I know, this is not an overly exciting post – rather obscure actually.

The Nicca 3-F was one of many well-built 35mm rangefinder cameras produced by Nicca Camera Company in the late 1950s. Nicca would be acquired by Yashica in early 1958 and some of the technology that Nicca possessed went to Yashica in the deal. The acquisition directly led to the development of Yashica’s first 35mm SLR, the Pentamatic in late 1959. I digress.

My good friend Paul Sokk (www.yashicatlr.com) recently shared this scan of an instruction booklet he acquired for his Nicca. What struck me as I translated (actually an app on my phone translated it) is how this camera case was constructed.

Here’s the translation: “The snap shot case uses a brown box skin and comes with a shoulder strap as an accessory. It is glued, and the case of the stringer does not use any adhesive. Moreover, it has sufficient strength against external force (especially the projection of the lens part). Recently, there are those who use the camera out of the case and naked, but since it is likely that the camera is often hurt, it is recommended to put it in the case and use it as much as possible”.

I hadn’t noticed Nicca cases before this one that did not use stitching. Why is that important? On most vintage (40-year-old or more) cases the stitching has long since failed and the case falls apart. It will be interesting to see if these glued cases stood the test of time and in better condition than their stitched cousins.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

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