made in japan

Kuribayashi Petri 2.8 Color Super

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The Kuribayashi Petri 2.8 Color Super is a fixed-lens rangefinder produced by Kuribayashi Shashin Kogyo K.K.. Confusingly, there doesn’t seem to be an “official” model number for this camera as it’s just one of many ambiguously named fixed-lens rangefinders made by Kuribayashi in the late ’50s and early ’60s. However, the well-known McKeown’s Price Guide To Antique & Classic Cameras identifies this particular model as the “Petri 2.8 Color Super” so, for simplicity’s sake, that’s what I’m going to call it here.

Nikon F

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The Nikon F was Nikon’s very first single-lens reflex camera which, arguably, single-handedly ushered in a golden age for Japanese camera manufacturers and SLRs in general. The legendary F was the first SLR system to gain widespread popularity among professional photographers who in turn used it to document everything from armed conflicts to rocket launches. Its modular design mean that there were a multitude of different viewfinders (mine has a black Photomic FTn meter finder installed), backs, grips, and, of course, lenses available. The F is also extremely well-built and incredibly durable, attributes that helped it become the first 35mm SLR to go into lunar orbit aboard the Apollo 15 space capsule and gave rise to a long line of tough, space-faring professional-grade Nikons that continues to this very day.

Sony DSC-F1

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The Sony DSC-F1 is Sony’s first ever commercially-available digital camera, the very first model released under the “Cyber-shot” line of consumer digital cameras, and also the first of their high-end F series which all feature rotatable lenses. The F1 wowed the masses when it was announced, being named one of Business Week magazine’s “Top New Products” and receiving the “Innovations Award” at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Konica MT-9

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I received this Konica MT-9 by mistake a few days after winning an auction for a Konica C35 EF. I opened up the package expecting a superb Hexanon-flexing wonder but was met with an unexceptional plastic compact camera instead. The seller (a charity shop) didn’t believe my story until they attempted to put this very MT-9 up for auction and included a photo of the serial number which I quickly matched to the camera I had erroneously received. Story proven, they quickly took down the auction for the MT-9 and immediately sent me my C35 along with a hastily worded but very sincere apology.

Pentax Auto 110

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The Pentax Auto 110 is the smallest single lens reflex camera ever made and the only camera with interchangeable lenses ever produced for the 110 film cartridge. A true camera system, the Auto 110 has six available lenses: 18mm, 24mm, 50mm, 70mm, 18mm fixed-focus, and 20-40mm zoom (all f/2.8), two external flashes, an electric film winder, and a slew of macro adapters, filters, diopters, and lens hoods. A third party 1.7x teleconverter was also produced by the German company Soligor.

Olympus Pen EED

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The Olympus Pen EED is a direct descendant of Japan’s very first half-frame camera: the original Olympus Pen. As it was one of the smallest available 35mm cameras at the time, the Pen was named as such because its portability could be compared to that of a (very oddly shaped, large, metal) pen. Seven years after the Olympus Pen debuted, the Germans launched the hallowed Rollei 35 which was just as small but could make normal 35mm frames and effectively heralded the end of Japanese half-frames. In defiance, this EED variant was released one year after that supposed end and, quite stubbornly, Olympus continued making Pens well into the 1980s and then revived the name in 2009 for its line of Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Nikon Nikkormat FT3

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In terms of serious cameras, this is my genesis: the Nikon Nikkormat FT3. My father bought this beautiful camera as a young man in Hong Kong and gave it to me when I began getting serious about photography in college. I’ve spent many hours shooting with this camera and have even lugged it overseas on assignment to various developing countries as my backup and film body. It’s been a sturdy and dependable friend for many years now and has taught me many things about photography, the most important of which is patience.

Konica C35 EF

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The Konica C35 EF is the very first compact 35mm camera to feature a built-in flash. The “C35” in its name stands for “Compact 35mm” and the “EF” standing for “Electronic Flash.” In Japan, this camera is known by its nickname “Pikkari” which, as far as I can tell, translates roughly into “glittery brightness.”

Sony Digital Mavica FD-81

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The Sony Digital Mavica FD-81 is an early consumer-grade digital camera that was released by Sony at the dawn of the megapixel wars for a whopping $899 (roughly $1,275 in today’s dollars). The Mavica series—which is short for Magnetic Video Camera—is notable for its use of removable disks to store images, starting with bespoke Video Floppies before graduating to 3.5″ floppy disks (like this FD-81), and eventually mini CD-Rs and mini CD-RWs.

Minolta Hi-Matic

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The original Minolta Hi-Matic is one of the first mainstream fixed-lens rangefinders and the first Minolta to feature automatic exposure. The Hi-Matic was also rebadged and sold in the United States as the Ansco Autoset and gained some notoriety after American astronaut John Glenn purchased one at a local drug store shortly before embarking on the Mercury-Atlas 6 space mission. Although there were other cameras on the Friendship 7 spacecraft, Glenn burned through five rolls of film with his new camera while on board, shooting many historical images including this photograph of the earth.

Yashica T4 Super D

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The Yashica T4 Super D is one of the last models of the T* series of compact cameras made by Kyocera (who owned Yashica at the time) in partnership with renowned German lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss AG. All cameras in this series used high quality Carl Zeiss Tessar lenses with the legendary T* coating which meant superb image quality in a small package. The Yashica T4 and its variants were also sold as the Yashica T5 and the Kyocera T Proof.

Olympus AF-10 Twin

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The Olympus AF-10 Twin is basically the cheaper, non-weatherproof version of the Olympus Infinity Twin. Like the Infinity Twin, the AF-10 Twin has two lenses (a wide-angle 35mm f/3.5 and a telephoto 70mm f/6.3) that you can switch between with a touch of that wonderful, tiny red button on the top.

Yashica T AF-D

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The Yashica T AF-D is a high-end 35mm compact camera introduced in 1985. Shortly after acquiring Yashica in the fall of 1983, Kyocera took advantage of its existing licensing agreement with renowned German lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss AG and began production of the T* series, a successful line of compact cameras that use high quality Carl Zeiss Tessar 35mm lenses with the legendary T* coating. The very first model was the Yashica T AF which was closely followed by this data back-equipped AF-D variant.

Olympus Infinity Twin

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The Olympus Infinity Twin (also known outside the US as the AF-1 Twin) is unusual among compact point and shoots in that it has two lenses (a wide-angle 35mm f/3.5 and a telephoto 70mm f/6.3) that you can switch between with a touch of a tiny red button. It also inherits the rugged body designed for the world’s first weatherproof automatic 35mm camera: the original Olympus Infinity/AF-1 which makes it even more unique.