR.
''Note: According to company information from Asahi Optical Co., however, the Asahiflex I is based on Mr. Matsumoto’s Kochmann Reflex-Korelle, a pre-war 6x6 roll film camera.''
Asahiflex I
The Asahiflex I had a non-interchangeable waist-level viewfinder, with a direct optical viewfinder for eye-level use. Like the Praktiflex the Asahiflex I did not have a returning mirror (which means the mirror will only be back to its initial position to redirect light to the viewfinder for composing and range finding work after the operators had wound the film) and shutter speeds from 1/20 to 1/500 and B. The camera used the M37 screw mount. The Asahiflex I went through some minor modifications for flash use, resulting in the IA.
''Note: Both in the Praktiflex and the Asahiflex I the reflex mirror returned to its original position after taking your finger from the shutter release button.''
Asahiflex IIB
The Asahiflex IIB was released in 1954. With the IIB, a key advance was made, the quick-return mirror. It was the world's first SLR camera with an
instant return mirror.
[Michael R. Peres (2013)]
''The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography'', page 779
Taylor & Francis
Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in the United Kingdom that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, CRC Press, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research and Dovepress. It i ...
The problem of mirror black-out was one of the main problems with prior SLR designs, greatly reducing usability and leading to the greater popularity of the rangefinder. With the IIB there emerged the first practical quick-return mirror, a vital innovation and one which was quickly adopted by other manufacturers. With the final model in the series, the IIA, the Asahiflex gained slow speeds from 1/25th of a second to 1/2 of a second.
Image:Asahiflex IIb Model I 2.jpg, Top view: Asahiflex IIb Model I #72734
Image:Asahiflex600.jpg, 58mm 2.4 Asahiflex IIA
Image:Top600.jpg, Top view: Asahiflex IIA #79346
Asahiflex series
* Asahiflex I (1952–1953)
* Asahiflex IA (1953–1954)
* Asahiflex IIB (1954–1956)
* Asahiflex IIA (1955–1957)
See also
*
Pentax
was a Japanese camera and optical equipment manufacturer. Currently, it exists as the Pentax Life Care Business Division of Hoya's medical endoscope business, as well as the digital camera brand of Ricoh Imaging, a subsidiary of Ricoh.
Penta ...
*
Pentax cameras
This article discusses the cameras – mainly Single-lens reflex camera, 35 mm SLRs – manufactured by Ricoh Imaging Corp. and its predecessors, and . Pentax must not be confused with Pentax 6x7 or Pentax 67 which are 120 medium format ...
*
History of the single-lens reflex camera
References
{{reflist2. "Asahiflex I - Pentax M37 Screwmount Slrs - Pentax Camera Reviews And Specifications". ''Pentaxforums.Com'', 2022
https://www.pentaxforums.com/camerareviews/asahiflex-a.html. Pentax SLR cameras
135 film cameras
Japanese inventions