Dear List,
Greetings from Sydney, Australia.
It is quite probable that the 'Petersen's' reviewer was showing his/her
knowledge. The following points are from my recollections largely.
By 1981 Kowa was well & truly out of the general (amateur & professional,
35 & medium format businesses). In 1972 the 6 & the 6MM were on their last
legs & I doubt that they got much past 1974 anywhere in the world. A
Google search suggests that the Super 66 that followed the 6MM in 1974 was
the last of the line although reviews to 1976 were found. The father of a
1972/73 colleague of mine worked for the Australian Kowa agents. I believe
that the 6MM was made available about this time. The manufacturer withdrew
from the market not long after (certainly by 1976). The original 6 had a
poor reputation for mechanical reliability - hence the reviewer's
comment??? On the other hand the 6MM with 'L' shaped, interchangeable
magazine (and the later Super 66 evolutionary version) established a quite
reasonable reputation but it seems that it was too late. The 35 mm
offerings of the 1960s I don't think made it into the 1970s at all. They
were apparently honest but uninspiring offerings up against numerous &
impressive offerings from the bigger Japanese manufacturers.
Kowa are still in business.
They make slit-lamp biomicroscopes - hand-held & table mounted (stereo
microscopes developed specifically for examining the eye), telescopes, esp.
spotting telescopes, binoculars, CCTV lenses, and other industrial lenses,
e.g. projection lenses for industrial profile projectors.
Regards to all,
Lewis WILLIAMS
Optometrist, PhD (hence the slit-lamp 'connection')
"R. J. Bender"
<rjbender@apci.net> To: "Koni-Omega Mailing List"
Sent by: <koni-omega@snoopy.cmagic.com>
owner-koni-omega@snoopy. cc:
cmagic.com Subject: Re: [KOML] Hi and Koni-Omegaflex
2003-06-24 16:19
Please respond to
"Koni-Omega Mailing
List"
Dante Stella wrote:
> My second Koni-Omega is on the way; this time it is a Koni-Omegaflex M,
> something which has always been fascinating (in the dark way that
> Rolleiflexes just can't approach). It's coming on Monday. I have been
> going to the gym to become strong enough to carry it around. I should
> have a review on my site in the next two weeks. I am already getting
> together my list of questions...
Sixteen years ago when I was looking for my first medium format camera,
I bought "Petersen's Medium Format Photography" (copyright 1981). It's a
great book for comparing systems and it includes very detailed instructions
on operating each system.
In the chapter "Beating the High Cost" there's a photo of a
Koni-Omegaflex M with the caption, "An interesting ELR concept, the
versatile Koni-Omegaflex M quietly bombed and died on dealers' shelves.
Leave them there."
"LEAVE THEM THERE?" The author doesn't say that about the "highly
underrated" Kowa Super 66.
I wonder why the author, Kalton C. Lahue, had such a strong opinion
against buying this camera.
It does look like it could make it to "cult camera" status someday.
R. J. Bender
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