The Asahiflex was a
35 mm single-lens reflex
A single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a camera that typically uses a mirror and prism system (hence "reflex" from the mirror's reflection) that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. With twin le ...
camera
A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with a ...
built by the Asahi Optical Corporation (later to become
Pentax
is a brand name used primarily by the Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company Ricoh for DSLR cameras, lenses, sport optics (including binoculars and rifle scopes), and CCTV optics. The Pentax brand is also used by Hoya Corporatio ...
). It was regarded as the first SLR camera built in
Japan.
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
'' Kamera-Werkstätten Guthe & Thorsch'' (K.W.) was established 1919 in Dresden by Paul Guthe and Benno Thorsch, starting out manufacturing the ''Patent Etui'' plate camera. Ten years later came the roll film TLR ''Pilot Reflex'' and in 1936, th ...
, 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.
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 do 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.
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 In photography, the single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is provided with a mirror to redirect light from the picture taking lens to the viewfinder prior to releasing the Shutter (photography), shutter for composing and Focus (optics), focusing an image. ...
.
[Michael R. Peres (2013)]
''The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography'', page 779
Taylor & Francis
Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa ...
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
is a brand name used primarily by the Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company Ricoh for DSLR cameras, lenses, sport optics (including binoculars and rifle scopes), and CCTV optics. The Pentax brand is also used by Hoya Corporatio ...
*
Pentax cameras
This article discusses the cameras – mainly 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 6x7cm film cameras.
It c ...
*
History of the single-lens reflex camera
The history of the single-lens reflex camera (SLR) begins with the use of a reflex mirror in a camera obscura described in 1676, but it took a long time for the design to succeed for photographic cameras. The first patent was granted in 1861, and ...
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