1961
Proving a long history of manufacturers naming camera models in ways that often confuse the public, the H1/S1 was released in 1961 – two years after the release of the H2/S2.
It was released to compliment the H3/S3 of the previous year. The H3/S3 was top of the line at the time, but Asahi needed a more budget-friendly model to appeal to a cost-conscious consumer market. Thus the H1/S1 was born.
It was identical to the H3/S3 except for the top shutter speed being reduced to 1/500 and including a down-graded, semi-automatic lens (55 f/2) in the package. You’ll notice that my example of this camera does not have the f/2 lens, which was inoperable when I received it.
You may notice on the shutter dial that even though the top speed is 1/500, there is still a blank space where 1/1000 would be. In practice, you could actually move the dial to that empty spot and achieve a speed of 1/1000. This is basically a result of marketing the H1/S1 as a down-graded model. In reality, the only real difference between the two cameras were the lenses that accompanied them.
Technicals Specifications:
Original List Price (1962): $149.50
Price in 2020 Dollars: $1282.64
Manufacturer: Asahi
Model: Honeywell H1 / Asahi S1
Year Introduced: 1961
Film Format: 35mm
Lens: Auto-Takumar 55 f/2, semi-auto
Shutter: cloth focal plane
Self-timer: No
Shutter Speeds: 1-1/500, B
Shutter Release: on top
Built-in Meter: No
Film Speed/ASA Range: N/A
Flash Sync: PC terminals, FP, X
Film Advance: Rapid-wind crank
Frame Counter: Yes, but manually reset
Exposure Modes: Manual
Double-exposure capable: ?
Finder: Permanent Pentaprism
Focusing Screens: Fresnel w/Micro-prism spot
Mirror: Instant return
Battery: N/A
Other points of note:
*Based on current information at
in2013dollars.com
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