Cosina

2025-10-31T13:17:06Z

81.31.72.177: /* Voigtländer */ The Epson R-D1 is a digital camera and does not use film, making the final statement that 'all of these cameras use film' redundant.

{{Short description|Japanese optical equipment manufacturer}}
{{About||the Cosina meteorite of 1844|meteorite falls|the Italian coaster|SS Cosina}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Cosina Co., Ltd.
| logo = Cosina logo 2.svg
| logo_size =
| logo_alt =
| logo_caption =
| logo_padding =
| image = 0433 Voightlander Bessa L with 25mm Skopar lens (5873492640).jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Voigtländer Bessa L camera and Voigtländer Snapshot-Skopar 25mm f4.0 lens: manufactured by Cosina in Japan
| trading_name =
| native_name = 株式会社コシナ
| native_name_lang = ja
| romanized_name = Cosina Co., Ltd.
| former_name = K.K. Nikō
| type = [[Kabushiki gaisha|Kabushiki Kaisha]]
| industry = High-end optical devices and camera manufacturer
| fate =
| predecessor = 
| successor = 
| founded = {{Start date and age|1959|2|2}} in [[Japan]]
| founder = 
| defunct = 
| hq_location_city = [[Nakano, Nagano|Nakano]]
| hq_location_country = Japan
| area_served = 
| key_people = Hirobumi Kobayashi
| products =
| brands =
| owner = 
| num_employees = 520
| num_employees_year = 2017
| parent =
| website = {{URL|www.cosina.co.jp}}
}}
{{Nihongo|'''Cosina Co., Ltd.'''|株式会社コシナ|Kabushiki-gaisha Koshina}} is a manufacturer of high-end [[Optics|optical]] glass, optical precision equipment, [[camera]]s, video and electronic related equipment, based in [[Nakano, Nagano|Nakano]], [[Nagano prefecture|Nagano Prefecture]], [[Japan]].<ref name="CSN1">{{cite web |date=2017 |title=High-End Optical Technology |trans-title=High-End Optical Technology |url=http://www.cosina.co.jp/annai/index.html |language=ja |location=Nakano, Japan |publisher=Cosina Co., Ltd. |access-date=May 10, 2017 |archive-date=May 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503052727/http://www.cosina.co.jp/annai/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="CSN2">{{cite web |date=2017 |title=Company History |trans-title=Company History |url=http://www.cosina.co.jp/annai/enkaku.html |language=ja |location=Nakano, Japan |publisher=Cosina Co., Ltd. |access-date=May 10, 2017 |archive-date=November 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109223753/http://www.cosina.co.jp/annai/enkaku.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Cosina Hi-Lite Frontansicht 01 09.jpg|thumb|275px|Cosina Hi-Lite]]
[[File:Cosina 19-35.jpg|thumb|275px|Cosina 19–35 f/3.5-4.5 AF lens]]
Cosina is the successor to Nikō (or "Nikoh"), a company set up as a lens processing factory in February 1959, which was a pioneer in optical polishing and lens grinding in Japan.<ref name="CSN1" /> In 1966, it also began manufacturing [[35mm format|35 mm]] compact cameras and [[8 mm film|8 mm]] [[Movie camera|cine camera]]s, and a year later started the manufacture of 35mm film [[Single-lens reflex camera|SLR cameras]].In 1968, it started a glass melting factory. Nikō changed its name to '''Cosina''' in 1973.<ref name="CSN2" /> (The first part of the name is a reference to the Koshi area within Nakano, where the founder came from; while the 'Na' represents Nakano.)

The name Cosina has previously appeared on compact and SLR cameras for [[135 film]]. The [[Cosina CS-2|CS-2]] and [[Cosina CS-3|CS-3]] SLRs were introduced in 1978, followed in 1980 by the [[Cosina CT-1|CT-1]], [[Cosina CT-7|CT-7]] (the world's first all—push-button SLR), [[Cosina CT-10|CT-10]] and [[Cosina CT-20|CT-20]], the [[Cosina CT-1G|CT-1G]] in 1982 and the [[Cosina CT-9|CT-9]] in 1986. Cosina SLR cameras used either the [[M42 screw mount|M42]] (Praktica/Pentax) lens mount or the [[Pentax K-mount|Pentax K]] (bayonet) lens mount. However, Cosina is probably better known as a manufacturer of cameras and camera components for other brands, including the popular [[Yashica]] FX-3, FX-3 Super, and Super 2000. During the late 1970s, Cosina made a name for itself in 35 mm rangefinder cameras with a well-built, high quality fixed-lens camera using an aluminum body and a simple shutter-priority autoexposure system. This rangefinder camera was adopted as the basic chassis for several excellent camera models, including the [[Minolta 7SII]], [[Revue 400 SE]], [[Prinz 35 ER]], and [[Vivitar 35 ES]].

In 1982, Cosina began to manufacture lenses in a variety of SLR manufacturers' lens mounts. In 1991, it started to produce glass molded [[aspheric lens]]es, and in 1996 plastic molded aspherical lenses. Cosina began producing digital cameras in 1997.

===Voigtländer brand acquisition===
At about this time, plans were started to produce a new high-quality [[rangefinder camera|rangefinder]] 35 mm film camera, complete with wide and ultrawide lenses for the [[Leica Camera|Leica]] [[Leica thread-mount|screw mount]], and also a standard 35 mm film camera for the amateur film photography sector — similar to a rangefinder camera, but without a [[rangefinder]] or [[viewfinder]] — for mounting these lenses.

In 1999, Cosina secured partial rights to the German, once Austrian, classic camera brand "[[Voigtländer]]", acquired from ''RINGFOTO GmbH & Co. ALFO Marketing KG'' in [[Germany]], to produce the ''Classic Collection'' (high-quality lenses with both M39 screw thread and Leica M bayonet, 35mm film cameras Bessa R, Bessa L, Bessa T, and medium format cameras Bessa III). Cosina first introduced the Voigtländer 15 mm f/4.5 and 25 mm f/4 lens (neither of them rangefinder-coupled) and the [[Cosina Voigtländer Bessa-L|Voigtländer Bessa-L]] standard camera body. It quickly followed with a wider range of Voigtländer cameras (starting with the [[Cosina Voigtländer Bessa-R|Bessa-R]], with viewfinder and rangefinder, and the [[Cosina Voigtländer Bessa-T|Bessa-T]], with rangefinder, but no viewfinder), and a set of lenses, including the Heliar 12 mm f/5.6 lens, which on its introduction was the widest rectilinear lens ever marketed for still photography.

On April 26, 2010, Cosina joined the [[Micro Four Thirds System]] Standard Group.<ref name="micro43">[http://www.olympus-global.com/en/news/2010b/nr100826mfourthirdse.html COSINA CO., Ltd. Joins the Micro Four Thirds System Standard Group].</ref>

In 2016, Cosina manufactured a ''Nokton'' 1,4/ 58 mm after 2003 a second time. For this lenses a [[Topcon]]-construction was used.<ref>[https://www.heise.de/foto/meldung/Voigtlaender-Nokton-1-4-58-mm-SL-II-S-mit-Nikon-Bajonett-3457962.html heise.de/foto 8 November 2016, ''Voigtländer Nokton 1,4/ 58 mm SL II S mit Nikon-Bajonett''] (German), retrieved 25 Oktober 2020.</ref>

==Voigtländer==
[[File:VoigtlanderWideAngleLens20.jpg|thumb|Wide angle lens Cosina Voigtländer 20mm f/3.5 Color-Skopar SL II Aspherical]]
[[File:Voigtländer Nokton f1,4 58 mm SL II lens.jpg|thumb|''Nokton'' 1,4/ 58 mm]]
Cosina's "Voigtländer" products are sometimes referred to as '''[[Cosina Voigtländer]]'''.

The Cosina Voigtländer cameras and lenses have been of great personal interest to {{nihongo|[[Kobayashi Hirofumi]]|小林博文}} ({{abbr|b.|born}} 1953), the President of Cosina since the death in 1988 of his father {{nihongo|[[Kobayashi Bunjirō]]|小林文治郎}}, the founder. The name Cosina now appears (conspicuously) on lenses for various SLR mounts, and less conspicuously on a widening range of cameras and lenses with the Voigtländer brand. Cosina manufactured the rangefinder camera [[Rollei 35 RF]] for [[Rollei Fototechnic]], and is acknowledged to have manufactured (and to have helped design) the [[Epson Seiko Corporation|Epson]] digital rangefinder camera [[Epson R-D1|R-D1]] as well. Its manufacture of a new [[Zeiss Ikon]] rangefinder camera with [[Leica M-mount]], and Zeiss lenses in Leica bayonet mount, was announced in October 2004, and had begun producing these by April 2006.

==Other manufacturers==
===Cameras===
Cosina is also well known for manufacturing 35 mm SLR cameras to the specifications of other manufacturers and distributors, such as the [[Canon T60]], the [[Nikon FM10]] and [[Nikon FE10|FE10]], the [[Olympus OM2000]], [[Konica TC-X]], Yashica FX-3 and FX-3 Super, and various [[Vivitar]] models. For this models the CT-1 was used.

A Cosina design, the 1982 [[Cosina CX-2]], was copied by the [[Russia]]n optical firm [[LOMO]] as the popular [[Lomo LC-A]].

===Lenses===
Cosina manufactures manual focus [[Single-lens reflex camera|SLR]] lenses for [[Carl Zeiss AG]] with: [[Leica Camera|Leica]] (ZM),<ref>{{citation|title=Zeiss M-Mount Lenses|publisher=Luminous Landscape|url=http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/zeiss-m-mount.shtml|date=January 2007|access-date=October 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120165907/http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/zeiss-m-mount.shtml|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Nikon]] (ZF), [[Pentax]] (ZK), [[Canon Inc.|Canon]] EOS (ZE), and [[M42 lens mount|M42]] (ZS) lens screw mounts.

==Distribution==
Cosina products are distributed in Japan by [[Kenko (company)|Kenko]].

== See also ==
* [[List of photographic equipment makers]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080619204346/http://www.cosina.co.jp/seihin/voigt/english/index.html Cosina]
* [http://www.cosina.co.jp/kaigai/ List of distributors of Cosina's products]
* [http://www.japanexposures.com/2009/05/04/cosina-lens-and-camera-factory-tour-report/ japanexposures.com 4 May 2009, Cosina lens and camera factory tour report]
* [https://archive.today/20130222015943/http://canon-eos.serveblog.net/frames/lenses_af_cosina.htm Canon EOS Technoclopedia: Cosina AF Lenses for Canon EF] – a lens chart with technical data, comments and test references

[[Category:Cosina| ]]
[[Category:Optics manufacturing companies of Japan]]
[[Category:Photography equipment manufacturers of Japan]]
[[Category:Lens manufacturers]]
[[Category:Companies based in Nagano Prefecture]]
[[Category:Japanese brands]]
[[Category:1959 establishments in Japan]]

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Cosina