Red Paint SPICA Binoculars

Red Paint SPICA Binoculars

Gallery and Collection, Super Nikon Fans Social Club

Nippon Kogaku Tokyo SPICA 3.5X Red Paint Binoculars
Photo: Copyright (c) 2008, Martin Fox, All Rights Reserved.

Red Binoculars

I would like to introduce Martin Fox's collection to you.
As you know, Martin Fox is a worldwide famous professional photographer in the US. Also he is a long time Nikon user and collector and a fan of Red Book Nikkor website.

He has in his collection an extremely rare early Nippon Kogaku binoculars named "SPICA" with the early "NIKKO" logo. The reason they are so special is because they are in a red paint finish perhaps by special order to the Nippon Kogaku factory. The engraving is filled in with silver paint. They are very beautiful!

Old Nippon Kogaku NIKKO Tokyo Logo
Photo: Copyright (c) 2008, Martin Fox, All Rights Reserved.

Nippon Kogaku has historically manufactured red paint binoculars. Nikon corporation has historical red binoculars now. It is an old MIKRON painted in red. If you visit the Ohi factory of Nikon in Japan, you will be able to see the Red MIKRON stored to the showcase.

In post WWII, December Showa 20(1945), Nippon Kogaku started the production of SPICA binoculars. It seems to have been produced with the remaining parts. You will remember green paint SPICA binoculars being exhibited at the NHS(Nikon Historical Society) 11th convention Vancouver 2008.

Red binoculars of Nikon are products of the phantom. Therefore, if you have information about the red SPICA binoculars, please send me the information for all worldwide Nippon Kogaku enthusiasts. You can get the large size image by clicking on the photographs.
The following is message from Martin-san.

Michio Akiyama

Martin Fox

Hello Michio,

Thank you very much for allowing me to have a page on your website.
I am VERY honored to be featured with this page! I am VERY excited and happy to be part of the "Red Book" !!!

Here is the story about the little red Nikko "SPICA"binoculars. And some background on myself and my beautiful wife Sallye.

I found these red Nikko SPICA binoculars about five years ago on eBay. They were listed for auction with a larger pair of 7X50 Nikkos that I was also bidding on. The photos of the red SPICA were very small and rather dark but I could still make out the Nikko logo. They were advertised as "children's binoculars" which we know is not true. We now know that they are extremely well made center focus Galilean type glasses made by Nippon Kogaku.

They are fairly rare and hard to find in the standard black. The red color is extremely rare and never seen before. You can tell that they have not been re-painted as when the glasses were disassembled for cleaning the red paint shows up on the internal edges of the lens groups and elsewhere inside. The collimation on these binoculars is perfect and the view through them is unbelievably sharp and contrasty especially for their vintage.

I am pro photographer of many years working with my wife, Sallye who is an award winning photo-stylist. We are now mainly shooting architectural editorial assignments and beautiful art objects.

I have been collecting cameras and other optical devices for the past 35 years. We still maintain a nice collection of Nippon Kogaku items but alas we have sold our Nikon SP cameras and a beautiful Nikon Reflex housing outfit a MINT Nikon M and some other very rare and beautiful Nippon Kogaku items. We still have our Nikon S and S-2 with lenses, a like new black Nikon F- FTN with the Fast 55/1.2 which has the original box and manuals plus other Nikon F cameras.

We also have a nice collection of Nikko and Nikon binoculars which includes a rare pair of Japanese Imperial Navy 7X50 Nikko glasses with the Kanji. Of course we have and still use Nikon digital & film cameras and lenses.

I would like to thank Mr. Michio Akiyama for creating and maintaining the beautiful "Red Book Nikkor" website and for allowing us to be a part of it.

With Warmest Regards,
Martin Fox

Old NIKKO Logo of Red SPICA Binoculars
Photo: Copyright (c) 2008, Martin Fox, All Rights Reserved.

0bjective lenses of Red SPICA Binoculars
Photo: Copyright (c) 2008, Martin Fox, All Rights Reserved.

Lens Block of Red SPICA Binoculars
Photo: Copyright (c) 2008, Martin Fox, All Rights Reserved.

Nippon Kogaku NIKKO's Red SPICA Binoculars
Photo: Copyright (c) 2008, Martin Fox, All Rights Reserved.

Top of Red SPICA Binoculars
Photo: Copyright (c) 2008, Martin Fox, All Rights Reserved.

Beautiful Nippon Kogaku NIKKO's Red SPICA Binoculars
Photo: Copyright (c) 2008, Martin Fox, All Rights Reserved.

Special Thanks to Mr. Martin Fox
All photos by Martin Fox, Copyright (c) 2008, All Rights Reserved.

The photos were taken using a Fuji Finepix S-3 Pro digital SLR using 1980's vintage 55mm F2.8 Micro-Nikkor lens.

Fumio Nakamura's Red Supica

When the first article was published, I wrote, "If you have information about the red SPICA binoculars, please send me the information". Then, I received the report from Mr. Fumio Nakamura one month later. Mr. Fumio Nakamura is a famous photographer in Japan. He writes the article about the camera in the camera magazine, and is issuing books.

Nakamura-san also has red SPICA. Nakamura's uncle was working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. After the end of the WWII, his uncle obtained red SPICA in PX(post exchange) in Japan. Nakamura-san was playing with SPICA in childhood. It was a toy for him!! Can you find a detailed difference of two SPICA? Please compare them carefully.

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