Canon Rangefinder Cameras

An Overview of All Canon Rangefinder Cameras 1935-1968

Hansa Canon of 1937 and Canon 7s of 1967

Organization of this canonrangefinder.org Site

This site is devoted primarily to the history and technology of the range of 35mm rangefinder cameras produced by what became the Canon Camera Company. It covers the beginning from its development of the "Hansa Canon" (or "Canon Hansa") in 1935 until the end of production of the Canon 7s rangefinder in 1968. These 35mm film cameras featured lenses mounted in a Leica thread mount design, called the M39 (or in near equivalents in the first years of Canon production). Described here also is the wide range of interchangeable lenses and accessories Canon later developed for their cameras.

Other Rangefinder Cameras Covered by thie Site

In addition to the distinguished series of Canon Rangefinder Cameras, this site also has pages describing the Minolta Rangefinder Cameras which featured M39 interchangeable lenses. And a third section is devoted to certain other M39 interchangeable rangefinder cameras of interest to the author.

Origin of the Canon Rangefinder Camera

The company which is now recognized world-wide as Canon began its life as Seiki-Kōgaku Kenkyusho - Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory - or 精機光学研究所. According to the Canon Camera Museum history, the first laboratory of the company "...was founded in 1933 in a third-floor apartment of the Takekawaya Building in Roppongi, Azabu Ward, Tokyo." ⁴

The location of the initial Seiki Kōgaku laboratory in the Roppongi district of Tokyo

Goro Yoshida and Early Canon Camera Development

The Canon website history ⁴ states that Goro Yoshida, an engineer who had worked with motion picture projectors and equipment disassembled and studied a Leica model II in 1932-1933. He found that the camera, which sold for more than six months of salary of a well-paid office worker, was uncomplicated in construction. Yoshida is quoted by Canon:

"I just disassembled the camera without any specific plan, but simply to take a look at each part. I found there were no special items like diamonds inside the camera. The parts were made from brass, aluminum, iron and rubber. I was surprised that when these inexpensive materials were put together into a camera, it demanded an exorbitant price. This made me angry."

Goro Yoshida in later years

In November 1933, with his brother-in-law Saburo Uchida (1899-1982) and with Takeo Maeda (1909-1977), Yoshida established Seiki-Kōgaku Kenkyusho (Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory) to develop a 35mm rangefinder camera.

They produced a prototype 35mm camera, which they called the "Kwanon", but which was not commercialized.

a replica of what the Kwanon is thought to have looked like

However Yoshida left the laboratory in late l934 because the approach taken by the laboratory in producing cameras was 'no longer consistent with what he wanted to do'. ⁴ From the "Kwanon" initial designs, Saburo Uchida with Takeo Maeda in 1934 and 1935 ²⁰ developed the camera which, with the suggestion of outside investors, became known as "Canon". After being equipped with a lens and lens mount described below, this first Canon camera was introduced to the Japanese market in February 1936. ¹

Nippon Kōgaku and the development of the First Canon Cameras

From its earlies days, Seiki-Kōgaku Kenkyusho which was to become Canon Camera Company had a close relationship with Nippon Kōgaku.  Nippon Kōgaku was then the (only) manufacturer of camera glass and later of its 'Nikkor' lenses. The optical company Nippon Kōgaku Kogyo - 日本光学工業株式会社 or "Japan Optical Industries Co., Ltd." had been created in 1917 ²³ during World War I, aided by the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Mitsubishi group. ²⁰ In 1935, Nippon Kōgaku were making lenses for larger format cameras, for telescopes and for military distance range-finders, but were not yet making cameras themselves. The later famous series of 'Nikon' cameras was launched in 1948.

The newly developed Seiki-Kōgaku rangefinder camera needed lenses for its 35mm format. They approached Nippon Kōgaku who had developed a lens appropriate for the 35mm negative size in 1934 and 1935. ²⁰

the 'Nikkor' trademark established in 1932

Development of Nikkor Lenses

John Baird in his most interesting book The Japanese Camera ²⁰ wrote of the early development of Japanese lens development. Zeiss of Germany had private know-how and also patents, including patents in Japan on the production of optical glass and of lenses - particularly the Tessar design lens. He writes:

"...the Japanese Imperial Navy and Mitsubishi paid for these [licenses to German patents] as part of their support of Nippon Kogaku [in the early 1930s]... Nippon Kogaku had direct access to Zeiss' designs, producing Tessar-type lenses such as the 5cm 1:3.5 Nikkor for the Hansa Canon in 1934." ²⁰

The new Oi Plant glass factory was completed in 1933, and a further glass factory expansion by Nippon Kogaku was completed in 1936. ²⁸

Beyond the design and grinding/polishing of lens elements, a major difficulty for Japanese lens manufacture was the lack of domestically produced glass appropriate for camera lenses. Baird further writes:

"...Nippon Kogaku, with the help of the Japanese Navy was able to purchase overseas the basic materials and equipment required to produce new glass in Japan. Even so, the methods involved in the production of high grade optical glass in order to insure a homogenous and bubble-free mixture are very complex."

a 1935 Nikkor 5cm f3.5 lens for the Hansa Canon

Continuing his history, John Baird wrote:

"...Mr. Ryozo Furukawa worked... during the period of time when the 5cm 1:3.5 Nikkor was originally designed...He indicated that the first 5cm 1:3.5 Nikkor was completed in December 1934. Made entirely from glass melted at Nippon Kogaku, it was patterned after the Zeiss Tessar." ²⁰

The another page of the canonrangefinder.org site describes in more detail development of the Nikkor 5cm f3.5 lens.

Nippon Kōgaku provided not only the lens, but also a lens focusing mount as well as the design of the camera's rangefinder. So the Hansa Canon featured Nippon Kōgaku's new Nikkor 5cm f3.5 lens, bayonet-mounted into a Nikkor focusing mount.

1936 Hansa Canon with 50mm f3.5 Nikkor lens removed from the Nikkor bayonet focusing mounting

Introduction of the first Canon camera: the Hansa Canon

This first camera with the name "Canon", introduced in Japan in early 1936 with the name "Hansa" on its top plate, and is referred to today as the "Hansa Canon" or sometimes the "Canon Hansa". I prefer the name "Hansa Canon" as more descriptive. The history of the development and introduction of the Hansa Canon is a fascinating story, and can be read by clicking on the link to the Hansa Canon page of this canonrangefinder.org site

the classic Hansa Canon

Growth of Seiki-Kōgaku

After the successful launch of the Hansa Canon camera in 1936, on 10 August l937, the company was reorganized as a public stock company with the name "Precision Optical Industry Co., Ltd." - 精機光学研究所 - which Canon considers as its official founding. ⁴

Then, following the Hansa Canon launch, Canon sought to expand. In late 1938, the company introduced the Canon S, or 'Standard' model. ¹ This new camera included slow shutter speeds and a number of other changes and improvements, described in the page on the Canon S camera

1939 Canon S

Canon S and Later Development of Canon Rangefinder Cameras

Other pages of this canonrangefinder.org website give descriptions of all the later Canon rangefinder cameras, including the Canon S of late 1938. The canonrangefinder.org site then describes all models of Canon rangefinder cameras commercialized until the end of 1968. The distinguished Canon lens line 1946-1975 is also described in separate pages (links are shown below).

Finally in this site, there are pages describing the range of Minolta M39 mount rangefinder cameras 1947 to 1959. These were produced by Chiyoda Kōgaku Seiko K.K. (千代田光学精工㈱) of Osaka, Japan. It produced a series of 8 models of interchangeable lens rangefinder cameras.

Also, over time, pages on other M39 mount interchangeable lens rangefinder cameras of interest to the author will be added.

You can click on the links in the table below to consult these pages of the canonrangfinder.org site.

Hansa Canon of 1937 and Canon VT of 1957

Hansa Canon of 1936

Any additions or corrections to these pages would be welcome simply by contacting this site as shown at the foot of this page .

¹ Dechert, Peter. Canon Rangefinder Cameras 1933-1968. Hove Collectors Books. West Sussex, United Kingdom. 1985. ISBN 0-906447-30-5.

Peter Dechert's book is the most important expert source of information regarding Canon Rangefinder Cameras.

² Kitchingman, Peter. Canon M39 Rangefinder Lenses 1939-1971. A Collector's Guide. Published by Peter Kitchingman. Perth, Australia. 2008. ISBN 978-0-646-48144-9.

Peter Kitchingman's book is the definitive study of the more than three decades of M39 format camera lenses developed for Canon Rangefinder Cameras.

³ Nostalgic Canon Camera Book. 懐かしいキヤノン EI Publishing Co. Ltd. Tokyo, Japan. June 2003.

Peter Kitchingman's book is the definitive study of the more than three decades of M39 format camera lenses developed for Canon Rangefinder Cameras.

⁴ "Canon Camera Museum" history website. https://global.canon/en/c-museum/history/ published by Canon, Inc. accessed in 2019.

⁵ Rajner, Hans P. (author), John Wade (editor). Leica Copies. Classic Collections Publications. London, UK. ISBN 13: 9781874485056

Hans P. Rajner's book is an excellently detailed and carefully researched study of camera from around the world which used the Leica M39 lens mount and the same lens to film plane distance.

⁷ Dechert, Peter. Canon Single Lens Reflex Cameras 1959-1991. Historical Camera Publications. Yakima, Washington. 1992. ISBN 1-879561-04-2.

⁸ Tomlinson, Shawn M. The Film Photography Book. Lulu Pulbications. 2016. ISBN: 9781365263972

⁹ Sartorius., Ghester. Identifying Leica Lenses. Classic Camera 19. Tokyo, Japan. 2001. ISBN 4-257-12029-0

¹⁰ website http://www.nicovandijk.net/rflensmatrix.htm consulted 2019.

¹¹ O'Reagan, Douglas M. Allied Exploitation of German Science after World War II. Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, Maryland. 2019. ISBN 9781421428888

¹² website www.canonrangefinder.servehttp.com consulted 2008.

¹³ Minolta expert Andrea Aprà has posted information on minoltarangefinders group and other groups and further detailed information by email. (thanks Andrea !)

¹⁴ website http://www.collection-appareils.fr/objectifs/ consulted 2019.

¹⁵ Small, Marc James. Non-Leitz Leica Thread-Mount Lenses. Wittig Books. Hückelhoven, Germany. 1997. ISBN 3-930359-47-2.

¹⁶ the Nikon Corporation website: https://imaging.nikon.com/history/ consulted 2019.

¹⁷ p 152. Ray, Sidney F. Photographic Lens ISBN 9780240510323

¹⁸ website http://www.rokkorfiles.com/Lens%20History.html accessed 2019

¹⁹ Katz, Jerome. The Kardon camera story: a dedication to Peter Kardon, great American patriot & pioneer. SJF Enterprises. New York, New York. 1977.

²⁰ Baird, John. The Japaneese Camera. The History of the Japanese Camera Monograph Collection. Historical Camera Publications. Yakima, Washington. 1990. ISBN 1-879561-02-6.

²¹ interesting website http://www.topgabacho.jp/Topconclub/Leotax.htm accessed 2019

²² Alexander, Jeffrey Scott. Nikon and the sponsorship of Japan's optical industry by the Imperial Japanese Navy 1923-1945. MA Thesis. University of British Columbia. 2001.

²³ Alexander, Jeffrey Scott. Nikon and the sponsorship of Japan's optical industry by the Imperial Japanese Navy 1923-1945. PhD Thesis. University of British Columbia. 2010.

²⁴ Lewis, Gordon, editor. Fujimura, Amy and Fujimura, William, translators. The History of the Japanese Camera. International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House. Tokyo and Rochester. 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1.

²⁵ Rotoloni, Robert. Nikon Rangefinder Camera: An Illustrated History Hove Books Ltd. Sussex, UK. 1993. ISBN-13: 978-1874707073

²⁶ Eastland, Jonathan. Dr. Leica M Compendium: Handbook of the Leica-M System Hove Books Ltd. Sussex, UK. 2006. ISBN-13: 9781897802052

²⁷ Dechert, Peter. The Contax connection The Japanese Roots of the Recent Contax Cameras. Monograph Collection. Historical Camera Publications. Yakima, Washington. 1990.

²⁸ https://shashi.shibusawa.or.jp/details_nenpyo.php?sid=6980&query=&class=&d=all&page=5 consulted 2020.