Fuji
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See also Fuji Kōgaku and Fuji Shashin Kōgyōsha, two older and unrelated companies.
Fujifilm Corporation is a Japanese company, which originally appeared as a film manufacturer and later expanded as a camera maker. Before 2006, the corporate name was Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. and many photographers continue to use the name "Fuji" informally.
Contents
- 1 History
- 2 Cameras
- 2.1 35mm SLR cameras
- 2.2 35mm compact cameras
- 2.3 35mm panorama cameras
- 2.4 APS cameras
- 2.5 Pocket 110
- 2.6 Subminiature
- 2.7 Disc film
- 2.8 Instant cameras and film
- 2.9 Medium format
- 2.10 Digital
- 2.11 Disposable / Single Use
- 3 Lenses
- 4 Film
- 5 Bibliography and references
- 6 Links
History
Advertisement in Ars Camera January 1946. This is the earliest postwar advertisement by Fuji. (Image rights) |
The company was founded on January 20, 1934 as Fuji Shashin Film K.K. (富士写真フィルム㈱, later translated as Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.)[1], producing several sorts of film.[2] It was an offshoot of Dai-Nippon Celluloid K.K. (大日本セルロイド㈱), founded in 1919.[3] The company's first CEO was Asano Shūichi (浅野修一).[4] The plants were located in the village of Minami-Ashigara (南足柄村, now a city) in the prefecture of Kanagawa (神奈川県), at the foot of Mt. Hakone (箱根山).[5] It is said that the name "Fuji" (富士) was chosen by Asano Shūichi because of Mt. Fuji (富士山), situated not far from Mt. Hakone, but was already registered by a third party, to which the rights were bought for ¥8,000, an important sum at the time.[6]
The company started to produce optical glass during the early 1940s for military use.[7] The dependent company Fuji Shashin Kōki K.K. (富士写真光機㈱, meaning "Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.") was founded in 1944, from the assets of Enomoto Kōgaku Seiki Seisakusho (榎本光学精機製作所), but this was absorbed back into Fuji Shashin Film after 1945.[8] Many other Fuji companies were created after the war, all of them dependent of the main Fuji Shashin Film company and eventually of the Fujifilm Group (富士フィルムグループ).
Fuji began producing cameras in 1948 with the Fujica Six. Until the late 1970s, many cameras made by Fuji were called Fujica, a contraction of Fuji and camera (cf Leica, Yashica etc.). In the mid 1980's the Fujica name change to simply Fuji, in the mid 1990's this changed yet again to Fujifilm.
The company started producing digital cameras in 1988. Fujifilm was the most agile among film makers in adapting to digital imaging. For a while it offered leading technology concerning smaller digital consumer cameras with high-sensitivity CCDs (see Super CCD). It also sold expensive DSLRs and innovative camera concepts like the X100 with hybrid finder, a mixture of optical finder and EVF. Nowadays it is one of the big makers of sophisticated CSCs like the X-T3 with fast hi-res video capability. (see Fujifilm digital cameras).
Cameras
35mm SLR cameras
- Fujica ST-F (1975)
- Fujicarex (1962)
- Fujicarex II (1963)
- Fuji Half SLR design concept
M42 mount
Fujica ST701 image by Alf Sigaro (Image rights) |
The features of the ST/AZ models are described in the first part (PDF) of a Fuji instruction booklet on all its models, scan courtesy Mike Butkus
- Fujica AZ-1 (1978)
- Fujica ST601 (1975)
- Fujica ST605 (1976)
- Fujica ST605N (1978)
- Fujica ST605 II (1978)
- Fujica ST701 (1970)
- Fujica ST705 (1976)
- Fujica ST705W (1978)
- Fujica ST801 (1972)
- Fujica ST901 (1974)
Fujica X mount
35mm compact camerasRangefinderNo exposure meter
Exposure meter but not auto-exposure
Autoexposure
Scale/zone-focusNo exposure meter
Autoexposure
Rugged
Modern Point and ShootsFixed focal length
Dual focal length
ZoomFuji branded zoom compacts
Fujfilm branded zoom compacts. Most American models tend to use the Discovery branding but later cameras share the European branding.
Half-frame and Rapid cassette 35mm cameras
35mm panorama camerasAPS camerasFujifilm uses multiple brandings for their IX240 APS film cameras. Fotonex is the branding used most everywhere, while Endeavor is in the USA, while nexia and EPION are used in Japan. Fixed focal length
Zoom
MRC Mid-Roll-ChangeFixed focal length
Zoom
Pocket 110
SubminiatureThese two cameras did not go past the mock-up stage: Disc filmInstant cameras and filmFor all instant cameras and film by Fuji including Instax, ACE, Fotorama, pack film please refer to Fujifilm instant photography. Medium format
RangefinderInterchangeable lens Fixed lens
System cameras
645 camerasManual focus
Auto focus
Panorama
GF camerasDigitalFor all digital cameras by Fuji (including DS, Finepix, S-series and MX) and earlier still-video models, please refer to Fujifilm digital cameras. Disposable / Single Use
LensesInterchangeable lenses for 35mm camerasInterchangeable lenses for medium-format camerasLenses for large-format cameras
Enlarger LensesFuji produced high quality lenses for enlargers, under the FUJINAR badge FilmDespite the increasing dominance of digital cameras, Fuji continues to be a prime manufacturer of film. Please refer to Fuji films Bibliography and references
LinksIn English:
In French:
In Japanese:
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