Early Canon Rangefinders
Three fifties era Canons. L. to R. II D2 with a 135mm F4, IV SB2 with a 28mm F3.5 and another IV with an 85mm F1.9. The case has a snapped flap that can be opened to attach a flash. The round knob on the front of the bodies sets the slow shutter speeds.
On pre-1956 Canon cameras and a brief company history.
Text | Photos Mike Blanchard
Gear | Any camera nut knows the name of Canon. Their SLRs are legendary, and their consumer-model rangefinders like the GL and QLlll have become very popular lately. But before these models Canon was known for precision, professional-grade rangefinders. Very much in the mold of Leica.
In this article I will discuss pre-1956 Canon bodies and give a rough overview of the company’s history.
For the collector or vintage camera user the good news is that these fine cameras have not seen the price increases that other vintage cameras have seen. Good bodies can be had for less than $300.
Interestingly, most of the early Canon cameras are to be found in Japan. However, the Japanese market does not seem to value Canon as much as it values Leica and Nikon rangefinders.
This model IV has shutter speeds up to 1/1000 of a second. As the film is advanced the shutter speed dial and the shutter release revolve.
One of Canon’s great innovations. The lever under the rewind knob changes the magnification of the viewfinder.
The red diamond with the E.P. denotes a camera sold as an Export Product and thus untaxed. Cameras so marked were illegal for Japanese citizens to possess in Japan. Many of these cameras were sold through the U.S. military post exchanges.
Just like Leica there are two main groups of bodies in Canon’s production history: those made before 1956 and those after. The Leica M3, which debuted in 1954, is a dividing line for both companies. The M3 was a revolution in rangefinder design and Canon realized they had to respond with a new product.
The pre M3 products of the two companies are very similar in appearance. At a glance an early Canon can easily be taken for a screw-mount Leica. The superstructure and rangefinder housing generally follow the Leica design.
Bodies made before 1956 are often referred to as Barnack Canons because of their resemblance to the bodies designed by Oscar Barnack for Leitz. They were, however, not made through any arrangement with Leitz Wetzlar. Canon rangefinders are the counterpunch to Leica.
One might be tempted to think that these are unfair copies of Leica, but if you take the example of the SLR camera, virtually all of them are copies or developments of the Nikon F camera. The form follows the function. Most of the better Japanese rangefinder cameras of the time, including Nicca, Showa, Tower, Chiyoka, Honor, Leotax, Melcon, Yashica and others, were based on Leica.
“The ends of the body are not round but three-sided.”
The 28mm lens and the large viewfinder on this IV SB2 make for a small and handy camera. The viewfinder has a large window that is much easier to look through than the relatively small built in finder of the camera. With the wide angle lens the depth of field can be set to cover a broad distance which means you don’t have to worry about focusing. Just look through the viewfinder and frame the shot. This camera still has its original Canon leather strap.
The Canon body has the same dense, solid feel of the Leica, but they differ from their German counterparts in several important details. Having the opportunity to inspect Leicas gave Canon the chance to make improvements to the design
The ends of the body are not round but three-sided. This is admittedly a stylistic change.
A more significant improvement over the Leica bodies is the viewfinder. Canons have a single viewfinder/rangefinder window instead of the separate viewfinder and rangefinder windows used on the Leica. This makes the Canon easier to use.
Canon invented a magnification system for the viewfinder that can be used as a focusing aid or for telephoto lenses, giving the view a 100mm and 135mm lens would give. The system is activated by a lever at the base of the rewind knob. This is a very useful feature that is a significant improvement over the Leica. It was heavily advertised by Canon in the period.
Post war the company was a strong proponent of the baseplate-mounted trigger-wind system and early on offered this accessory.
“In the field of watches and cameras (among others) the Japanese sought to make full use of their history of precision craftsmanship.”
Unfortunately Canon used the same method of film loading that Leica pioneered. This requires to film to be slipped into a small slot through the bottom of the camera. If the procedure is not done correctly the film will not advance. So you need to trim the film leader in a specific manner and be very attentive to film loading.
Ever since Japan was “opened up” in the 19th century, Japanese industry sought to measure itself against the best of Europe and America. In the field of watches and cameras (among others) the Japanese sought to make full use of their history of precision craftsmanship.
The roots of the Canon camera company go back to 1933 and the Seiko Kogaku Precision Optical Research Institute, which was founded by Goro Yoshida and Saburo Uchida. Yoshida and Uchida believed they could make a camera that would equal Leica and Contax. It took the company several years to engineer and build its first camera, which was called the Kwanon, after the Buddhist deity of mercy.
Despite the Precision Optical name it appears that at first the company was primarily a designer of camera bodies. When they needed optics they generally sought outside help to design their lenses or they purchased defunct optical companies.
“More changes came in 1935 when the company changed the name of its cameras from Kwanon to Canon.”
Looking ever so much like a cityscape are a clutch of Canon lenses. Clockwise from L.R., 135mm F4, 85mm F1.9, 100mm F4, 50mm f1.4, 35mm f2, 28mm f3.5, 50mm f1.8, 35mm f3.5. Canon lens hoods are a collecting field of their own.
The earliest days of the company are shrouded in mystery. There is almost nothing left of the efforts of the company before the Second World War. The bombing campaigns and privations of the war destroyed all but some advertisements in camera magazines of the time.
It is believed that the first Kwanon was the model X, a rough copy of a Leica ll, of 1933. It featured a Japanese-made 5cm F3.5 lens. There is only one Kwanon X camera known. The camera was sold in 1937 by the Shimbido camera shop In Tokyo. It is fairly crude. It is not known if it is a production model or assembled from parts at a later date by a camera shop. However, it is in the possession of Canon and has been accepted by the company as genuine.
The big kick in the pants for the Seiko Kogaku company came in 1934 when Leica patented its lens mount and rangefinder coupling system in Japan. They approached the much larger Nippon Kogaku company to design them a lens mount and rangefinder coupling system.
Nippon Kogaku, (which later became the Nikon company) designed a system similar to the Contax system, which used a gear-coupled focusing wheel on the body of the camera.
More changes came in 1935 when the company changed the name of its cameras from Kwanon to Canon. Post war the company would change its name to Canon as well. The other change was the introduction by Kodak of the 35mm film cassette, which forced another redesign of the company’s products.
The first official Canon model (about 1,000 units made between 1935 and 1940) using the new design was what Canon calls the Original model. It is more commonly referred to as the Hansa, which was the name of the department store that sold them.
By 1939 Seiko Kogaku had 300 employees and was producing cameras for the civilian market as well as for military use. They also made a number of special cameras for taking X-rays with lenses supplied by Nippon Kogaku as well as Canon.
However, it must be noted that they were still a relatively small manufacturer. The older employees remember the company making as few as 50 cameras a month in 1939. This low number may have been a result of wartime shortages and restrictions, but it is hard to imagine that they were making much of a profit.
“When Japan was allowed to engage in foreign trade in 1947, Canon found a willing market for its cameras, and the company was off and running.”
Serenar 50mm f1.9 with a period Canon lens brochure and a very rare bubble case. This lens is a collapsible Gauss type lens in the mold of the Leitz Summitar and Summar.
The company barely survived the Second World War. But as it turned out, the American desire for Japan to rebuild and for its industry to flourish helped the company. When Japan was allowed to engage in foreign trade in 1947, Canon found a willing market for its cameras, and the company was off and running. The U.S. government itself was a significant customer. In the ’50s, Canon had a contract to supply cameras for the U.S. Army Signal Corps as well as post exchanges.
The model S (or S-l) had been produced since before the war. In 1946 the model S-ll variation was introduced, and this design was to form the basis of all Canons until 1955. It was available with either a Nikkor or Serenar 50mm f3.5 lens (both based on the Tessar/Elmar design) or the 50mm f2 (based on the Gauss design).
The early Canon cameras are seldom marked with their model designation and it can be difficult to correctly identify models. The company made a number of variations from stripped economy models to fully fitted-out professional models.
Cameras made for sale in military post exchanges are marked with a red E.P. in a diamond shape on the top of the rangefinder housing. These are somewhat more common in the States because GIs brought them home from overseas.
An easy way to get a preliminary identification is: The ll models have a max shutter speed of 1/500. The lll models have a max shutter speed of 1/1000. The lV models have flash synchronization. Of the early series of cameras the ll and lV series were made in the largest numbers.
There are several variations of each and they were made concurrently to satisfy the price points needed by retailers or end users.
Canon was a company that was constantly experimenting and applying small tweaks to their products. In many cases it is hard to understand that these changes could make economic sense. For the collector it can be quite bewildering trying to follow all the design permutations, but it offers the opportunity to put together a broad collection.
For example, in 1946 Canon offered the S-l, the S-ll and the J-ll. All of them were very similar variations on a theme.
“The most common lenses you will find on 1946 to 1956 Canons are the Serenar and Canon lenses.”
This 135mm lens can be easily used with the viewfinder of the camera. The viewfinder magnification system gives a very credible view of the what the lens sees.
In 1951 Canon adopted the 39mm screw mount used by Leica. Prior to that they used a 38.5x1.1mm thread pitch. Until 1948 some of the lenses used by Canon were made by Nippon Kogaku (Nikon). Nipon Kogaku continued to make 39mm lenses for many years after they stopped supplying Canon. Canon’s pre-war lenses are very rare and coveted by collectors.
The most common lenses you will find on 1946 to 1956 Canons are the Serenar and Canon lenses. Focal length for focal length the company’s lenses were among the very best available in their day.
The Serenars are made of chromed or nickeled brass and are quite handsome. Like the bodies they have a dense and solid feel and they tend to bring a premium over the later lenses. There are Serenar and Canon lenses that are the same in all but name. The later Canon-branded lenses are made of aluminum and are generally much sleeker and employ a more modern design.
Canon made lenses for the rangefinders from 19mm to 200mm, but the most common and popular lenses were the 35mm, 50mm and 100mm focal lengths.
Top early Serenar and Canon lenses (the 35mm f2, 50mm f1.8, 85mm f1.9 and the 100mm f3.5 stand out) are extremely sharp. Two real stars of the Canon line are the superb 50mm f1.4 (this is one of the finest lenses available for any price by any manufacturer) and the 50mm f.95 ”Dream” lens, which is currently very much the flavor of the day and commanding high prices. These two lenses are later production but they will mount on any post-1948 bodies.
The use of the 39mm lens mount means there are a number of production and boutique Japanese and German as well as Russian lenses that will work with Canon bodies. A photographer can readily fill a bag with interesting glass for a surprisingly modest outlay.
Canon’s pre-1956 cameras offer a very credible alternative to Leica screw-mount cameras at a price that is much cheaper. Period Canon glass is as good as Leitz, full stop. The build quality is just as good, and, as noted earlier, post-war Canon bodies feature significant improvements to the Leica design.
For the photographer who is interested in using vintage cameras, the Canon is a strong choice.