Why not "Leika"?

[payasam]

Here's an advertisement from the February 1930 issue of Asahi Camera.

 

[Semushkin]

Leica-Kamera eh?

Perhaps it should be renamed Leicaka to encompass both versions! 😱

 

[xayraa33]

why Carl Zeiss and not Karl Zeiss ?

 

[payasam]

You're pretty close, Raid. Canon started life as Kwanon. I shall play merry hell with George Eastman's wishes by proposing Codac.

 

[mr_phillip]

sorry for spoiling your idea of using an english word in the german brand name ... actually, the spelling "kamera" is only a 'germanized' version of a word that was derived from latin 'camera' (also the root for 'chamber')

Yup, this is spot on. The word 'kamera' is the German naturalization of the latin 'camera', meaning chamber. The derivation of its use in photography is as a contraction of the phrase 'camera obscura' - dark chamber. The German naturalized version of the word didn't gain popular currency until the 1930-40s, and indeed the latin form of the word can still be found in much German-language literature, particularly academic materials for some reason. That's socio-linguistics in action 🙂

 

[maddoc]

~ Canon started life as Kwanon. ~

Canon's correct pronunciation is "Kyanon, キャノン" and not "Kwanon".

 

[rxmd]

Canon's correct pronunciation is "Kyanon, キャノン" and not "Kwanon".

"Kwanon" was how Seiki Kogaku Kenkyujo 精機光学研究所, the camera company now known as Canon, romanized the name 観音 under which they produced their first 35mm cameras. It appears to be the name of a goddess or something. So yes, Canon cameras started out as Kwanon, correct pronunciation notwithstanding 😉

Philipp

 

[maddoc]

"Kwanon" was how Seiki Kogaku Kenkyujo 精機光学研究所, the camera company now known as Canon, romanized the name 観音 under which they produced their first 35mm cameras. It appears to be the name of a goddess or something. So yes, Canon cameras started out as Kwanon, correct pronunciation notwithstanding 😉

Philipp

First prototypes (never produced in series) were named "Kwanon", the first Canon actually produced and marketed was the "Hansa Canon (Standard Model)".

 

[ZorkiKat]

Canon's original name, Kwanon, was after the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy (觀音-Guanyin in Chinese). The man behind Canon was a devout Buddhist. He modified the name to Canon to 'westernise' it, using C rather than K and yet at the same time retain some of its original religious origin- Canon as in Canon Law.

edit: Goro Yoshida was the one who named the camera Kwanon

 

[ZorkiKat]

Here's an advertisement from the February 1930 issue of Asahi Camera.

This analogy should be relevant to you:

Kashmir.
Cashmere
Cachemire
Cashmir

Three variations in spelling of a word derived from a place whose accepted Latin spelling uses a K. The last three were used for descriptions for animal-derived fibre, brand of soap, etc.

 

[Goldorak]

Zorcicat 🙂

 

[payasam]

Goldorac? "Cashmere" is still widely used.