Reex

From Camerapedia.org

Extract of a Reex leaflet. (Image rights)
Japanese older 6×9 (edit)
folding	First Center | First Roll | Kinka Roll | Lyra 69 | Pearl No.2 | Year-Eight Pearl | Year-Eleven Pearl | High-Grade Pearl | Reex | Royal Junior
box	Dox | Sakura (box)
3×4 and 4×4, 4×5 and 4×6.5, 4.5×6, 6×6 and plate ->
Modern 6×9 RF and SLR ->

The Reex (リークス) is a Japanese folding camera taking both 6×9 and 4.5×6 pictures.

Contents 1 Original documents 2 Description 3 Lens and shutter equipment 4 Notes 5 Bibliography

Original documents

The Reex is only known from a leaflet published around 1937.^[1] There is no indication of the company that made or sold this camera. A camera called レックス (rekkusu) was featured in the September 1937 issue of Asahi Camera, where it is reportedly attributed to Bikōdō.^[2] No surviving example has yet been observed.

Description

Reex leaflet. Click on the image for a translation. (Image rights)

The body is a plain copy of the Ikonta 6×9. There is a folding frame finder in the middle of the top plate and a brilliant finder attached to the lens standard, but none seems to indicate the framing for 4.5×6 exposures. The back is hinged to the left and the back latch is covered by a handle. There is an advance key near the back latch on the side opposite the frame finder. The folding bed release button is to the right of the frame finder and there is no body release.

The front leather is embossed REEX.

Lens and shutter equipment

The version advertised in the leaflet has a Prominar Anastigmat f/4.5 lens, and a Pladon shutter giving T, B, 1–200 speeds. The price was ¥75 (case ¥7 extra). The shutter plate is marked Patents-Pending at the top, PLADON at the bottom and has a PL logo in a circle on the right. The aperture scale going from 4.5 to 36 is screwed to the bottom. The release lever is situated on the front of the shutter plate.

The September 1937 article in Asahi Camera reportedly mentions other lenses: ライヌクスナー and ヒーデル (perhaps Heedle), mounted on Rulex or Pladon shutters.^[3]

Notes

1. ↑ Undated leaflet for the Victory, Semi Dymos, Reex, Baby Ref, Union Ref and Baby Chrome.
2. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.343.
3. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.343.

Bibliography

• Anonymous company. Leaflet for the Victory, Semi Dymos, Reex, Baby Ref, Union Ref and Baby Chrome. Date not indicated. Document reproduced in this Flickr album by Rebollo_fr.
• Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. Item 320.
• "Nazo no kokusan supuringu-kamera 'Reex'" (謎の国産スプリングカメラ「Reex」, The mysterious Japanese self-erecting camera Reex). 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. 53, October 1999. Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama. (Never seen but the title is given by this page at Kanroshobo.)

The Reex is not listed in Sugiyama.