RE: [KOML] Koni Models - Definitive List?

[Clive Warren <Clive.Warren>]

At 7:48 am -0700 23/4/98, Kotsinadelis, Peter wrote:

>  The Simmons Omega (Clive I am not sure if it was a B1 or B2
>  that they used as model designation), 1948 I believe.  I have
>  an article from Shutterbug written by Paul Klingenstein of
>  Mamiya America, detailing the initial developments of the
>  Simmons Omega.  I will refer to this to find the dates.
>
>  The Rapid Omega I believe was 1970.
>
>  If anyone has an interest in the article, let me know.  It
>  doesn't go into detail about each subsequent model following
>  the Simmons Omega, but is really focused on the origins of the
>  6x7cm format and how it came to be in the Mamiya 7 (great
>  grandson of the Simmons camera).
>
>  Peter K.
>


Peter,

Great, yes the article would be a good thing to have on the website - do
you know the author?


Have done a little more research myself and have in fact posted some of
these details before to the Koni List on the Simmons Omega as part of a
range of answers to Peter Caplows questions.  Have copied this posting to
the bottom of this message.




Simmons Omega 120 (SB100)

Koni-Omega Rapid
Koni-Omega Rapid M
Koni Omega M

Koni-Omega Press 1
Koni-Omega Press 2

Rapid Omega 100
Rapid Omega 200




       ************** Re-posted Message *****************
Jan 9th 1998
Snippety snippletson

>as the KO Rapid M is to the RO 200.  Now for some questions:
>
>1) I read somewhere that the Omega was designed prior to WWII.  Is this
>true?
>Was a camera built to this design prior to the war?  In what ways did the
>original design differ from the later models?
>
>2) I have also read that cameras were produced in the 50's by Simmons, in the
>U.S.  Were they called just Omega or Simmons-Omega.  How did they differ from
>later models and was there just a single model?
>
>3) Were the later KO Rapid's just like the KO Rapid M except for the magazine
>back or were they always like the one that I described above?  Did early KO
>Rapid M's differ from the later ones?
>
>4) When was the magazine back first introduced?
>
>5) When did production start for the Simmons-Omega?  How about the
>Koni-Omega's?
>Did the KO Rapid come out before the KO Rapid M?  (I think the RO 100 and 200
>production started in the early 70's.)
>
>6) Has anyone ever put together any sort of Omega history?
>
>
>Peter Caplow


Thanks for correcting my statements about the Koni-Omega Rapid and the Koni
Rapid-Omega 100.  The camera I have nearly completed is the former, and
cannot now figure out why the image spacing is going out so much as it
seems to match up to the stroke specs I gave earlier......

Now to your questions:

1) I heard that the camera was designed by a Frech chappy who sold the
design to  an American concern who later commissioned the Japanese to build
the camera in bulk.  This is probably total garbage, but you never know.

2) I know that the the RO had its origins in a camera called the Omega 120
built by the Simmon Bros., Inc. in New York.  This was a 6 x 7 rangefinder
with an Omicron 90mm f3.5 lens and Wollensak-Rapax 1-1/400sec shutter, 9
exposures (which may explain why I'm getting 9 1/2 from my Rapid ;-}).  Eye
level viewfinder with parallax compensation - coupled rangefinder.
Push-pull film advance coupled to shutter cocking; large focussing heel
with depth of field scale. Omega flash attachment auto coupled with film
advance giving 6 bulb flash  in rapid sequence.  This was the prototype for
the machine we know and love. As far as I know there was only one model,
however there may have been others....

I have no dates for the manufacture of the camera, however it is likely
that it was around the early 1950s.

3) Not sure how many models there were, however there are at least the
following as I have seen them or owned them:

Koni-Omega Rapid  (knob operated darkslide)  (mine says "Konica" on the back!)
Koni Rapid-Omega 100  (separate darkslide, non changeable back mid-roll)
Koni Rapid-Omega 200  (separate darkslide, changeable back mid-roll)
Koni Rapid-Omega "M"  (separate darkslide, changeable back mid-roll)


The 100 and 200 have a black face to the front of the viewfinder and were
probably made by Mamiya

The "M" and the Koni-Omega Rapid have a silver face to the front of the
viewfinder

The Koni-Omega Rapid had a very different back to the other cameras - the
unique  presure plate system is operated by depressing the shutter release
button on this model.  All other models rely on the final push of the
returning film advance plunger (so always press it home securely!)

4) Don't know

5) The Koni-Omega Rapid was the first of the post Simmons Bros line, made
by Konica (under license or sold the design?)

6) Don't know but I would be happy to collate information and do a little
more research and stick it on the web if the info. is not available already.

Lenses also changed over the years.  There is a 58mm and a 60mm (?) wide angle.
There are two versions of the 58mm wide angle. The earlier wide angles had
"Wide Omegon" around the filter ring, later lenses had Koni-Omega Hexanon
markings The earlier Omegon lens has series VII(?) filter thread and the
later has 55mm filter thread.  Later lenses have the words "lens hood"
engraved in white on the lens hood - seems to make sense ;-)

The 180mm lenses also changed.  Earlier lenses were marked "Tele Omegon"
around the filter ring, later lenses had Koni-Omega Hexanon markings.  Both
have 67mm filter threads.

The standard lenses also changed over the years.  The earlier lenses are
marked "Super Omegon" around the filter ring and have series filter inserts
which can be easily removed to give you a 49mm filter thread - great eh?
Later lenses are marked Koni-Omega Hexanon and were sold without the series
adapter afaik.

I have had a close look at the various lenses over the years as I have come
across them, the coatings and lens elements seem identical as far as you
can tell by eye.  My guess is that the later lenses were made by Mamiya who
simply made new filter rings to accomodate changing fashions (no more
series filters!) and used up previous stocks of parts.

Cheers,


        Clive Warren.


               **************** End re-posted message ************





All the best,

              Clive   http://clive.bel-epa.com