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It seems to be popular and often repeated street lore among the enthusiast photographic community that Cosina Co., Ltd. originally built the Konica Auto S3, Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII, Vivitar 35ES, Revue 400 SE and Prinz 35 ER cameras. I understand folks love spinning this tale, especially on eBay when they have Revue or Vivitar cameras to sell that they want to pass off as re-branded Auto S3's. IMO, the evidence trail doesn’t support the Konica should be included among this group.
While the Minolta, Vivitar, Revue, and Prinz cameras are fitted with similar 40mm f/1.7, four-group, six-element optics, and a common body chassis, there are enough unique attributes for the Konica to point in a different direction. The Auto-S3 is equipped with a wider 38mm f/1.8 Hexanon lens (first used on the odd Auto SE in 1966), a superior RF/VF system, advanced flash system and a different chassis with anodized top and bottom caps. The Auto S3 chassis is in fact smaller than those other cameras. Are we to believe that Cosina shrunk the chassis specifically for Konica? The one other camera the Auto S3 shares an almost identical footprint with is the Konica C35.
The original C35 was a seminal and influential design that swept the market in the early 70's and spawned countless Japanese imitators during that time, many of which originated from ODM's (original design manufacturers) such as Cosina and Chinon. As they say: 'success has many fathers....' (Interesting that there are no similar paternity claims for market failures like the aforementioned Auto SE).
Recall that Konica actually served as one of the ODM’s providing finished cameras to Revue, Montgomery Ward’s, and Sears as early as 1963. The Konica Auto S was also offered as the Revue Auto S and the Wards am450/am550. The Konica Auto S2 was offered as the Revue Auto S22 and the Wards am551 while the Konica Auto Reflex SLR was also sold as the Revue Auto-Reflex.
Konica brought in the Copal shutter assembly for the Auto S3 and likely many other common components such as the meter that might also have been used in the other cameras, but I've not seen credible evidence to support claims the Auto S3 was ODM'd by Cosina. For me, this is an example of an unsubstantiated rumor that gains credibility as the story is recycled until it becomes woven into mainstream conversation.
It’s difficult to know definitively as ODM’s don’t divulge who their OE clients are, but the other cameras have chassis’ that are similar enough to have originated from a single ODM and the final product differentiated with top cap and lens barrel finished independently. This could arguably have been the case with the 1977 Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII that had no construction elements in common with the 1971 Hi-Matic E family that preceded it other than the 40mm f/1.7 lens size.
The Revue, Vivitar and Prinz all clearly originated from the same ODM factory as none of these marketing companies ever had the wherewithal to have built their own cameras. Recall that Vivitar was a California-based retailer of lenses and cameras built under contract; Revue cameras were distributed by German camera and photographic equipment retailer ‘Foto-Quelle’ of Nuremberg, Germany and Prinz cameras were distributed by British electronics and photographic retail company, ‘Dixons’.
The Konica also pre-dates the other cameras with the Auto S3 produced from 1973 through 1977. The Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII was launched in 1977, while the Vivitar 35ES, Revue 400 SE and Prinz 35 ER cameras came to market in 1978.
To my mind, it’s more credible that the 1973 Auto S3 was an upgrade to Konica’s popular C35 (1968) fitted with a more capable Hexanon lens, advanced daylight Synchro/Flash system and anodized black finish. I think this speculation is supported by the product ID nomenclature in the Japanese home market of ‘C35 FD' (C35, Flashmatic & Deluxe). The camera was rebranded as Auto S3 for export markets, likely for marketing reasons as the camera was significantly more expensive than its C35 predecessor.
What do you think: is it time to retire this well worn saw?
While the Minolta, Vivitar, Revue, and Prinz cameras are fitted with similar 40mm f/1.7, four-group, six-element optics, and a common body chassis, there are enough unique attributes for the Konica to point in a different direction. The Auto-S3 is equipped with a wider 38mm f/1.8 Hexanon lens (first used on the odd Auto SE in 1966), a superior RF/VF system, advanced flash system and a different chassis with anodized top and bottom caps. The Auto S3 chassis is in fact smaller than those other cameras. Are we to believe that Cosina shrunk the chassis specifically for Konica? The one other camera the Auto S3 shares an almost identical footprint with is the Konica C35.
The original C35 was a seminal and influential design that swept the market in the early 70's and spawned countless Japanese imitators during that time, many of which originated from ODM's (original design manufacturers) such as Cosina and Chinon. As they say: 'success has many fathers....' (Interesting that there are no similar paternity claims for market failures like the aforementioned Auto SE).
Recall that Konica actually served as one of the ODM’s providing finished cameras to Revue, Montgomery Ward’s, and Sears as early as 1963. The Konica Auto S was also offered as the Revue Auto S and the Wards am450/am550. The Konica Auto S2 was offered as the Revue Auto S22 and the Wards am551 while the Konica Auto Reflex SLR was also sold as the Revue Auto-Reflex.
Konica brought in the Copal shutter assembly for the Auto S3 and likely many other common components such as the meter that might also have been used in the other cameras, but I've not seen credible evidence to support claims the Auto S3 was ODM'd by Cosina. For me, this is an example of an unsubstantiated rumor that gains credibility as the story is recycled until it becomes woven into mainstream conversation.
It’s difficult to know definitively as ODM’s don’t divulge who their OE clients are, but the other cameras have chassis’ that are similar enough to have originated from a single ODM and the final product differentiated with top cap and lens barrel finished independently. This could arguably have been the case with the 1977 Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII that had no construction elements in common with the 1971 Hi-Matic E family that preceded it other than the 40mm f/1.7 lens size.
The Revue, Vivitar and Prinz all clearly originated from the same ODM factory as none of these marketing companies ever had the wherewithal to have built their own cameras. Recall that Vivitar was a California-based retailer of lenses and cameras built under contract; Revue cameras were distributed by German camera and photographic equipment retailer ‘Foto-Quelle’ of Nuremberg, Germany and Prinz cameras were distributed by British electronics and photographic retail company, ‘Dixons’.
The Konica also pre-dates the other cameras with the Auto S3 produced from 1973 through 1977. The Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII was launched in 1977, while the Vivitar 35ES, Revue 400 SE and Prinz 35 ER cameras came to market in 1978.
To my mind, it’s more credible that the 1973 Auto S3 was an upgrade to Konica’s popular C35 (1968) fitted with a more capable Hexanon lens, advanced daylight Synchro/Flash system and anodized black finish. I think this speculation is supported by the product ID nomenclature in the Japanese home market of ‘C35 FD' (C35, Flashmatic & Deluxe). The camera was rebranded as Auto S3 for export markets, likely for marketing reasons as the camera was significantly more expensive than its C35 predecessor.
What do you think: is it time to retire this well worn saw?
