Re: Nikon vs Leica

[Paul Schliesser <paulsc@eos.net>]

>>The model I was not permitted to be exported by the MacArthur
>>Occupational Government, because of the format being 24mmX32mm  Their
>>logic was that it wouldn't be mountable in Kodaks brand new Kodachrome
>>mounts, and American consumers would feel cheated.  
>
>Would you happen to have a written source for this?  Interesting, if true,
>though military sources do not seem to back it up.  (There was "free trade"
>between the US and Japan from 1 January 46 onwards.)

Marc,

Pardon me for jumping in, but went and looked up some things this 
morning, after this discussion started. The following is from _The 
Evolution of the Japanese Camera_, the catalog of an exhibit (mid-1980s) 
put on by the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman 
House. It was sponsored by the Japan Camera and Optical Instruments 
Inspection and Testing Institute, and pretty much all of the Japanese 
camera companies. A Photographer's Place has copies for sale.


This is the introduction to the post-war era, on page 34:

"In the years immediatly following the Second World War, the Japanese 
camera industry cocentrated on the struggle to rebuild. Extreme shortages 
of essential materials imposed severe limitations on both the quality and 
quantity of cameras that could be produced. As shortages eased, 
production increased and a steady stream of cameras begain to appear. 
Designs introduced after the war varied little or not at all from pre-war 
models. The effort to rebuild the basic plant took precedence ove the 
creation of new models. The market at this time wa primarily domestic, 
plus the Allied occupation forces. There were not organized export 
efforts, and thd Japanese-made cemeras that did find their way to this 
country were generally brought home by returning servicemen.

"During this period, an issue of great importance to the industry was 
resolved. The world standard 24 x 36mm format for 35mm photography had 
not been accepted by all Japanese manufacturers. Several companies began 
to produce cameras with a non-standard smaller format. The smaller format 
was popular in Japan because it reduced film costs, and could be enlarged 
without cropping to several standard paper sizes. However, it was 
incompatable with processing equipment in place in North America and 
Europe. Under pressure from the occupational authorities, the companies 
agreed to change to the standard 24 x 36mm format. The recognition and 
resolution of this problem took place over a very short period of time, 
so only a handful of cameras were built to the non-standard format."


> (There was "free trade" between the US and Japan from 1 January 46 onwards.)

This is from page 36, under the listing for the Nikon I (this was 1948):

"The Nikon Model I was a high quality product incorporating a number of 
advanced features. It had full lens interchangeability and a combined 
high and low shutter speed dial. Like the Minolta 35, it had a 24 x 32 mm 
format that could not be exported because of compatability problems. The 
Allied Occupying Forces required that the format be changed to 24 x 36 mm 
to make it compatable with standard processing equipment. It was 
eventually succeeded by a model (the Nikon S-2) with a standard 24 x 36 
mm format."


Another tidbit you might find interesting, Marc: there is a list in the 
section on Nippon Kogaku, of eight German engineers who were brought in 
to "advance the optical technogy." This was shortly after the company was 
formed by the merger of two optical companies and a glass company. The 
engineers stayed for 5 years starting in 1921. They were:

Max Lang, optical design
Hermann Dillmann, optical computing
Ernst Bernick, mechanical engineering
Heinrich Acht, product design and drafting
Otto Stange, product design and drafting
Adolf Sadtler, lens grinding and polishing
Karl Weise, lens grinding and polishing
Alber Ruppert, prism grinding and polishing

Acht stayed on, and designed the first lenses that Nippon Kogaku produced.

- - Paul