Omega (photographic brand)

Omega is the brand name of several medium-format cameras that were initially developed and sold by Simmon Brothers starting from 1954, then licensed to and manufactured by Konica and then Mamiya from 1964 until 1981, when the line was discontinued.

Omega became an independent brand for the enlargers after Simmon Brothers were folded into the Berkey Photo conglomerate in 1961.

These rangefinder cameras used 120 roll film, capturing images with the 6×7 "ideal format" frame size.

The Omega 120 camera was equipped with a fixed Omicron 90 mm f/3.5 lens designed by Wollensak with four elements; it was designed to facilitate rapid operation as a press camera, using a large focusing knob and combined push/pull film transport lever that also served to cock the leaf shutter for the right hand and a shutter release for the left hand.

[4] Shortly thereafter, the design was licensed to Konica, another company marketed in the United States by Berkey, and manufactured in modified form as the Koni-Omega line[5] between 1964 and 1975, which included the Koni-Omega Rapid (introduced in 1964 and sold in Japan as the Konica Press) and Rapid M (1968).

The magazine back for the Rapid M had two parts: a conventional film transport and rollfilm holder, and a front cover that included a slot for the dark slide.

Konica extended its market with another line, the Koni-Omegaflex M in 1968, which was a twin-lens reflex camera that also took 6×7 rectangular pictures on 120 roll film.

The letter designation in the enlarger model number provided the maximum film size that was accepted:[15] After the eponymous Simmon brothers retired in the early 1960s, the company was folded into Berkey Photo by 1964 as the Simmon-Omega division.