Wester 6×6 folders

From Camerapedia.org

Japanese Six (6×6)
Postwar models (edit)
folding
Aires Viceroy | Angel Six | Aram Six | Astoria Super Six | Atom Six | Balm Six | Baron | Beauty Six (1950) | Beauty Six (1953) | Calm Six | Carl Six | Centre Six | Crown | Crystar Six | Daido Six | Dorima Six | Doris Six | Ehira Six | Elbow Six | First Six | Flora Six | Frank Six | Fujica Six | Super Fujica Six | Futami Six | Gotex | Grace Six | Kohken Chrome Six | Kyowa Six | Liner Six | Lyra Six | Mamiya Six | Middl Six | Mihama Six | Mine Six | Minon Six | Mizuho Six | Mount Six | Muse Six | Super Naiku | Ofuna Six | Olympus Six | Olympus Chrome Six | Orion Six | Oscar Six | Pigeon Six | Planet | Please Six | Pluto Six | Poppy Six | Press Van | Proud Chrome Six | Proud Super Six | Renown Six | Ricoh Six | Ruvikon | Ruvinal | Sanon Six | Silver Six | Sisley 1 | Sisley 2 & 3 | Sister Six | Tenar Six | Toho Six | Tomic | Toyoca Six | Ugein Six | Wagen Six | Walcon 6 | Welmy Six | Wester | Windsor Six
rigid or collapsible
Dia Six | Ehira Chrome Six | Enon Six | Flora | Flashline | Fujipet | Harmony | Mikono-6 | Ponix | Rich-Ray-6 | Shumy | Weha Chrome Six
Japanese 6×6 TLR, pseudo TLR and medium format SLR ->
Japanese Semi (4.5×6) and older 6×9 ->

The Japanese company Nishida made a number of folders called Wester (ウエスター) in the 1940s and 1950s. See also the 4.5×6 wartime Wester and the 4.5×6 postwar Semi Wester.

The Wester Chrome Six was a simple viewfinder model. The Wester Chrome Six R was a variant with an uncoupled rangefinder, some had a Zuiko F.C. 75/3.5 lens.

The Super Wester had helical focusing and a coupled rangefinder. The Wester S2 and Wester Autorol (ウエスターオートロール) added automatic film advance, dispensing with the red windows.

The Wester Atlasix was another simple viewfinder model. The lens was a Welcon 1:4.5 7.5cm with a shutter speed to 1/300 of a second.

Notes

Bibliography

• Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7.
• Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), ISBN 0-935398-16-3 (hard). Pp.83 and 86 (brief mentions only).
• McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). P.738.
• Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Items 1439–44.

Links

In English:

• Wester S2 in English and the original Japanese version, at Takahara Minoru's website

In Japanese:

• Wester Chrome Six at Puppy's Island, with an ad and some sample pictures
• Wester Chrome Six repair notes at Takasaki Motohiro's camera site
• Wester Chrome Six in a post by Arcticchar at his Fishing Diary blog
• Wester Chrome Six R, Wester S-2 and Wester Autorol at Japan Family Camera, with repair notes of the Autorol
• Wester S2 at Vasolza's home page
• Super Wester at doraDD's clacamera blog
• Wester Autorol, article with repair notes, at Orio's camera page
• Wester Autorol at Aya's camera site
• Wester Autorol recorded by Minosan, at Minosan's blog
• Wester Autorol, brief mention with one picture, at Glossostigma's website
• Photo gallery at Wanko's site, including a gallery of pictures taken with a Wester Autorol
• Wester Autorol in the first page of the Yamada Camera Museum
• Wester 6×6 folder at Itō Sadanobu's camera collection