Nippon Camera
| Categories | Photography |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | Nippon Camera-sha |
| First issue | March 1950 |
| Final issue | May 2021 |
| Company | Nippon Camera-sha |
| Country | Japan |
| Based in | Tokyo |
| Language | Japanese |
Nippon Camera (Japanese: 日本カメラ, Hepburn: Nippon kamera) was a Japanese monthly photography magazine published from 1950 to 2021.[1] Along with Asahi Camera and Camera Mainichi, it was considered one of Japan's "three major camera magazines,"[2] and after the other two ceased it was the last such general photography magazine in Japan to publish, ending with its May 2021 issue.[3]
While the magazine's title can be read as either "Nippon" or "Nihon," it has appeared as "Nippon Camera," in Roman script, on the covers of newer issues; the first issue was marked "NIHONCAMERA."[4]
History and profile
Nippon Camera started in March 1950 as a bimonthly magazine published in Tokyo by Kōgeisha, as the successor to the book series Amachua Shashin Sōsho (October 1948 – December 1949), and became a monthly with the issue dated July 1951.[1][4] In subsequent decades the magazine was published by Nippon Camera-sha of Tokyo.[4][1]
The magazine published photographic work by professional photographers, presented and critiqued winners of photo contests entered by readers, reviewed cameras and lenses, and offered instruction on photographic technique; until around 1980 it also carried articles on darkroom processing of monochrome photographs, a feature it shared with its rival Asahi Camera.[4][2] Nippon Camera-sha likewise published an annual, Kamera Nenkan, from 1951 (issued as Shashin Nenkan in 2006), along with a long-lived practical encyclopedia and other photography-related books.[4][1]
From the demise of Camera Mainichi in 1985, the only rival attempting to cater to all photographic interests was Asahi Camera; when Asahi Camera itself ceased in July 2020, Nippon Camera was left as the last survivor of the "three major camera magazines."[4][2]
Closure
On April 15, 2021 the publisher announced suspension of publication with the May 2021 issue, the magazine's 964th, released on April 20, 2021.[2][5] The closure ended a 73-year history that traced back to the Amachua Shashin Sōsho book series of October 1948, and meant that all of Japan's "three major camera magazines" had ceased publishing.[2][3] Nippon Camera-sha, which also published technique books and camera magazine-books, was dissolved on April 30, 2021; the final issue, distributed to subscribers, was not stocked by bookstores because the publisher was bankrupt and stores could not return unsold copies.[3][4]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 Shirayama, Mari (2003). "Major Photography Magazines". In Tucker, Anne Wilkes (ed.). The History of Japanese Photography. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 378–385. ISBN 0-300-09925-8.
- 1 2 3 4 5 「日本カメラ」が休刊 73年の歴史に幕 3大カメラ雑誌、姿消す. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). April 15, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Ono, Philbert (April 22, 2021). "Nippon Camera magazine ceases publication". PhotoGuide Japan. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Nippon Camera". Camera-wiki.org. December 5, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
- ↑ カメラ雑誌「日本カメラ」が休刊。会社清算のため. デジカメWatch (in Japanese). April 15, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
External links
- Nippon Camera at Camera-wiki.org
- Nippon Camera magazine at PhotoGuide Japan