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The Nicca Camera Works Ltd started as the
optical workshop Kogaku Seiki-sha in 1940, founded by former
employees of Seiki Kogaku comany wich became Canon. It was
based in Tokyo, Honjo. Its first camera, the Nippon, a close copy of the
Leica cameras, was produced in 1942. In 1948, the company changed its
name to the Nippon Camera Works, and a year later, to the Nicca
Camera Works. It continued to build Leica-type rangefinder cameras, adding
such features as flash synchronization, lever wind, a hinged film back, and
projected viewfinder framing. Nicca also made cameras for Sears
under the Tower name. In 1958, the company was acquired by Yashica,
which manufactured and re-labeled the Nicca-33 and III-L as the Yashica YE
and YF respectively. |