Taiyokoki Viscawide-16
Taiyokoki Viscawide-16

Taiyokoki Viscawide-16

This is the Viscawide-16, manufactured in 1961 by Japanese company Taiyokoki (shown as Taiyokoki Co. Ltd on the Viscawide, it was also known as Taiyokoki Optical Co. Ltd). It is a panoramic camera that takes pictures on 16mm film in special film canisters.

The Viscawide-16 has a rectangular shape with the shutter release on the side of the camera. There is a swing lens with 120 degrees of motion producing negatives with dimensions of 10x49mm. The frame counter is manually reset by use of a recessed button on the top plate of the camera in the bottom right corner. Directly above the reset button is the film winding knob. Once the film is wound the central shutter tensioning wheel can be turned and the camera is ready to use.

Close-up of the proprietary Viscawide cartridge. There are no sprockets so the cartridge can take both perforated and unperforated stock. Two are required for operation of the camera.

MakeTaiyokoki
ModelViscawide-16
Year1961
Format16mm
Shutterswing
Speed1/60 and 1/300
LensTomioka
Lausar 2.5cm f/3.5
Focusfixed
Aperturef3.5 – f16
Light Meterno
Focus Systemfixed

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *