Tachihara history?

[djcphoto]

Hi all,

Yesterday I picked up a really nice Tachihara field camera for a ridiculously cheap price from a local Craigslist listing. I spent a couple of hours last night cleaning it all up, tightening screws, etc., and I'm really pleased with it.

I know it's not very important, but I was trying to find out a little about the history of Tachihara. I realise they are not made any more, but I wondered if anyone has any more information on when they started building cameras, and possibly any details on determining the age of a '45 Feil Stand'? I found some references to a serial number, but the examples I have seen given were a date-type code, wheras mine is simply two digits. Also, photos I've seen of the same model camera appear to have a few minor differences to mine (it has a clasp type fitting to lock the camera closed, as opposed to a pin and hook type that I see on most others). I am guessing mine could be an earlier model. I also noticed that the fresnel is marked 'Wista', not Tahcihara.

Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts, I would be grateful to hear them!

Cheers,

Dave

[Ken Lee]

The company is still in business. See their web site here.

The site is in Japanese, but Google Translate will help with any text it finds there. Some of the links and buttons are actually image files, and it won't translate those.

[Oren Grad]

Ah, Ken beat me to it by a few seconds. Anyway, they've used the name "Fielstand" (フィルスタンド) for their 4x5 cameras for a long time, so that's not going to be much help in dating it.

[Doremus Scudder]

... and the Fresnel you have is from Wista, a different company that also makes field cameras. It should work just fine.

Best,

Doremus

[Gem Singer]

Midwest Photo Exchange in Columbus, Ohio is a distributor for Tachihara cameras.

See: www.mpex.com

[djcphoto]

Thanks for all the info so far! I had read in various places about Tachihara not producing cameras any more. That'll teach me not to believe everything I read on the internet

I really is a lovely little camera, and coming from a Speed Graphic, so light!

[Ken Lee]

I really is a lovely little camera, and coming from a Speed Graphic, so light!

Ditto - I had one and sold it - then got another one several years later.

[Heroique]

...so light!

3.8 lbs. – great for lugging up your nearby Great Smoky Mountains!

And I think the older version was even lighter.

[djcphoto]

3.8 lbs. – great for lugging up your nearby Great Smoky Mountains!

And I think the older version was even lighter.

Exactly what I have in mind!

[djcphoto]

Here's a pic of the little bugger!