A pair of cameras from Nicca

August 22, 2022August 22, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Nicca 3-F (1957) and a Nicca 3-S (1955) in this studio image from 2017.

If you’re looking to get into 35mm photography and you don’t want to go the Leica route then a well-made camera from Nicca is the way to go. Often gems like these can be found at a fraction of the price of a Leica from the same period and in my opinion, a Nicca is as good or better than the camera that inspired them. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

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Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

Happy SUNday! – me and my Nicca 3-S

May 22, 2022May 22, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I recently rediscovered these images that I had taken with my Nicca 3-S 35mm rangefinder camera a few years back. I say rediscovered because I don’t believe I’ve posted all of the pictures before. They were hiding on a DVD in plain sight.

First, the camera and lens.

Nicca 3-S from 1955.

Super sharp Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-HC f2 5cm lens.

The images are unretouched, just as they were scanned by the photo lab.

Historic District, Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Florida.

I’m quite pleased with the results. All images were taken on Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 800.

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day! – Chris

Like a Leica, or better? Nicca

May 14, 2021May 14, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My good friend Paul Sokk has authored one of the most comprehensive sites dedicated to all things (I mean all things) related to and about Yashica twin-lens reflex cameras you’ll ever see. As if cracking Yashica’s history wasn’t enough, Paul then went on to research pretty much everything there is to know about Nicca and the cameras they made and their contribution to Yashica and their development of the Yashica Pentamatic.

All decked-out with its 28mm W-Nikkor lens and matching viewfinder.

I could go on and on about Paul’s site or just give you the link – it will be well worth a visit and your time. http://www.yashicatlr.com/Nicca.html

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

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Rare Nicca lens cap – 1958

March 27, 2020March 27, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Nicca’s one-off lens cap for their last 35mm rangefinder camera mid-1958. The cap fits the Nikkor-H 5cm f/2 lens that was pretty much the standard lens for Nicca. The Nicca in the background with the traditional cap is my 3-S.

BTW, the black cap is made from brass and weighs 12 grams whereas the silver cap is aluminum and weighs 10 grams.

The distinctive all caps block lettering style of this black cap was a major departure from Nicca’s traditional silver script style which was presented in the spirit of Leica. You can see in the ad below that it matches the style of the name on the top plate of the camera.

III-L(large) 1

This ad (above) is from Mikio Awano’s article in the September 1978 edition of Japanese magazine, Camera Collectors’ News. The magazine’s text at the bottom translates as “Nicca III L, 1958 September, Asahi Camera”. For more about this interesting camera, please visit my good friend Paul Sokk’s excellent site on Nicca.

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The Nicca III-L was the last camera made by Nicca before their acquisition by Yashica in early 1958. Below is an example of the style of the last box.

nicca III-L box set

Carol and I do not have an example of the Nicca III-L in our collection. They are super hard to find, extremely rare actually so very few show up on auction sites. If you know of someone who has one please have them contact us as we would be interested in obtaining one.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit our camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Rare Tower Type-3 35mm Rangefinder Camera made by Nicca

December 12, 2019December 15, 2019Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Made by Nicca for the Sears, Roebuck and Company for sale in the United States and Canada under the Tower brand. This beautiful camera set is from 1951.

Collectors “Dream Set”.

The Tower Type-3 is a 35mm rangefinder camera made by Nicca in 1951. The design is based on the original camera from Leica Many people call these types of cameras “Leica Clones or Leica Copies” but I like to refer to them as Leica inspired as many of the cameras made by Nicca were equal to if not superior to the Leica.

The camera is fully working at all speeds and the rangefinder is bright and accurate. There’s no dents, no marks, and no corrosion. It’s nearly perfect even after all these years.

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The camera body accepts all M39 / L39 screw-in mount lenses. This camera is fitted with its original Nikkor-H.C f/ 2 5cm lens made by Nippon Kogaku.

The camera features a clean simple design on the top plate. The shutter’s top speed is 1/500th of a second.

Cameras made in Japan prior to April 1952 were required to be marked “Made In Occupied Japan” somewhere on the baseplate. This camera is properly marked.

Not many presentation boxes from the early 1950s still exist and few exist in such good condition as this one. A nice find and its the proper box for the camera.

Below is another amazing survivor from the early 1950s – the original leather camera case and strap. I can’t begin to explain just how rare it is to find an intact leather case from Japan made over 65 years ago. Usually, they come apart at the stitching and the leather separates at the joints. This case looks as though it was just made. A beauty.

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The original instruction booklet and guarantee-registration card are included with this amazing set.

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The aperture blades look great – they function smoothly and show little wear. The optics are also free of distracting marks such as scratches or cleaning marks. The rear element does have some whitish fungus which means the lens would need to be cleaned in order to use it fully.

Below is a test picture that I took using the lens on my Fujifilm mirrorless digital camera. You can clearly see the “haze” from the fungus but you can see that it’s not a total loss either. I believe the fungus can be cleaned if you know how to service these types of lenses or if a professional camera repair facility does the work.

Test image taken with the Nikkor lens mounted on my Fujifilm X-A10 mirrorless digital camera.

Thanks for stopping by! If you’re interested in my set it’s available in my online camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com which is hosted by Etsy. – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Nicca Type 33 Brochure – 1958

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019Chris and Carol Leave a comment

One of the last cameras made by Nicca just before the takeover by Yashica was this simple 35mm rangefinder camera – the Nicca Type 33

The Nicca Type 33. Released around May 1958 just as Yashica was taking over the company. As best as I can tell, Yashica had no part in the design of this camera or the first-ever Nicca lens.

Although the top plate isn’t engraved “Type 33” there are markings inside on the bottom plate that identifies it as the Type 33. If you look closely at the lens pictured it’s marked as a Nicca f/2.8 50mm lens with an interesting serial number of No. 8002. The first-ever Nicca branded lens of any type. Origins of this lens are not known as Nicca had never produced a lens on their own.

The front and back covers of this rather rare brochure.

The inside of the brochure showing the available accessories.

The Nicca Type 33 is a worthy addition to any collection that features Japanese made 35mm rangefinder cameras – it’s not often available for sale outside of Japan and it can be rather hard to find (in good condition) on Japanese online auctions. Finding one in collector condition and with its original Nicca lens and box would be an interesting challenge and would test your collecting skills.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Nicca Type-5 35mm Rangefinder Camera – 1955

November 20, 2019November 22, 2019Chris and Carol 3 Comments

The Nicca Camera Company was well known during the 1950s as producing high-quality Leica inspired 35mm rangefinder cameras often of better quality than what Leica produced.

The Nicca Type-5 was released in March 1955 and it was the first Nicca camera to feature a rear film door that opened from a hinge on the right side of the body. This made it easier to load film as the film path was accessible directly from the rear. It was the only Nicca to open this way until a top-hinged model was introduced with the release of the Nicca 5-L (the L added a film winding lever vice dial shown here).

Another feature of this Nicca is the added high-speed shutter which has a top speed of 1/1000 of a second.

The film back (rear cover) is side-hinged which is a unique feature of the Nicca Type-5.

Nicca T 5

From the front, an easy way to identify the Type-5 is by the black band that runs around the body just above the leatherette.

Nicca Ty 5

The film cassette is inserted on the left side of the camera and the film leader is drawn across the shutter curtain and is wound around the take-up spool on the right side. When the rear cover is closed the film pressure plate will keep the film flat. In the above picture, the bottom plate is reversed from its mounted position.

Another feature of the Type-5 is that the film door can be removed for even better access to the camera’s interior to facilitate film loading. The film take-up spool is on the far right.

The Type-5 is not a common Nicca today although it appears that nearly 6,500 were made during its run based on the thought that the serial numbers ran consecutively with no breaks in production. The earliest serial found is 125001 which is the camera depicted in the instruction book and the latest serial number found in the wild is 131531. My camera depicted here has a serial number of 130109.

Here’s an ad from May 1955 for the Type-5.

The advertisement is dated May 1955 which is a few months after the initially reported release date of March 1955. The distributor’s name is Hinomaruya ひのまるや which can be seen just below the Nicca name on the lower right of the ad. Scan courtesy of Paul Sokk.

For more, much more, please check out my good friend Paul Sokk’s wonderful site.

Thanks for stopping by and please visit our camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Another Time, Another Place – Sears Tower Camera Manual 1950

September 19, 2019September 19, 2019Chris and Carol Leave a comment

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Sears, Roebuck and Company sold an extensive line of cameras and photo accessories under the Tower name. Here’s a scan from an instruction booklet from around 1950.

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Sears refers to the camera as the TOWER 35 but the camera’s top plate is engraved with Tower Type-3. The booklet also calls the camera the TYPE III. The camera was made for Sears by the Nicca Camera Company of Tokyo starting in the late 1940s through at least 1952 or so. Nicca also sold the same camera under their own name as the Nicca Type-3 or simply the Type III. They’re beautiful examples of craftsmanship that survive today as not only awesome cameras but works of industrial art.

The Tower logo as it appears on the lid of the camera box. It’s a super cool design.

A gorgeous early example of this wonderful camera.

The cover of an original Nicca Type-3 instruction booklet – 1950

If you’re looking to collect an early example of these wonderful cameras they are readily available on various online auction sites both here in the United States and in Japan. Be advised that if you plan of actually taking pictures with it most if not all will require a complete service by a qualified technician (about $200 to $300). If you’re just looking to add one to your collection then expect to spend in the vicinity of $200 for one that shows well.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Nicca Flash Unit from around 1953

August 2, 2019August 4, 2019Chris and Carol Leave a comment

As you may have guessed by now if you casually follow this blog that I also have a passion for collecting bits of camera gear made by and for the Nicca Camera Company. Nicca was acquired by Yashica in 1958 and that acquisition led directly to Yashica developing (with lots of help from Nicca designers) its first 35mm single-lens reflex camera the Pentamatic 35 by early 1960. Yashica was a bit slow to the marketplace with an SLR as Canon, Asahi Pentax and Canon (among others) had already introduced SLRs by then.

Because of this relationship, Nicca has always held a prominent spot in my collection and the Nicca 3-S remains one of my favorite 35mm rangefinders to shoot with. Recently I’ve added this wonderful flash set to my collection.

From the instruction booklet, it describes this as “an automatic rechargeable flash gun specifically designed for Nicca cameras”.

Considering its age (1953) it’s in outstanding condition. Hey, it’s as old as me!

All set to go. The Nicca B.C.B. flash unit attached to my Nicca 3-S.

Viewed from above the pilot lamp is visible on the top center of the flash head. It lights up when the flash is ready to fire.

The red-tipped bulb ejector button. You don’t want to handle a hot bulb.

As part of the set, I received the original instruction booklet and a pamphlet for the flashbulbs which were made by West Electric Company of Tokyo and Osaka – later to become or at least partner with National-Matsushita.

A closer look at the “Exposure Guide Numbers” card pictured in the previous image above.

The reflector is about 5.5 inches across. The bulb looks tiny compared to the reflector but believe me, it puts out some light!

Advertisement from late 1951 0r 1952. The flash looks like it used a slightly different connector cord than the one in my set. Hinomaruya ( ひのまるや ) was the Domestic General Agent for Nicca in Japan.

Details from the instruction booklet. Shown in this image is a capacitor and 22.5-volt battery to power the flash but it could also be powered by two “D” cell batteries or three “AA” penlight batteries with an adapter.

Size comparison between the flash handle and two D-cell batteries. As can be seen, the optional add on handle extension would need to be used.

Front view without the reflector. My guess is that the “BC” means battery-capacitor and the “B” is for battery (I don’t know for sure about the last “B” at this point).

Camera side view with the shutter cord connector and “L” bracket connector visible. The red-tipped bulb ejector button is also visible.

Parts detail minus the reflector and the capacitor/battery.

Nicca only made 35mm rangefinder cameras (maybe a lens or two but unproven) during its existence so the flash unit was made by another company. It’s likely that the West Electric Company, Limited, of Osaka and Tokyo was the manufacturer although no part of the flash is marked with the name “West”. Only the included pamphlet mentioned West. As stated earlier in this post, it’s likely that West merged or partnered with National-Matsushita Electric to build additional models of flash units during the second half of the 1950s.

Thanks for stopping by! If you know what “B.C.B.” means please share it with me. – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Nicca 3-F Camera Case – first of its kind?

July 5, 2019July 5, 2019Chris and Carol Leave a comment

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

Nicca 3-F ‘Snap Shot Case’.

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.

A close-up view of a glued case.

Typical stitched case.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

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Tag Nicca Camera Company

A pair of cameras from Nicca

Happy SUNday! – me and my Nicca 3-S

Like a Leica, or better? Nicca

Rare Nicca lens cap – 1958

Nicca’s one-off lens cap for their last 35mm rangefinder camera mid-1958. The cap fits the Nikkor-H 5cm f/2 lens that was pretty much the standard lens for Nicca. The Nicca in the background with the traditional cap is my 3-S.

Rare Tower Type-3 35mm Rangefinder Camera made by Nicca

Nicca Type 33 Brochure – 1958

One of the last cameras made by Nicca just before the takeover by Yashica was this simple 35mm rangefinder camera – the Nicca Type 33

Nicca Type-5 35mm Rangefinder Camera – 1955

The Nicca Camera Company was well known during the 1950s as producing high-quality Leica inspired 35mm rangefinder cameras often of better quality than what Leica produced.

Another Time, Another Place – Sears Tower Camera Manual 1950

Nicca Flash Unit from around 1953

Nicca 3-F Camera Case – first of its kind?