The Reliable Royal 35-M

   When I received my Royal 35-M in the mail, a few sections of the covering were peeling from its frame. Because that wasn't a first for me, it really wasn't a problem. As I had done with several other cameras I owned that suffered from the same ailment, I used a product called "Original Shoo Goo" to cure the patient. Who would've thought that a product that was created to repair shoes could also be used on cameras? But believe me, it works just fine.
    Manufactured during the 1950s by Royal Camera in Tokyo, the Royal 35-M was also  re-branded as the Torca, the Ogikon SP, the Luxall, the Unicorn 35, and others. Note the resemblance to the Zeiss Contax. The camera mounted either a  2.8 or 1.9 45mm lens and had shutter speeds ranging from B-1/500.
    Don't let the tacky plastic lens cap shown in the photo fool you. Fit and finish on this camera are excellent. It features a superior 10-blade iris; a fairly large viewfinder; a whisper quiet Copal shutter; a self timer; M/X/V flash synch capability with a modern PC socket; and an uncoupled selenium exposure meter, shown in the photo with the light baffle in the bright light position. In dim light you can pop it open to obtain a reading.

    Although  a great deal of information isn't available for this camera, it's known to be scarce.
     Seen from above, the film counter is at the far right in the photo. To its left is the film advance lever. The shutter release button is at 12:00 o'clock next to the exposure meter window and dial.
    Marked by the letters "O" and "C," there's a small screw just below and to the right of  "35-M." I suspect this screw serves to adjust the exposure meter's needle. If so, it wouldn't make a difference on this particular camera because the meter is kaput. But that's not unusual in older cameras.

     Of course, you really don't need a built in exposure meter to capture images with your camera. You can always use a hand held meter.
    Alternatively, you can use the "Sunny Sixteen" rule, as I did in the photo at the right. Because the scene was well lit, I set the aperture at f16 and the ISO at the speed of the film I was using, which was 125. If you're not familiar with this technique, you can find plenty of information about it elsewhere.

    Even though you probably won't be able to find a user's manual for the Royal 35-M on the Internet, it would be a wonderful addition to your collection...providing, of course that you could find one. Its design is elegant; its mechanics are robust yet quiet; and its lens is more than adequate. As a bonus, it even has strap lugs!

COMING SOON: The T.K.C Windsor