The Extremely Capable Konishiroku Konica I

    If you're a minimalist like me, you probably drive a car that has standard transmission and very few whistles and bells. That's why you'd  enjoy capturing images with the no-frills Konica I, a lovely little camera that was manufactured in Japan from 1947 to 1960. Some of these units were made for the U.S. Army. Inscribed "U.S. Army Signal Corps" on their top plates, they are worth much more than the one shown here. Occasionally referred to as the Konika Standard, this camera was produced some time after 1951. How can you tell? That's when the 2.8 Hexanon lens; shutter speeds from B-1/500; and K-type synch post were introduced to this little gem.  As expected, everything on the camera is manual. 

        The shutter cocking lever is located just to the right of 12:00 o'clock on the lens barrel. The aperture pointer  (f/3.5-f/22) is just to the left of it. The shutter release is at 9 o'clock; the synch post is at 7:00 o'clock; and the focusing knob is at about 4:00 o'clock. The film advance knob, of course, is at the upper left in the photo. At the rear of the camera is a little button that you must depress before you advance the film. The viewfinder is bright, as is the rangefinder patch.

       One of the nice things about the Konica I is that it has a collapsible lens, shown here in the photo on the left. This makes it very handy if you're walking around capturing images on the street. The photo on the right shows the camera with the lens extended. Note that on this unit a strip of the covering is missing. You can see this on the shiny metal strips in the photos. Another positive characteristic of this camera is that, unlike other RF cameras of its time, it has a back that swings open for easy film loading. This is a major "plus."

      I think I paid about $65 for this camera. The Collectiblend website values it at much more. When I received it, the shutter was sticking, but I remedied that with a bit of naptha (lighter fluid). Although I never used it, I really like this camera. Obviously,the Konica I isn't a camera for beginners. But if you are fairly accomplished and like to shoot with a basic, no-frills instrument, you'll probably enjoy working with the it.

COMING SOON: The Konica II