Nanjing Optical Equipment Factory
Est. 1952
Nanjing Optical Equipment Factory
Nanjing Optical Equipment Factory was a Chinese state industrial producer associated with the Nange, Chang Jiang and Nanjing 35 mm rangefinder cameras of the late 1950s. The factory's photographic work developed alongside its principal film and projection-equipment activities. LeicaLensList includes the Make because these rare cameras use the M39 rangefinder mount and belong to the early Chinese Leica and FED-derived collecting field.
History
Industrial Origins
The Nanjing Film Machinery Factory lineage was established in 1952 as a state producer of cinema and optical equipment. Historical camera sources identify the photographic maker on surviving Nanjing bodies as Nanjing Optical Equipment Factory.
Trial Camera Programme
In 1958 the factory prepared an experimental 35 mm rangefinder based on drawings derived from the Soviet FED-2. The early camera carried the name Nange or Chang Jiang, a reference to the Yangtze River.
Nanjing Model
An improved camera appeared in 1959 under the Nanjing name and is sometimes called Nanjing 58-I by collectors. The project was short lived as the factory was directed to concentrate on film machinery. Published production figures vary in interpretation and should be presented as source estimates rather than unquestioned factory totals.
Product Lines
Nange / Chang Jiang
The early trial-series M39 coupled rangefinder associated with the factory's 1958 camera programme.
Nanjing
The improved 1959 camera, identifiable by Chinese factory wording on the front and by its FED-2-influenced construction.
Technical Characteristics
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Company type | Chinese state optical and film-equipment factory |
| Historic base | Nanjing, China |
| Principal LLL models | Nange / Chang Jiang, Nanjing |
| Lens mount | M39 rangefinder screw mount |
| Design context | Soviet FED-2 influence |
| Production context | Limited late-1950s trial and short series |
| Collector caution | Nanjing and Shanghai 58 cameras are separate production histories |
Market Reception
These cameras are significant as rare early products of the Chinese 35 mm camera industry. Collectors should preserve and document Chinese inscriptions, factory markings, serial numbers and original lenses. The names Nange, Chang Jiang, Nanjing and Nanjing 58-I are used inconsistently in the market, so LeicaLensList should retain aliases in descriptions while keeping each prepared camera title stable.
Sources
Lenses (0)
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