Reise Chiyotax IIIF
The Reise Chiyotax IIIF is a LTM-mount film rangefinder camera, introduced in 1955. Leica camera price index →
Reference maintained by Thomas Boots
General
- Mount
- LTM
- Release Year
- 1955
- Type
- Film
- Model Number
- IIIF
- Serial Range
- Observed non-contiguous ranges 15628 to 16047, 16104 to 16295, and 20015 to 20652, not factory-confirmed allocations
Dimensions
Viewfinder & Shutter
- Framelines
- None, separate optical viewfinder and coupled rangefinder
- Shutter Speeds
- T, B and 1 s to 1/500 s
- Shutter Type
- Cloth
Features
- Hot Shoe
- No
- Tripod Socket
- Yes
- Self Timer
- No
- Flash Sync
- Unknown, single German-style synchronization contact
Chiyotax IIIF
The Chiyotax IIIF is a Japanese LTM rangefinder manufactured by Reise Camera and marketed under the Chiyotax name. It added a slow-speed mechanism to the earlier IIF design while retaining separate viewing and focusing eyepieces, a coupled rangefinder and a cloth focal-plane shutter [1][2].
Collector research documents T, B and shutter speeds from 1 second to 1/500 second. The single German-style synchronization contact and Leica III-style control layout distinguish the model from earlier Chiyoca bodies [2][3].
History
Development and Launch
The slow-speed camera was announced as the ChiyoTax IIF in December 1954, then quickly renamed IIIF to match the feature hierarchy familiar from Leica screw-mount cameras. Advertising began in early 1955 [2].
Production Evolution
Observed serials form several groups: 15628 to 16047 with the early ChiyoTax spelling, 16104 to 16295 with Reise identification and lower-case Chiyotax lettering, and 20015 to 20652 in the later 1957 group. These are collector observations, not surviving factory allocations [2].
Special Variants
The upper-case ChiyoTax and later Chiyotax engravings, revised finder surround and Reise-marked bodies are production variants within the Standard model. Lens packages with Reise, Hexar or Hexanon optics are outfits, not separate editions [1][2].
Collector Notes
Re-engraved Soviet bodies are known. Verify the slow-speed dial, synchronization contact, finder surround, serial pattern and Reise or Chiyotax top-plate markings before treating a body as original [2].
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