Taron Chic

Taron Chic Overview

The Taron Chic is a vertically oriented 35mm half-frame camera introduced by Taron in 1961. The only other camera that I’m aware of that bears any resemblance to the Chic is the Yashica Rapide. However, since they were both introduced in 1961, it’s unclear as to who copied whose vertical design or if there was indeed any copying done at all.

The Chic is armed with a 30mm f/2.8 Taronar lens which sits in the middle of the front plate. The first ring surrounding the lens’s front element controls the focus while the next ring out adjusts the aperture; the unlabeled shutter speeds are chosen by color and should be selected by consulting the selenium meter located on the top of the camera. A flash sync socket can be found at the 7:30 position off the lens barrel and the threaded button which trips the Citizen-L shutter is at 4:30. The presence of a Citizen-made shutter in my example is a bit curious not only because Taron manufactured and typically used its own line of shutter assemblies, but also that many examples of the Chic are fitted with Taron-LX shutters.

A cold shoe is located on the user’s left hand side of the camera above the film rewind release button. On the other side, a film door release lock and latch can be found just north of the film rewind knob and a frame counter. A meter readout and color-coded exposure calculator is on the top plate of the camera while the only thing on the bottom is the tripod socket. The plastic film advance knob is found recessed into the back plate of the camera.

Although the Chic doesn’t seem quite as elegant and refined as the Yashica Rapide, it still possesses an indisputable charm so getting my hands on a Taron Chic was the natural next step after obtaining a Rapide. My Chic is in fairly good condition with only some deep scratches, a few dents, some minor brassing, and a missing screw on the top plate.