Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/10/15

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Subject: [Leica] Post WW2 Japan and History
From: "Kotsinadelis, Peter (Peter)" <peterk@lucent.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 07:48:13 -0700

Hi Ken,

This is something I do know about.  In Japan, numerous companies were
rebuilding after WW2. Mamiya was fortunate enough to receive a large number
of camera orders from the United States Central P.X. Procurement Office
which aided them in rebuilding a new factory in Tokyo.  Asahi Optical
Company began again in 1948 the same year Chinon was established.  Minolta
started operation again in an old school building in 1946 and produced the
Minolta Semi IIIA which sported a Rokkor lens, the first time
anti-reflective coatings were used on a Japanese lens.   In 1947, Seiki
Kogaku Kogyo was renamed the Canon Camera Company and would produce lenses
now bearing the Canon name. 

General Headquarters of the Allied Occupation Forces in Japan regulated the
camera business in 1949 and prohibited the sale of cameras to the general
public in Japan. However, if a camera manufacturing company had exports
large enough to become ranked as "top camera exporter" it could also sell
cameras in Japan. The name Nikon was first used on the Nikon I made by
Nippon Kogaku whose development began in 1946 and marketed in 1948.  This
post-war camera featured a focal plane shutter with rangefinder focusing but
had a picture format of 24mm x 32mm. The camera was not allowed to be
exported to the US because its unique film format, which was not compatible
with Kodachrome slide mounts.  Although the next rangefinder model, the
Nikon M used a format of 24mm x 34mm, it was not until 1951 when the first
Nikon S camera debuted using the standard format of 24mm x 36mm.  At the
time this camera also employed the 50mm f1.4 Nikkor as standard which at the
time was the world's fastest standard lens.

Peter K

- -----Original Message-----
From: Ken Iisaka [mailto:kiisaka@attglobal.net]
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 1999 9:06 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] Konica KM mount


- ----- Original Message -----
From: Bernard <5521.g23@g23.relcom.ru>
> Paul Chefurka wrote:
>
> > >
> > > It sounds like that mount is some really dirty dealing.
> >
> > Why would you say that, Bernard?  It sounds like the Konica guys are
> > simply being sensitive to Leica's feelings, even though the patent has
> > expired.  I don't see anything "dirty" here, just the usual concerns
> > of lawyers and marketeers.
>
> Business and being sensitive to a competitor's feelings? No comment.

To the credit of Konica, and other Japanese camera manufacturers, I have
been made aware from many of my friends, who work at N, C, K, and other
firms, that they do not see Leica as a competitor.  If there is anybody who
revere Leica more than LUGnuts here, it would be employees of these Japanese
camera manufacturers.  They are continually inspired, and motivated by Leica
products and design.  The last thing they would like to see is to see Leica
disappear from the marketplace.  They are least threatened by such
small-volume manufacturer such as Leica.

Right after the war ended in 1945, the camera industry in Japan was in
ruins.  The few subsequent years were spent on producing products that would
sell so that they can build the capital to do their own R/D.  The first 8
years was indeed spent on producing cameras for the U.S. forces which was
occupying Japan at the time.  Japanese camera manufacturers had access to
patents which were seized by the Allied forces, which helped jumpstart the
camera industry.  By early 1950's, Japanese companies were manufacturing
respectable products: Nikon S, and a slew of Leica copies.  Douglas David
Duncan's reportage of the Korean War using Nikon S graced the pages of Life
magazine, and the superior quality of Nikon lenses made an article on New
York Times.  Up to this moment, Japanese camera designers were indeed trying
to catch up with Leica, and even surpass it.  However, when M3 was
introduced, Japanese camera manufacturers realised that they simply cannot
compete head-to-head with Leica.  Minolta even produced a prototype of
interchangeable rangefinder camera, "Minolta Sky" a few years later, but the
Minolta distributor in the U.S. pursuaded Minolta NOT to produce it.  Well,
Nikon and Minolta went the SLR way, and the rest is history.  Canon which
continued to produce LTM bodies did not introduce quality SLRs until the
70s, and took great effort to catch up.

I have several autobiographical books written by camera designers who worked
in the industry right after the war.  If their reverence for Leica has
filtered down to their successors, the last thing they would like to see is
disappearence of Leica.  I know my friends who work at these camera
manufacturers concur.