LYRAX F, PLUTO Six P, PETRI Semi

PLUTO Six P

This camera has a “Pluto 7” logo engraved on the top and also stamped into the covering on the front door. But in the back covering there is a panel that says “Pluto Six”. So what is this camera? Well after some research I’ve found that it is actually a Pluto Six P. Shichiyō Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. in Tokyo made two Pluto Six models in 1955 with styling again inspired by the Zeiss Ikontas. The Pluto Six L has only a viewfinder, the Pluto Six P has an uncoupled rangefinder combined into the viewfinder. It is operated by a thumb wheel at the rear of the top housing.

Both were sold with a Pluto Anastigmat 80mm f3.5 lens in their wonderfully named Luzifer shutter. As this is a dual-format Semi camera there are two red windows in the back; when exposing the smaller format two narrow flaps are folded into the film gate.

Now, what about that Pluto 7 logo? Well the number 7 is related to the company name Shichiyō, as shichi means "seven" in Japanese.

LYRAX F

This is a rigid-bodied camera for 4.5x6cm exposures on 120 film that was made by Fuji Kōgaku, a camera maker in Itabashi, Tokyo. From 1936 to 1944 they made many cameras that had names with “Lyra” in them. The Lyrax was first marketed in 1939 with a choice of f3.5 or f4.5 Terionar 75mm lenses, and a Fujikō A or B shutter. A telescopic tube houses the lens and shutter assembly. A curved arm can be swung down from behind the shutter so the camera will stand level. The name Lyrax is engraved on the front of the top housing and a Fuji Kōgaku logo is stamped in the back covering. Film loading, unusually for rollfilm, is from the bottom like the early Leicas. A sliding extractor piece for the takeup spool helps you to remove an exposed roll.

The Lyrax F came on the market in late 1940 or early in 1941. It has a 75mm Terionar f3.5 lens in the new Fujikō F shutter that was also fitted to other Fuji cameras like the Lyra Six and Semi Lyra. Like the original model there is an uncoupled rangefinder on the top housing that is focussed by a round knob on the camera’s right that looks like a wind knob. A folding optical finder is mounted above the rangefinder. The double exposure prevention interlock mechanism is housed under the film wind knob. There are two round metal screw plugs on the rear, one in the back and one in the top housing. They allow access to the rangefinder and film plane for adjustments to focus.

In researching this camera one reference states that only one other model F is known.

PETRI Semi

This camera is another post-war 4.5x6cm Semi camera from Kuribayashi and it was their first use of the name Petri, the eventual company name from 1962. This is the first model Petri (also known as the Petri Semi) and it was made in 1948. It has a 7.5cm f3.5 Petri Anastigmat lens in a Petri shutter. The top housing contains an uncoupled rangefinder and two viewfinders. A small reflex finder is at one end, the rangefinder thumb wheel is at the other end and a pop-up optical finder is in the middle. The viewfinder must be in the up position for focussing so it is out of the rangefinder’s optical path. The film wind knob is not on the top but on the bottom.

The Petri was modified and improved with six subsequent models made from 1948 to 1956. Petri II had the original’s pop-up finder replaced with a built-in finder, Petri III had lens and shutter improvements, Petri RF in 1952 was a more compact design without the reflex finder and in 1955 the rangefinder was coupled. Petri Super combined the rangefinder in the viewfinder and last was the Petri Super V in 1956.