Argus STL-1000
Bauer RX 1, RX 2
Canon T60
Carena CX 300, CX 500, KSM 1, KSM 2, MSTL, 1000, SRH 760, 1000 SX
Cavalier MSTL
Chinon CE II, CM 3, 5000 SE, GAFL-ES,
Chinonflex, CE-3, CS-4, CM-5, CM-7, CG-5,
CX II, CP X
Cimko LS-1
Cosina C1, C2, CT-1, CT1EX, CX-2, CT-1A, CT-1G, CT-1 Super, CS-1, CS-2, CS-3, CT-4,
CT-7, CT-7D, CT-9, CT-10, CT-20, CT-90, EL Solar, Hi-Lite, Hi-Lite HDL,
Hi-Lite EC, Hi-Lite 405, CSM.
Elicar MN-1
Exakta Twin TL, HS-2, HS-3, HS-4, HS-10, HS-40,
KE-5
Haking HG 1, HG 2
Hanimex DR-1
Kenlock KG-1
Konica TC-X
Miranda MS-1, MS-2, MS-2 Super, Memoflex
Nikon FM-10, FE-10
Olympus OM-10, OM-2000
Panagor CT 1 EX, CT 90
Pentax P 30T
Petri GX-1, GX-2, GX-3, GX-4, MF2, MF3, MF4, MF 101, MF 102, MF 103, MF 104
Porst Compact Reflex
Prinzflex Super TTL
Quantaray R400, RZ 800, DZ-RZ
Ricoh Singlex TLS, XR-1, KR-5, KR-5
Super 2, KR-10 Super, KR 500
Sears SL2, TLS
Seimax SV7, SV9
Soligor SC-1
Topcon AM-1
Vivitar 220 SL, 420 SL, 650 SL, XV2, XV3, V2000, V6000
Voigtländer VSL 43
Yashica,
FX-3 Super 2000
Zodel 2 MTL
Not confirmed:
Chinon/GAF L-CS
Topcon RE-200
Vivitar 400SL
About this list:
The actual number is actually higher than
113. For example, the Yashica mentioned is really not one camera, but at least four: FX-3 of 1979, FX-3 Super and the FX-3 Super 2000. And in addition: The FX-7, that was a FX-3 with a silver body.
Cosina itself produced at least CT-1, C-1S and
C-3 in addition to the ones on the list.
The German trading company Photo Porst produced their Porst and Carena cameras mostly at Cosinas. Of the 26 Porst SLRs and 20 Carenas, probably a lot more than the few listed above were produced by Cosina.
For instance, the Porst M-CE is identical to the Chinon CE-II. And among the many Chinon cameras produced by Cosina was the CE-II. But the Porst M-CE is not on the list. And Miranda MS-3 is also missing.
There are other similar examples.
The
lens producer Sigma presented a M42 mount PP SLR in 1976, the Sigma Mark 1. It is said to be produced by Ricoh, being almost identical to the Singlex TLS. But the Singlex TLS is on the this list, and confirmes by others, while the Sigma is absent. Even Sigma's
second PP SLR, the SA-1 with K-mount, was also a Cosina make. That adds another two to the list.
Ricoh XR-7 is also missing.
So, probably most of the many house brands sold by warehouses all over the world were produced
by Cosina. And they bought (or just used) some famous brand names after the original companies had to give up producing PP SLRs, like Miranda, Topcon, Petri, Exakta and Voigtländer. Miranda MS-series of the 80s, for instance, had nothing to do with Miranda
as they ended in 1976.
Even more interesting are the names Canon, Konica, Nikon, Olympus and Pentax on the list. They are not represented by their top models, but Cosina evidently was so cost effective that they were able to produce
some less advanced top sellers for the big ones, and more economically than the big ones could do themselves. The Canon, Nikons, Konica and Olympus OM-2000 are confirmed through other sources, such as Camerapedia. Olympus OM-10 is not confirmed and not very
likely, in my view. The Pentax P30T, too, is not confirmed elsewhere. But after having outsourced assembly, then production of the K1000 for some 20 years, it would not be quite unlikely if Pentax did it again.
Cosina
made PP SLRs into the new millennium. 2004 may be the year they ended production.
Today, giants like Asia Optical in Taiwan (and elsewhere) is doing the job. And most likely making more models with famous labels than we would like to know.