Difference between revisions of "Norita"
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Steevithak (talk | contribs) m (corrected English version of name, added camerart ref, and trademark info) |
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− | '''Norita | + | Norita Kogaku K.K. was a Japanese lens and camera maker founded in 1951 by Norita Toshio. |
+ | |||
+ | ==History== | ||
+ | '''Norita Kogaku K.K.''' (ノリタ光学) was a Japanese lens and camera maker. It was founded in 1951 by Norita Toshio (車田利夫),<ref name="hagiya82">Hagiya, p.82.</ref> a former employee of [[Tōkyō Kōgaku]].<REF name="ja.wikipedia"> [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%8E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%BF%E5%85%89%E5%AD%A6 Norita Kōgaku] in the Japanese Wikipedia. </REF> The company worked as a subcontractor for other companies, starting with lenses for binoculars and moving via binocular prisms to pentaprisms for [[SLR]] cameras including the [[Rittreck 6×6 and Norita 66|Rittreck 6×6]] of [[Musashino and Wista|Musashino]].<ref name="hagiya82" /> | ||
After some time, the company started making lenses too, notably supplying the Rittron lenses sold by Musashino for the Rittreck 6×6<ref name="hagiya82" /> and at least some of the Zenzanon lenses sold by [[Bronica]].<REF name="ja.wikipedia" /><REF name="Norita Club 2"> [http://www003.upp.so-net.ne.jp/Topconclub/Norita2.htm Norita Club page 2], at the Topcon Club. </REF> One of the lens designers was Maruyama Shūji (丸山修治), another former employee of [[Tōkyō Kōgaku]], who previously worked on the postwar [[Simlar|Simlar 5cm f/0.7]].<REF> [http://www003.upp.so-net.ne.jp/Topconclub/lens8.htm This page] of the Topcon Club. </REF> | After some time, the company started making lenses too, notably supplying the Rittron lenses sold by Musashino for the Rittreck 6×6<ref name="hagiya82" /> and at least some of the Zenzanon lenses sold by [[Bronica]].<REF name="ja.wikipedia" /><REF name="Norita Club 2"> [http://www003.upp.so-net.ne.jp/Topconclub/Norita2.htm Norita Club page 2], at the Topcon Club. </REF> One of the lens designers was Maruyama Shūji (丸山修治), another former employee of [[Tōkyō Kōgaku]], who previously worked on the postwar [[Simlar|Simlar 5cm f/0.7]].<REF> [http://www003.upp.so-net.ne.jp/Topconclub/lens8.htm This page] of the Topcon Club. </REF> | ||
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Norita became a dependent company of Enplas in 2000 and was renamed Enplas Optics (エンプラスオプティクス) in 2001, but shut its doors in 2005.<REF name="ja.wikipedia" /> | Norita became a dependent company of Enplas in 2000 and was renamed Enplas Optics (エンプラスオプティクス) in 2001, but shut its doors in 2005.<REF name="ja.wikipedia" /> | ||
+ | |||
+ | The 1985 Camerart Photo Trade Directory supplies this entry for the company:<ref>Camerart Photo Trade Directory, 1985, ISBN 9789995596378</ref>: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Norita Kogaku K.K. | ||
+ | Manufacturers and Exporters | ||
+ | 477, Shimohiroya, Kawagoe, Saitama 350 | ||
+ | Cable Address: NORITAOPT KAWAGOE | ||
+ | President: Toshio Norita | ||
+ | Product Lines: Photographic lenses, prisms, projection lenses for screen TV system, optical components. | ||
+ | Brands: NORITA, NORITAR | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Trademarks == | ||
+ | Norita Kogaku applied for a US trademark on the brand name '''Noritar''' on 25 February 1970. The application states that the Noritar brand was first used on 13 January, 1967. The trademark expired on 4 November, 1992.<ref>[http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=72352365 US trademark filing for Noritar]</ref> The company filed a US trademark application for the brand name '''Norita''' on 27 July, 1970, stating that the mark was also registered as a Japanese trademark (#568516). The trademark expired on 3 May, 2003.<ref>[http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=72369247 US trademark filing for Norita]</ref> A Canadian trademark for '''Norita''' was filed on 23 April, 1970. The Canadian trademark was renewed on 20 August, 1986 and expired on 20 January, 1995.<ref>[http://www.ic.gc.ca/app/opic-cipo/trdmrks/srch/vwTrdmrk.do?lang=eng&fileNumber=332375 Canadian trademark filing for Norita]</ref> | ||
== Products == | == Products == |
Revision as of 03:27, 28 March 2012
Norita Kogaku K.K. was a Japanese lens and camera maker founded in 1951 by Norita Toshio.
Contents
History
Norita Kogaku K.K. (ノリタ光学) was a Japanese lens and camera maker. It was founded in 1951 by Norita Toshio (車田利夫),[1] a former employee of Tōkyō Kōgaku.[2] The company worked as a subcontractor for other companies, starting with lenses for binoculars and moving via binocular prisms to pentaprisms for SLR cameras including the Rittreck 6×6 of Musashino.[1]
After some time, the company started making lenses too, notably supplying the Rittron lenses sold by Musashino for the Rittreck 6×6[1] and at least some of the Zenzanon lenses sold by Bronica.[2][3] One of the lens designers was Maruyama Shūji (丸山修治), another former employee of Tōkyō Kōgaku, who previously worked on the postwar Simlar 5cm f/0.7.[4]
In 1969,[1] the Musashino company went bankrupt, and Norita took over the machine tools and some of the staff from production of the Rittreck 6×6, which was modified and rebadged Norita 66.[1] The new camera was produced for export from 1971,[5] and released on the Japanese market in 1972.[6] The company entered distribution agreements with Graflex (a division of Singer), which sold the camera in the United States as the Graflex Norita.
In 1976, the company stopped the production of cameras and camera-related products, but remained in business, making projection lenses and other products.[7] In 1994 Hagiya Takeshi wrote that the Norita products his readers were most likely to encounter were the three (RGB) lenses for large television projectors.[7]
Norita became a dependent company of Enplas in 2000 and was renamed Enplas Optics (エンプラスオプティクス) in 2001, but shut its doors in 2005.[2]
The 1985 Camerart Photo Trade Directory supplies this entry for the company:[8]:
Norita Kogaku K.K. Manufacturers and Exporters 477, Shimohiroya, Kawagoe, Saitama 350 Cable Address: NORITAOPT KAWAGOE President: Toshio Norita Product Lines: Photographic lenses, prisms, projection lenses for screen TV system, optical components. Brands: NORITA, NORITAR
Trademarks
Norita Kogaku applied for a US trademark on the brand name Noritar on 25 February 1970. The application states that the Noritar brand was first used on 13 January, 1967. The trademark expired on 4 November, 1992.[9] The company filed a US trademark application for the brand name Norita on 27 July, 1970, stating that the mark was also registered as a Japanese trademark (#568516). The trademark expired on 3 May, 2003.[10] A Canadian trademark for Norita was filed on 23 April, 1970. The Canadian trademark was renewed on 20 August, 1986 and expired on 20 January, 1995.[11]
Products
- Norita 66 and Graflex Norita 6×6cm SLR, 1972
- Rittron lenses for the Rittreck 6×6
- Noritar lenses for the Norita 66[12]
- Noritar lenses for the Graflex XL
- some Zenzanon lenses for Bronica, including a 150mm[3]
Noritar Lenses for 35mm SLRs
- Norita Kogaku Noritar 135mm f/1.4 preset T mount
- Norita Noritar 250mm f/4.5 preset T mount (said to be identical to the Vivitar 250mm f/4.5 preset)[13]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Hagiya, p.82.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Norita Kōgaku in the Japanese Wikipedia.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Norita Club page 2, at the Topcon Club.
- ↑ This page of the Topcon Club.
- ↑ Hagiya, pp.82 and 90.
- ↑ Hagiya, p.87, and Norita Club page 1, at the Topcon Club.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hagiya, p.90.
- ↑ Camerart Photo Trade Directory, 1985, ISBN 9789995596378
- ↑ US trademark filing for Noritar
- ↑ US trademark filing for Norita
- ↑ Canadian trademark filing for Norita
- ↑ Norita Club Page 1, at the Topcon Club.
- ↑ MFlenses forum: The rare Vivitar 250mm f/4.5 Pre-Set Lens
Sources
- Hagiya Takeshi (萩谷剛). "Norita 66: Yūshutsu o mein toshita 6×6 cm-ban ichiganrefu" (ノリタ66 輸出をメインとした6×6 cm判一眼レフ, Norita 66: A 6×6 SLR mainly for export)). Chapter 4 of Zunō kamera tanjō: Sengo kokusan kamera jū monogatari (ズノーカメラ誕生:戦後国産カメラ10物語, The birth of the Zunow camera: Ten stories of postwar Japanese camera makers). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1999. ISBN 4-257-12023-1. Originally published in Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.18, October 1991. No ISBN number. Sengo chūhan kamera saihakken / Besuto-hansai 3×4cm-han no miryoku (戦後中判カメラ再発見 / ベスト半截3×4cm判の魅力, special issue on postwar cameras and on 3×4cm cameras).
Links
In Japanese with some English:
- Norita Club page 1 and page 2, in the Topcon Club website
In Japanese:
- Norita Kōgaku in the Japanese Wikipedia