Showa Koki

Est. 1954

Showa Koki

Showa Koki was a Japanese optical manufacturer established as Showa Koki Seizou and known later as Showa Optronics. The company produced camera and binocular lenses before expanding into scientific, industrial, infrared, and laser optics. In vintage-camera collecting it is associated with names such as Coral, Piotar, and Pamian. Some of its products were made for Japanese rangefinder cameras, including Leica screw-mount equipment.

History

Founding / Early Years

The company's official history begins in 1954 with the establishment of Showa Koki Seizou. Its initial business included the manufacture of lenses for cameras and binoculars. Collector literature also connects Showa Koki with Aires camera lenses around the early 1950s, although published dates for this relationship do not align perfectly with the formal corporate chronology.

Market Entry

Showa Koki supplied photographic and cine optics under several names. Coral appears on interchangeable camera lenses, while Piotar and Pamian are found on less common cine or specialist lenses. A Piotar 4.5cm f/1.9 has been documented in Leica M39 screw mount for Japanese rangefinder use. The exact Pamiam 45mm f/2 wording supplied as a reference is not consistently supported by surviving catalogues, and may reflect a reading or transcription of Pamian or another related engraving.

Expansion / Modern Period

Showa Koki became affiliated with NEC in 1959 and expanded into near-infrared lenses. It added microscope optics in 1961 and laser-related optical work in the 1970s. The company became Showa Optronics in 1994. In 2020 it joined the Kyocera group and adopted the name Kyocera SOC Corporation, continuing as a manufacturer of advanced optical components and systems rather than a consumer rangefinder-lens brand.

Product Lines

Photographic and Cine Lenses

Historical names associated with the company include Coral, Piotar, and Pamian, covering still-camera, cine, and specialist optical applications.

Scientific and Industrial Optics

Later production included infrared, microscope, laser, and precision optical systems.

Technical Characteristics

Feature	Description
Original company	Showa Koki Seizou, Japan
Historical lens names	Coral, Piotar, and Pamian
Verified LTM example	Piotar 4.5cm f/1.9 in Leica M39 screw mount
Submitted reference	Pamiam 45mm f/2, exact engraving and specification unconfirmed
Modern successor	Kyocera SOC Corporation
M-mount use	Verified LTM lenses can be adapted with an appropriate adapter

Market Reception

Showa Koki is better documented as a diversified precision-optics producer than as a major consumer camera brand. Its vintage lenses attract collectors because they reveal Japanese optical manufacturing outside the best-known companies. The uncommon names and variations in engraving create identification challenges, so a LeicaLensList entry should distinguish verified models from probable spelling variants and should not infer an LTM mount solely from focal length or brand association.

Sources

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