Photographica Pages
An online guide to collectable cameras and related
stuff
Zunow (Teikoku Kogaku)
Zunow 5cm 1.1 lens on a beautiful black Leica IIIa. Although there is everything wrong with pairing
this camera and lens from a historical perspective (the camera was made in the late thirties, the
lens in the mid fifties), both were in the studio at the same time, and they look so good
together...
...and for those who noticed, yes, the
camera lacks a serial number. It was assembled using new old stock Leitz repair parts from the
1970's. Top plates wereissued without serial numbers so that you
could keep the serial number your camera originally had.
Teikoku Kogaku was a small optical company with big ideas. Unheard of by most of the
photographic community in the 1950's when they were in business, and mostly unknown by the
collecting public today, most of their products are coveted by collectors that do know them. This
small company produced the world's first 50/1.1 lens for 35mm cameras in 1953, as well as a
revolutionary 35mm camera. They also provided lenses for other manufacturers, such as Miranda,
Neoca and Tougo-Do. In addition, they made lenses for movie cameras and marketed a 16mm
subminiature camera.
I don't know too much about the company. The earliest mention of it I can find is 1953. I have read
that two of the designers, Kenji Kunimi and Michisaburo Hamano, came from Nippon Kogaku in
1953 and 1955 respectively. Also, Yoshisato Fujioka came from Yashima (which was later to
become Yashica, and then Kyocera) in 1955. It appears Zunow was acquired by Yashica sometime
around 1959 or 1960. Zunow's talent for innovative products was lost on a company bent on
producing great volumes of mediocre cameras.
