Kowa Kallo 281 |
Version française |
Manufactured or assembled in Japan from (Circa) 1959 to (Circa) 1960.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 4848
See the complete technical specifications
Chronology of cameras Kowa
The Kallo represent the rangefinder cameras from the Kowa manufacturer and have been produced, all models included, during a relatively short period (1955 - 1960)
The 181 and 281 are the latest models , the 181 had a 45 mm focal length opening to f 1.8 while its little brother the 281 presented here was equipped with a 48 mm opening to f 2.8 .
The Kallo served as the basis for Graflex Century and these 181/281 with their cells are very close to the Century 35 NE, the Graflex having in my opinion a most successful aesthetic .
The measurement system is less sophisticated than on the Graflex, after aligning the sensitivity of the film to the red index, we simply see the value in EV next to the needle of the cell then set it to the more front ring of the lens .
The second ring between the values of openness and exposure time, can change the couple setting these values, keeping the EV value selected .
As the Graflex , in dark environment, you can take the lid off the cell to increase its sensitivity, in this case, to adjust the exposure, you have to use a second index in yellow which is shifted by five EV. There is also a third index in white shifted by two additional EV. It could be an index for the use of a translucent cover for a measurement in incident light , but in the absence of the operator's manual this use is not confirmed.
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