Zeika
Zeika
Zeika was a Japanese optical name active during the 1950s and early 1960s, with period listings identifying Zeika Optical Co., Ltd. in Tokyo. It is associated with Rojar-branded camera lenses, including a 35mm f/3.5 in Leica M39 screw mount and an 80mm f/3.5 for Exakta cameras. The surviving evidence confirms photographic-lens activity but does not provide a dependable foundation date or complete company history.
History
Founding / Early Years
No reliable source identifies Zeika's founder, exact establishment date, or original factory. Surviving lenses place the company or name within Japan's postwar optical industry, when many small manufacturers supplied equipment for domestic distributors and export houses. A 1961 Japanese industry directory lists Zeika Optical Co., Ltd. in Tokyo.
Market Entry
Zeika reached photographers through Rojar lenses made for several camera systems. The Rojar 35mm f/3.5 is documented in Leica screw mount and is also found with Sans & Streiffe distribution engraving. A longer 80mm f/3.5 Rojar survives in Exakta mount. These examples indicate production or supply across both rangefinder and SLR markets.
Expansion / Modern Period
Published sources do not establish a broad expansion, acquisition, closure date, or modern successor. The Zeika name did not become a major long-term international camera brand. Its history is consequently reconstructed from trade directories, surviving lenses, dealer records, and auction catalogues rather than from a complete corporate archive.
Product Lines
LTM Wide-Angle Lenses
The Rojar 35mm f/3.5 is the principal Leica-related Zeika lens and is documented with an M39 screw fitting.
SLR Lenses
The Rojar 80mm f/3.5 is known in Exakta mount, demonstrating that the name was not limited to rangefinder optics.
Technical Characteristics
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Recorded company name | Zeika Optical Co., Ltd., Tokyo |
| Reference lens | Rojar 35mm f/3.5 |
| Lens mount | Leica M39 screw mount on documented 35mm examples |
| Distributor markings | Some lenses carry Sans & Streiffe engraving |
| Rangefinder coupling | Not sufficiently documented for every example, physical verification advised |
| M-mount use | Mechanically adaptable if the individual lens is genuine LTM |
Market Reception
Zeika Rojar lenses are obscure collectibles within the wider field of Japanese vintage photography equipment. Their appeal lies in uncommon branding and compatibility with classic camera systems rather than in a well-documented corporate legacy. Because technical literature is scarce, catalogue entries should avoid assigning an optical formula, coating type, or rangefinder-coupling specification without evidence from the particular lens.
Sources
Lenses (0)
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