Asahiflex I

The Asahiflex I (labeled simply as Asahiflex) was the first camera introduced by Asahi Optical Company (later known as Pentax). The camera was largely a copy of pre-world war II German cameras. The novelty was the regular eye-level viewfinder mounted on the top plate which made it possible to follow a moving object since the primary viewfinder would black out after exposure due to the mirror not returning until the film was wound. The camera was not marketed outside of Japan.

Asahiflex
Also marketed as	Year introduced 1952	Year discontinued 1953	Mount M37
Automatic aperture stop down No	Metering No meter	Exposure modes Manual	Shutter speeds (manual) B, 1/20, 1/50, 1/100, 1/200, 1/500s
Shutter speeds (mechanical) B, 1/20, 1/50, 1/100, 1/200, 1/500s	Shutter dials One, on the top plate	Self timer No	Mirror lock-up No
Multiple exposures Unknown	Film advance Knob	Flash hot shoe No	Flash contact One FP contact on the front
Built-in flash No	TTL/P-TTL flash No	Flash sync speed 1/50s	Flash exposure comp Not applicable
Viewfinder type 1) Folding waist level, 2) Galilean eye-level	Instant return mirror No	Diopter correction No	Exchangeable screen No
Depth of field preview No	Image size 24 x 26mm	Battery No
Comment The secondary (eye-level) viewfinder matched a 50mm lens.