Nicca camera serial numbers

This camera works perfectly — the shutter appears to be spot on and the rangefinder-viewfinder is clear and accurate. We hope to be able to run a roll of film through it soon. Super clean and free of significant signs of past use.

A gem! Designed to take the L39 screw-in lenses made by any number of lens manufacturers of the period. You should be able to find well preserved models on various online auction sites for reasonable prices. If you see signs of corrosion or missing leatherette… run! Avoid these and buy the best you can afford. Good advice Chris.

I bought one of these in a junk shop for the wide angle lens on it. It was very dirty, and looked like it survived a war zone. My hand was hovering over the bin. Amazingly, it is fully functional and I just sent it out for service. I felt sorry for it, it deserves another lease on life. Like Liked by 1 person. Great news, Jon! I hope you get to enjoy yours as much as we enjoy ours. Nicca also added a film speed reminder to the tope of the film winding knob. Nicca Type-4 of Only about units of the Nicca Type-4 were sold during with serial numbers in the 80xxx series.

This marketing strategy seems to have succeeded, since Nicca sold about 10, of these cameras in to , with serial numbers 59xxx to 69xxx. The superstructure was expanded and came down to surround the lens mount on the front of the camera.

The rewind knob was surrounded by a release locking rewind. Also added was a locking catch on the slow speed dial. The film winding knob had a film speed reminder on top. Nicca Type-5 of During and , the Nicca Type-5 sold about 3, units with serial numbers xxx to xxx. These two cameras were identical except that the Tower 45 was sold with a Nikkor 50mm f2.

The Tower 45 and 46 also had an important addition - a thumb lever winder for film advance, rather than the Nicca Type-5 knob film advance. This camera, with its top speed and Nikkor lenses was a most competitive offering, at a price about one half that of contemporary Canon and Nikon rangefinders.

It was first introduced with a knob film winder, but was then updated with the more popular lever winder. All the Nippons to at least , whether with rangefinder or not, have a rectangular front viewfinder window with four square corners.

Except for some early and rare and hence expensive examples themselves, Soviet cameras also have squared off rectangular viewfinder windows but the top edge of the frame is level with the top of the viewfinder housing whereas on the Nippons, the top edge of the frame is below the top, i. The Soviet viewfinder, unique as far as I am aware on stamped body Leica pre-IIIc copies, is always its greatest give away, as it is with the camera in question.

If the lens was removed, no doubt that the fixed pointy focus follower would be visible instead of the roller used on Leicas and other copies. The first Nippons didn't feature strap lugs but camera x does already. None of the Soviet copies do.

The four screws in the leatherette around the lens are chrome on Soviet copies, black on Leicas and other Leica copies. For reference purposes, these are the various viewfinder windows. First is the rectangular window surround found on War-time Nippons, including those without rangefinder.

Third is the Nippon from Massimo Bertacchi's website with one curved corner representing three found examples. Some Leica, Leotax and Chiyotax models have notched surrounds like the Type-3, some have the curved corner except the glass area on this seems larger and wider than its Japanese cousins.

Maybe Kogaku Seiki experimented too but of course, the serial number of one example remains a very big problem. Certainly not a Russian viewfinder housing but even Leica parts have been used when the dollars make it worthwhile.

Fourth is one of my three FEDs, same as the auction item. Images 1 and 2 are details from larger web images, image 3 is detail from Massimo Bertacchi's website. There is a post script to the stories of the fakes.

Lo and behold, it appears to be the fake Nippon from the auction. This edition of McKeown's was published in and the auction was in So even the experts do get caught out. But that is not the end. The Nippon above this one also caught my eye. This has the unusual viewfinder window with one curved corner, one of the three found so far and discussed further above. Whilst the serial number of this one, , and another of the three, , suggest and are in the ballpark, Massimo Bertacchi's is out of range and I think that real doubts remain about the three of them.

But it is certainly not cut and dry, see Nippon. This is a faked photo actual size found of Massimo Bertacchi's camera, Note the photo is identical except that it has been crudely cut from its background, it has been inverted compared to his website and the serial number has been changed to first and last digits changed.

Below is a slightly larger version of the top plate of the same photo looks photocopied found elsewhere on the web with Massimo Bertacchi's camera below that and McKeown's example below that for comparison:. I have bigger versions of the top two of the three images. Clearly, they are the same camera - all the visible screw slots point in the same directions and the same marks on the top plate to the left of the slow speed shutter dial and down from the rewind knob are present in both.

Clearly, they are also the same photo - as well as the markings and screw slots, all the knobs are in exactly the same position and the perspective, highlights and shadows are the same. Just the serial numbers are different. And finally, just to demonstrate how interchangeable parts are on the earlier stamped body Leicas and copies, one of the forum members in the USSRPhoto.

Detail from larger web image. However, the occupation only ended with the San Francisco Peace Treaty signed on 8 September and taking effect on 28 April Whereas all the cameras from the period appear to be compliant, I am yet to see the marking on a lens. Possibly, standard lenses were exempt because they were sold with the camera. What the rules were with accessory lenses, I don't know - I haven't seen many that can be pinned down to that period and perhaps it is just something I have simply missed, especially if discreetly hidden away somewhere.

The first Nicca cameras the engraving is visible on in my database are two Nicca Originals and the earliest Type-3 from earlier photos rarely show anything other than front views. These three were engraved on the base plate itself:. The subsequent cameras were engraved on the base plate locking ring, as in the first image below.

If the ring is flipped over, as it is in quite a few photographs, the engraving is not visible. A similar style variation with the text inverted appeared on all die cast body types image 4 :.

Found Minolta 35 examples clearly indicate that the English version predates the katakana. This arrived within 32 cameras of the first type. Like the earlier Leicas, the bodies were assembled from stamped parts. The new Nicca bodies also added the ball bearing to the shutter introduced by the War-time Leica IIIc principally to operate more reliably in low temperatures and also moved the viewfinder and rangefinder windows next to each other as on the Leica IIIc-IIIg and first implemented on the Leica IIIb.

Like with the Leica models, the dioptre adjustment moved from the rangefinder window to under the rewind knob. Below is the first of the late die cast bodies, the Nicca Type-5 with one piece top plate.

The Leica-like top plate extensions down the sides of the lens mount makes removal of the shutter cage easier without requiring lifting of the leatherette. Also featured on the new body was the slow speed shutter dial lock introduced by Leica on its die cast bodies.

Except for the trapdoor on the back of the Type-5 to aid with film loading, the Type-5 and subsequent knob wind 3-F are the same size. Below is a size comparison between the Nicca 3-F on left and early bodied 3-S on right.

Images courtesy of Chris Whelan. The 3-F was released in both knob wind and lever wind forms, the latter with higher shoulders like also the following 5-L and Type With the lever wind, the shutter button moved to the front of the top plate and the rewind release lever moved from the front of the top plate to a button behind the shutter button.

The top image particularly shows the deeper base plate of the Yashica and the extra millimetre or a fraction less above the viewfinder. The following table summarises the approximate dimensions to the nearest millimetre and weights of early body and late body examples of select Leica and Nicca models they are an indicator only :.

Note: The lens mount, slow speed shutter dial, viewfinder bezels and lever wind all make the body deeper than the base plate width. Reported Leica dimensions vary all over the place, e.

The otherwise excellent LeicaWiki is just as inconsistent. According to Mikio Awano, the Nicca Type-4 and 3-S rangefinder was improved and as a result, the viewfinder housing increased in height by about 1 mm Camera Collectors' News , September.

For the sake of completeness, the Nicca Type-5, with a cast trapdoor in its back, weighs gm. That's 15gm more than the otherwise similar 3-F so a 5-L might weigh approximately 15gm more than the YE, i. The protruding door adds almost 3 mm to the body's overall depth. Subsequent early bodies featured a pair of coaxial PC terminals on the front top - FP sync, red and bottom - X sync, white , positioned vertically below the slow speed shutter dial, offset towards the side.

The sync posts were lower and more towards the side than the later PC sockets, the early Tower type even more so. The flash sync on the die cast bodies is now a single PC socket on the back of the one piece top plate and except for the Type 33, sync type switches automatically confirmed by user manuals and brochures , depending on speed selected. On the Type-5 left , the socket is offset to the right in-line with the edge of the shoe, on all others, it is centred under the shoe 3-F shown.

Note, because there is only one socket, some sites claim that the late bodies only feature X sync. Also except for the Type 33, see further below, X sync is at the the changeover speed for the high speeds, anything above that selects FP sync and any type of flash can be used below the changeover speed. Again except for the Type 33, the baseplate of die cast models features an adhesive label with film loading and flash synchronisation information. Stamped bodies and the Type 33 and III-L do not have a slow speed shutter dial lock, the other die cast bodies do.

All the nuances are covered in Shutter Speeds. Below left is the special version without rangefinder and slow speeds fitted with the original K. Xebec lens that was featured earlier. At some point, probably in , the Nippon front viewfinder frame changed from the original rectangular with square corners to the more Leica-ish notched shape typical of the early body Niccas.

My concern is that one of the three known examples of the curved corner type has a higher serial number than expected but otherwise, they look like Nippon bodies, which isn't saying much because I can't tell them apart from the Leica III. So three examples, two with seemingly plausible serial numbers. McKeown's curved corner example, , made a cameo appearance in the fakes section. Here is another scan showing it more completely plus with front view and Soviet Nippon below.

Certainly not the the Japanese sources. The Nikkor lens is from later, more below. I am aware of only two examples of a Nippon with the notched window. One appears in Sugiyama's book credited to Mikio Awano and the other is from Mikio Awano's article and is displayed further below.

In fact, I think that they are the same camera - the photos are slightly different but the screws all point in the same direction as does the text on the lens beauty rings. Nevertheless, I am convinced that it is real as it matches the Nicca Original and the only change was supposed to be the name. Sugiyama splits his two separate Nippon entries between War-time and post-War.

Neither he nor Mikio Awano mention any other version nor make specific reference to the viewfinder window. Was there one window change, or two? I find two really hard to believe, by all accounts, Kogaku Seiki was really struggling to survive and made very small numbers of cameras in this period. A tooling change would have been a big thing, two changes in a short period would have been extravagant.

Plus, both notched and curved windows are copies of 's Leica styles. These are the Nippon cameras and lenses that came after the original ones with rectangular viewfinder window frames:. The serial number of the last, , is clearly not Showa based like the earlier Nippons and following Originals. The Sun Sophia on the first camera, , is a later lens than the Sun Xebec, possibly first appearing in They are not known to feature on Nippons or Niccas but two of the found Peerless cameras from early are fitted with them and according to Pacific Rim Camera, they were the standard fitment for that version not found on the corresponding Nicca Type 3 examples - all found with Nikkors.

The Rigid Nikkor on camera is clearly a replacement from or later. So, perhaps the only camera with original lens is the notched window example. So far I have presented the possibilities and problems without a clear conclusion. Based on serial numbers, I'm going to stick my neck out and say that I think that the notched window camera is real and the curved corner cameras are all fakes.

From to when all the cameras still look like the original Nippon, the serial numbers seem to count up from 1 to camera number , the 20 being the Showa era. Then come our three curved corner cameras, one with a number that doesn't fit and the two others, and , i. Showa 22 with camera count and What are those numbers counting when camera was reached in ? On the other hand, the camera with notch, , seems to be the first one for and thus representing a change in the numbering system.

The number is in step with the first confirmed Nicca Original in my database which is numbered , just 78 cameras later. They appear identical, the only difference between the two are the engravings which fits with Peter Dechert's claim referred to in Nicca Original below.

Photos from Mikio Awano's article in Camera Collectors' News, August - the maker name is there in the middle photo, just very faint but clearer in the original magazine photo. According to Peter Dechert, the original Nicca is the same as the last iterations of the preceding Nippon model. Nevertheless, their nomenclature and relationships are confusing. I concur but I'm not sure what I am looking at. According to the serial numbers, all are from However, the first two Type-3 serial numbers seem to parallel the Nicca Originals' range with x to x and match the Originals' first maker name.

What it looks like at the moment is that the Nicca Original was released and the Type-3 with a few improvements was launched almost at the same time and they continued for a little while as separate models. More concerning is that some features on some of the Originals are questionable.

Some items like dials may have been changed by owners over time but only four of them are without dioptre adjustment 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th cameras. At least one of them doesn't have the plugged focus adjustment hole that was there from the beginning and according to Mikio Awano, is still there on the Originals. By definition, the four without dioptre adjustment are probably the real deal, these are also the only Originals in my database with the central screw in the slow speed shutter dial still.

Their serial numbers are x, x, x and x. Click on ad for larger version. As noted further above, that makes Hinomaruya's confirmed arrival in earlier than the suggested by some other sources.

Presumably Hinomaruya was taking the opportunity to promote its other interests. As well as the addition of the dioptre adjustment , there were two other initial changes which were internal. He also claims that the Type-3 introduced click stops to the slow shutter speed dial , apparently the earlier models didn't have them.

The earliest example, x, still has the central screw in the slow speed shutter dial the dial is not visible on the next camera. Both it and the next example, x, still have the plugged focus adjustment holes in the backs of the cameras.

The top base plate also features four fixing screws for the front and rear locating channels to prevent the camera body flexing. Nippon prototype No. The screws are still there on some Originals and early Type-3s but then there are some with rivets replacing the screws, still visible from outside as above, but the last of the riveted types disguise the fact completely even though they are still there as evidenced from inside:.

Late Nicca Type-3, early Nicca Type-III A and early Tower Type-3 cameras received the baseplate type below with the front and rear supports in the form of a single wide channel piece without obvious physical fasteners.

This effectively gave the bottom a double thickness. The short shutter collar that seems to have remained the same since the prototype Nippons was replaced with a taller mushroom type but it's hard to say when, there is a mix of earlier and later cameras photo below this features the earlier collar :.

Details from larger web images. As noted earlier, the last of the Nippons introduced the notched viewfinder window on the left found on all early Niccas.

The last three Nicca Type-3 in my database x, x and x feature a revised notch with less acute angle Type-III S pictured which carried through to the end of the early body model:.

Left detail from larger web image. The early left type window type still features on the two first Tower Type-3 examples Sears version of the Nicca Type-III A in my database serial numbers of these first two are slightly less than the last Nicca Type-3 , but all subsequent examples are the new type. They are also still very similar to the late Type-3 cameras. Both seem to use the same serial number range. Army member:. Below is a Type-III B with its signature sync posts note, the camera features a non-standard oversize shutter button and mushroom collar :.

Type-III A ad below left. The camera is a Type-III B with the first type sync posts but as far as I can make out, the model and specs are not mentioned - this looks like a Hinomaruya marketing exercise about its brands:. Detail from larger web images. To digress for a moment. Up until now, the bottom of the shutter crate had been unadorned and all models from the early Nippon forward pretty much looked like the image below:.

Type-III A number x is the first with a cover plate added and x is the last without it except for one slightly later camera - there may have been a transition period. The earliest Type-III B in my database with shutter crate visible is x and that has the cover plate but I suspect that they all have them as the cover's main purpose was to protect the new Type-III B flash sync mechanism which sits at the bottom of the shutter crate at the spool end left in the photos.

Picture below is of a later 3-S with cover removed:. Note that the base plate locating channels to prevent the camera body flexing have returned to two separate pieces now without visible fastenings. The change back to the separate pieces occurred at the same time as the shutter cover was introduced - the base plate sits very close to that and perhaps was the reason.

The Tower Type-3 examples with flash sync featured a different partial cover - see Tower Models. Below are Asahi Camera ads from on the left and on the right. This is the only Nicca document where I have seen the III B mentioned by name it does also make a cameo appearance in the above Hinomaruya marketing ad for its two brands.

There is no built-in mechanism. Ads are from a Japanese website featuring manuals and other downloadable material. At first glance, the cameras on the cover of the user manual, brochure and the example in the right hand Japanese ad above seem to be the Type-III S, i.

Zoomed in to the full size images, the chrome rim of the sockets seems much flatter than usual and there is no hint of the sockets themselves which usually show up clearly. In fact much like the example below for sale in Japan:. I originally thought that this camera may have been modified but the leatherette inside the chrome rings matches that outside. Now I know it is.

Then the third one turned up, x. Next, I found a beautiful original example with the highest serial number of all Type-III A examples found so far, x. This one changes some of my understanding of this model - see at the end of this section. And now there is a fifth one, x. My database clearly supports that. I have already mentioned the five examples with the highest serial numbers featuring the blanked flash sync sockets.

There are very few signs of use and the screws appear untouched. When the Type-4 was released, the Type-III S soldiered on for a while but it wasn't upgraded straight away - when it was, it became the 3-S. If that was the case, I wonder if the late III A received the improved rangefinder with 1 mm taller housing?

It's not that the Type-III A received any of these features first, it appears that it inherited these as they were being introduced to new models and therefore it is probable that it continued on as a budget alternative for far longer than most commentators, myself included, have previously thought.

However, the big jump in serial numbers for the last two may mean a special late batch for some reason. However, a form of the user manual seems to have been offered as a promotional booklet with a Japanese magazine in January already. Given lead times, Mikio Awano's date is looking good. Note, on this camera, the outer Chrome rings of the sync sockets appear original but the PC connectors themselves green upper, red lower appear to have been replaced, originally they would have been red upper, white lower.

This camera also features the more curved left front corner of the accessory shoe which appeared during late Type-III A production and with the Type-III S, earlier on between camera x and x, providing further evidence of a substantial production overlap.

Somewhere between Type-III S x and x, the cam lock for the bottom plate changed from the earlier black painted type left image, a variation of the original Nippon type and very similar to early Leicas to a plated, pressed metal type right image, Leica introduced their version, albeit in black, on the post-War IIIc in or They are probably interchangeable as a late Type-4 seems to have been retrofitted with the earlier painted variety.

It is easy to assume that logically 4 follows 3. According to Mikio Awano, it divided the family tree of models into two, its half leading to the Type-5, the 5-L and the III-L, effectively the premium range. Sugiyama only quotes years but he agrees some claim that the Nicca 3-S, like the Type III-S, is also from but Japanese Wikipedia seems to conflate the two models into the one September release, implausible either way I think.

According to Mikio Awano, this line of Nicca models led to the two 3-F models and Type, the mainstream more budget friendly line. When the Type-5 was released, it is likely that the Type-4 ceased to be available but it seems that the 3-S continued on as the budget alternative, probably until the 3-F was released see 3-F brochure further below with reference to 3-S.

Both the 3-S and Type-5 share similar numbers for the new chrome 71xxxx lenses before the Type-5 alone moves to the 72xxxx lenses with black band. The two models share both the found English and Japanese language user manuals three and two examples respectively so either the release dates must have been closer than commonly claimed, or more likely, there was a separate earlier manual for the Type-4 which has not been found yet.

That would not be surprising, there are approximately 5 times as many 3-S examples in my database as Type-4s. It is not possible to tell whether this is original to the camera but it may be a late Type-4 update. Also, according to Mikio Awano, the Nicca Type-4 and 3-S rangefinder was improved and as a result, the viewfinder housing increased in height by about 1 mm Camera Collectors' News , September. Most of the examples in my database are from Japan.

A mystery. A little way into its production, between camera x and x, the 3-S received a Leica-like plate attached to the bottom of the shutter crate with film loading and flash sync information, similar to the adhesive label found inside the bottom plate of most die cast models see further below , except the Type The plate is only fitted to the last two Type-4 examples in my database with the shutter crate visible x and x.

Both models likely received the plates at a similar time and to me, this is further indication that the Type 3-S arrived later and survived longer:. No doubt that was to save production costs but clearly, they were designed to suit the Type-4 when they were introduced, not just added to the Type-4 as an afterthought.

The Type-5 was an important milestone for Nicca. It was the company's first die cast model and its specs closely matched the Leica IIIf plus there was the Leica M3 idea of adding a flap to the camera back.

To show it off, Nicca supplied a new style ever-ready case which to my eyes is over-designed and big, but regardless, was probably expensive to make. The design wasn't used for any other models. With at least some of the Japanese market Type-5 cameras, rather than the usual booklet style user manual, Nicca supplied a more comprehensive page book - more details in User Manuals. The ad below featuring camera serial number , possibly the first one in the series, is from May so that makes sense:.

The black metal band above the leatherette is unique to the Type Contributor Chris Whelan's example:. The Type-5 omitted the two body support angle pieces from inside the base plate. Whilst that may be one function, why did earlier Niccas and other makers bother with a front one when that area could be sealed by the shutter crate and why isn't there one all the way around, particularly at the spool end? The rear one is the important one, providing support to the camera back if somebody squeezes the large expanse of back hard.

The front of the cameras is supported by the structurally strong shutter crate. Nicca probably felt that with the stronger die cast body and the frame around the hole and the solid trapdoor itself provided sufficient resistance to flexing.

The one at the rear of the camera was reinstated on the other die cast bodies including the 5-L. Upper is 3-F base plate, lower is Type-5 base plate:. If that was the thinking, the final III-L model was based on something else.

Both of the 3-F models and subsequent Type 33 also lost the dioptre adjustment that had been there from the Type-3 on lever around early body rangefinder viewing window, lever under rewind knob on Nicca Type 5 and later 5-L. Like all die cast models, except for the Type 33, the bottom plate features a film loading and flash sync guide:.

A lever wind Nicca 3-F appeared in July, Mikio Awano and Japanese Wikipedia , almost certainly as a replacement same release price, no additional version identifier on the top plate.

It also doesn't appear to acknowledge the original knob wind version. Whereas we tend to see it as two models, it seems to me that Nicca just saw it as one model with a mid-life update, hardly worthy of mention, although the serial number ranges are quite separate.