Episode 73 of Camerosity turns its attention to two Japanese camera makers, Fuji and Ricoh, whose corporate histories run surprisingly parallel. Both companies got their start just before World War II in industries outside photography—Fuji in celluloid plastics and Ricoh (originally Riken) in chemical research—before branching into lenses and cameras as a secondary pursuit. Later in the 20th century, both firms poured resources into the photocopier business, then successfully pivoted into digital cameras, with Fuji continuing today through its X-Series mirrorless lineup and Ricoh through its GR compacts and ownership of Pentax.
Hosts Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike are joined by Paul's Fuji rep Bob Grzesiak and a group of callers to dig into an unusually deep catalog of models from both brands. On the Fuji side, discussion covers the medium format lineup including the "Texas Leica" and various 4.5x6 through 6x9 cameras plus the sole 6x17 model, mid-century rangefinders, the compact and quirky Fujica Mini half-frame camera, the Fujicarex SLR entry, the ST-series, and the largely overlooked AX-series. Ricoh coverage includes the Auto-Half series, the Hi-Color 35, several screw-mount SLRs, and Mike's favorite, the interchangeable-lens Anscomark M rangefinder—reportedly made by Ricoh in exchange for photocopier technology from GAF. The group also delves into oddball "bastard" cameras tied to Mamiya's Prismat line, including the Ricoh Singlex with its near-but-not-quite Nikon F-mount, and a Tower-branded camera combining an Exakta mount with a Canon lens. Other topics include Fuji's FinePix S-Series DSLRs and Super CCD sensors, the Ricoh GR digital compacts, and a peculiar digital camera with interchangeable sensors as well as interchangeable lenses.
The overall takeaway is that Fuji and Ricoh, despite being less frequently discussed than some rival brands, have deep and varied product histories worth exploring, and the episode is framed as likely to stoke collectors' GAS for cameras from either maker. The hosts also touch on lighter anecdotes, like which company threw better dealer parties, before closing with a lightning round on cameras they regret not using more and a nod to the Canon 7 as a strong-value LTM rangefinder.
AI-generated summary. May not capture every detail — read the full article below for the complete picture.
For the second episode in a row, we promised to deliver a thrilling discussion about two brands of Japanese cameras that have more in common than you might think. Fuji and Ricoh both started making products for the photography industry right before the war, but originally started out in different industries, for Fuji, it was celluloid plastics and Ricoh (then called Riken) it was as a chemicals research company. Each took a path making lenses and cameras, but in both instances photography was never each company’s main focus. Both Fuji and Ricoh invested heavily in the photocopier industry in the later part of the 20th century, and both successfully made the jump into the digital camera world. Both companies continue to make new cameras today, Fuji with their excellent lineup of X-Series digital mirrorless, and Ricoh with their GR point and shoots and their ownership of the Pentax brand.
In this episode, Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike are joined by Paul’s personal Fuji rep, Bob Grzesiak, returning callers Brad Swain, Howard Sandler, Mark Faulkner, Miles Libak, and first time caller, Dan Cuny.
We extensively cover many of Fuji’s medium format cameras from the Texas Leica, their variety of 4.5×6, 6×7, 6×8, 6×9, and even their lone 6×17 model, plus the company’s mid century rangefinders, the extremely compact and very quirky Fujica Mini, their entry into SLRs with the Fujicarex, the Fuji ST-series, and the unloved Fuji AX-series. For Ricoh, time is spent on their Auto-Half series and Hi-Color 35, along with some of Ricoh’s screw mount SLRs and Mike’s favorite Ricoh, the Anscomark M interchangeable lens rangefinder camera.
In addition, we get to hear which of these two companies used to throw the best parties for camera dealers, a little bit of history regarding the Fuji Finepix S-Series DSLRs, a bit about the Ricoh GR-series, plus a strange digital camera that had not only interchangeable lenses, but also interchangeable sensors, plus some bonus discussion about Mamiya Prismat “bastard cameras” like the original Ricoh Singlex with the “sorta” Nikon F-mount, and a strange Tower branded camera made by Mamiya with an Ihagee Exakta lens mount and a Canon lens.
This proved to be a very lively discussion, covering a huge amount of different camera models from two brands that don’t get discussed nearly as often as others. If you find that your collection is thin on cameras by either of these manufacturers, this is the episode that will surely flare up a case of GAS. Get ready to open your wallet!
For the next episode, we will be exploring the world of third party lens makers like Vivitar, Sigma, Tamron, Spiratone and many others, plus we hope to revisit a topic that started in a thread on the Camerosity Podcast Facebook group regarding home processing. Episode 74 will be recorded on Monday, July 22nd at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
In This Episode
Fuji and Ricoh Have Remarkably Similar Histories / Roico 127 Camera- Fuji Made LTM Lenses and One Nikon S-Mount Lens in the 50s
- Fuji Made the Hasselblad XPan / Fuji Large Format Lenses
- Fujica ST-801 and ST-901 / Fuji’s f/1.6 and f/2.2 Lenses and 1/700 Shutter Speeds
- Fujica 35SE Rangefinder and Other Fixed Lens Rangefinders / Fujicarex II SLR
- A Change of Priorities Caused Fuji To Change Their Lineup in the Mid 1960s
- Rapid Cassette Fujis and the Half Frame Fujica Mini
- The Fujica V2 and Compact Deluxe Rangefinders Are Excellent
- Fuji GF670 and Other Folding Cameras / Fujicaflex Automat TLR
Bob Loans a Fuji G617 to Car & Driver and They Destroy It- The Fujita 66SL (Kalimar 66) is Not a Real Fuji
- The Fuji GX680 is Massive and Difficult to Sell
- Fujifilm FinePix S-Pro Series DSLRs / Super CCD Sensors
- Fuji Ignored Their AX SLRs / Fujica AX-5
- The Ricoh TLS-401 Has a Useless Waist Level Finder
- Paul Used to Party Hard With the President of Ricoh / Ricoh Solar Powered Cameras
- Ricoh Made the Anscomark M in Exchange for Photo Copier Technology from GAF
- The Ricoh Singlex Uses a Variation of the Nikon F-Mount But it is Not the Same
Mamiya Made Prismat Cameras That Are the Basis for the Nippon Kogaku Nikkorex, Ricoh Singlex, and Many Others- Other Bastard Mamiya Cameras / Canon Canonex / Mamiya Prismat and Tower Cameras with Canon Exakta Mount Lenses
- Ricoh GR-Series Compact Digital Cameras / Ricoh GXR Interchangeable Sensor Cameras
- Ricoh Diacord / Ricoh 500 and 519M / Ricoh Hi-Color 35
- Mark Faulkner Sells his Leica M3 / The Mystique of the M3 / X-Raying Boxes at Bowling Alleys
- Kenneth Panda Sells Kits to Adapt Fuji Ace Instant Cameras to Use Instax Film
Lightning Round: Which Cameras Do You Regret Not Taking Out More Often?- Shooting IR and Full Spectrum Through Modified Digital Cameras / Sony DSC-F828
- Kodak Bantam Special / The Canon 7 is Still the Best Value in LTM 35mm Rangefinders
Links
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Mark Faulkner – https://thegashaus.com/
Dan Cuny – https://www.dancuny.com/camera-collecting-blog
Camerosity Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos – https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt – https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris
Anthony Rue – https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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