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Asahiflex and
Pre Spotmatic Pentax Cameras. I love collecting these early cameras from the dawn of SLR history. 
Asahiflex, a brief early history. (Details from various sources, may not be correct. Any errors, new details etc. please let me know.) The original Asahiflex (The Asahiflex I) was the first Asahi Optical Company’s 35mm camera. (Based on German camera style and design.) It has an unusual 37mm lens mount. It has no slow speed dial, no instant-return mirror and only one non-standard sync socket. Instead of an instant return mirror a semi-quick return mirror which was directly coupled to the shutter release button was used. When the release button was pressed, the mirror flipped up and the shutter was triggered. The mirror only returned when the shutter button was released after the shot was taken. Of this early model, only about 7500 cameras are said to have been produced, and only for the Japanese market.1952-1953. The Asahiflex IA was the second model, has no slow speed dial, a semi-quick return mirror and two non-standard sync sockets. Note arrows not triangles on top plate. Production number: about 11,500 made. 1953-1954 (Marketed in the USA under the Tower 23 label.) The Asahiflex IIB introduced a unique feature the "Instant Return Mirror". The original IIB has an arrow to point to the shutter speed, later variants use a triangle. (Some have black in filled triangles other variants unfilled triangles.) Another difference is that after the Ia the strap lugs were rotated from the horizontal to the vertical. Production number: about 19,500 made. 1954-1956 Also marketed in the USA under the Tower 23/24 label dependant on lens. The Asahiflex IIA introduced a front mounted slow speed knob. Around 20,754 were produced. 1955-1957. Marketed in the USA under the Tower 22 label. After the IIA was released, a second version of the IIB was produced. This used the IIA body but a round blanking plug was used on the front of the camera where the slow speed knob was mounted on the IIA. This was presumably a cheaper model using the same body for easier manufacturing, but few were produced (3500). 1956-1957. Also marketed in the USA under the Tower 23/24 label dependant on lens. Pre-Spotmatic Pentax a brief model History. After the Asahiflex came The AP “Asahi Pentax” the original Pentax camera. 1957. Asahi Optical Company’s first eye-level view Pentaprism camera. This model was to influence SLR camera design for years to come. It’s lens mount also changed from the Asahiflexes 37mm to the 42mm, this was to become the standard mount for many years. Standard lens was a Takumar 58mm f2.4. Size: 145x92x50 mm. Weight: 580 g. Marketed in the USA under the Tower 26 label. Unofficial names of this model are “Queen”, “The Original”, or simply AP. Numbers produced around 19,500. The Asahi Pentax S -1958. The S included shutter speeds changing from 500-200-100-50-25-10-5-2-1 to the 500-250-125-60-30-15-8-4-2-1 format.The top plate was labelled with an S unlike the AP which had no label. Also the base had modifications for the aperture actuator that was to come with the K model later. Another small change was the design of ASA values on the dial around the rewind crank. The AP had ASA engraved on the top plate of the body, while the S had it written on the ASA dial. The K was released shortly after the S, resulting in very few numbers of these cameras being released. Size: 145x92x50mm. Weight: 580 g. Produced in Chrome and Black bodies. Numbers produced around 4,000. Asahi Pentax K -1958/59. Added a semi auto aperture., some say the K stood for King, others Kilo as it had a shutter speed of 1/1000 sec. This model was released less than two months after the S and there was the new set of lenses that came with it, the Auto-Takumars, giving semi-automatic aperture. Size: 145x92x50 mm. Weight: 586 g. Produced in Chrome and Black bodies. Numbers produced around 21,000. The Asahi Pentax S2 was the next model produced in 1959. Named the H2 in the United States under the Heiland brand name. This was Pentax's first mass produced camera but they were still able to maintain a high level of quality, like the hand built AP, S and K lines. Rare variants include the Asahi Pentax SB sold only to the Japanese military, (from 1961 also the very rare SB2, a special version of the S3) and Asahiflex labelled H2 sold in South Africa and Finland. Numbers produced around 130,000 + 52,000 Super S2’s. In addition to this, another Asahi Pentax S2 was produced later. It was for the Japanese market and was called the S2 Super, although "Super" was not engraved on the camera. These had 1/1000 second shutter speed. Two more variants of S2 Super exist. The two types are differentiated by the colour of the letter "R" on the rewind knob as is the case with the S1a and SV .The earlier Type I had a Green "R" and the later Type II from 1966 onwards had an Orange "R" There is a notch for Coupled meter on speed dial and a self zeroing exposure counter as used on the S1a and SV The Asahi Pentax S3 was produced from 1961. Named the H3 in the United States under the Heiland brand name. It featured a 1/1000 second shutter though some early S3s had 1/500. Size: 144x92x50. Weight: 580 g. Numbers produced around 361,000. The Asahi Pentax S1 was produced from 1963. This was similar to the late version of S2, and produced to meet a lower price range. Named the H1 in the United States under the Heiland brand name. With 1/500 shutter speed and a 55/2,2 lens, it was a budget version of the S3. Numbers produced around 46,500. The Asahi Pentax SV 1962 was the last top model of the S-series before the Spotmatic cameras. Named the H3v in the United States under the Heiland brand name. It had a self-timer placed on the top plate as a wheel under the rewind crank. Size: 144x92x50. Weight: 590 g. Numbers produced around 481,000 The Asahi Pentax S1a 1962 was the economy version of SV. Named the H3v in the United States under the Heiland brand name. It missed the self timer, had a cheaper lens and, officially only 1/500th shutter speed, and although the 1/1000 speed was not marked it was still there. Numbers produced around 135,000. |
Asahi Optical Co embossed leatherette on early models.
Asahiflex 1.
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