dcshooter
Member
I picked this mysterious camera up a couple of years ago, stuck it in a box, and promptly forgot it. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on it.
It's not actually an RF, but rather has a fixed focus finder with the lens focused by turning the front element (it has distance markings on it) , similar to the old Schneider radionars found on various vest pocket folders. The lens is a Tokinon 45mm f/3.5 mounted in an unbranded shutter that doesn't have numeric shutter speeds, but rather abbreviations: B (Bulb), S (slow), M (Medium, F (Fast), and H (High). The shutter is cocked by a lever on its side, and fired by a button on the front of the camera. The shutter does have a flash terminal at the bottom.
I've only ever seen Tokinon lenses used on the various FirstFlex Exakta mount 35mm SLRs and rebrands, which were manufactured by Tokiwa Seiki, so my first guess is that they are the manufacturer.
The logo on the top appears to read "TSK," which also suggests this ID, but I have never come across any reference to Tokiwa making anything other than 35mm SLRs and 120 format TLRs. Google turns up nothing on any camera called a "Sierra 35" (what it says on top) or "Sierra Mark 6" (as on the front plate). It also has a very large "NS" logo on the lower portion of the front.
The winder/counter style and units in mm suggest a 1950s date, which would be in line with when Tokiwa Seiki was active, and other than the lens serial number, there is no serial number on the body. Perhaps an abortive prototype produced by Seiki right before their demise? It does come with a matched leather case with a Sierra logo though, which would seem to argue against that.
It's not actually an RF, but rather has a fixed focus finder with the lens focused by turning the front element (it has distance markings on it) , similar to the old Schneider radionars found on various vest pocket folders. The lens is a Tokinon 45mm f/3.5 mounted in an unbranded shutter that doesn't have numeric shutter speeds, but rather abbreviations: B (Bulb), S (slow), M (Medium, F (Fast), and H (High). The shutter is cocked by a lever on its side, and fired by a button on the front of the camera. The shutter does have a flash terminal at the bottom.
I've only ever seen Tokinon lenses used on the various FirstFlex Exakta mount 35mm SLRs and rebrands, which were manufactured by Tokiwa Seiki, so my first guess is that they are the manufacturer.
The logo on the top appears to read "TSK," which also suggests this ID, but I have never come across any reference to Tokiwa making anything other than 35mm SLRs and 120 format TLRs. Google turns up nothing on any camera called a "Sierra 35" (what it says on top) or "Sierra Mark 6" (as on the front plate). It also has a very large "NS" logo on the lower portion of the front.
The winder/counter style and units in mm suggest a 1950s date, which would be in line with when Tokiwa Seiki was active, and other than the lens serial number, there is no serial number on the body. Perhaps an abortive prototype produced by Seiki right before their demise? It does come with a matched leather case with a Sierra logo though, which would seem to argue against that.
dcshooter
Member
Oooh, just found some more info about this camera - apparently it's related to the Emi 35A/Lumica, manufactured by Oshiro, but with a different lens/shutter setup:
Mos6502
Well-known
I have a Hamano 35, which appears to be a later, updated version of this camera. It has a light meter, and it has the exact same lens as the Firstflex 35 (albeit in a fixed mount).
Mos6502
Well-known
If you want to flush money down the toilet, there's one on ebay right now for a ridiculous price. Personally, I'd value it at something like $20 or $30.