1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
1934–1946 · 13 years with no research point
1951–1957 · 7 years with no research point
Kyoto business begins
1933corporateKomamura Brothers began business in Kyoto, establishing the enterprise from which the later Komamura photographic company emerged. The date marks the commercial origin, not yet the formal postwar company or the Horseman camera brand, so those later milestones remain separate in the chronology.
About the Company / FalconEye · Transfer from Komamura Shokai to Kenko Professional Imaging completed
Postwar company established
1947corporateKomamura identifies 1947 as the establishment of the postwar company and the beginning of film-development operations in northern Japan. This legal and operational milestone followed the 1933 business origin and immediately preceded the company's first documented police-camera project.
About the Company / FalconEye · Transfer from Komamura Shokai to Kenko Professional Imaging completed
Police camera program starts
1948-1950engineeringThe wooden PC-101 identification camera was developed for the National Police Agency in 1948. In 1950 Komamura announced the Horseman 102 for police identification work, giving the Horseman name a practical foundation in controlled, repeatable evidentiary photography.
About the Company / FalconEye · Transfer from Komamura Shokai to Kenko Professional Imaging completed
Horseman 104 completed
1958systemKomamura completed the Horseman 104 as an identification camera for the police. The model linked the early public-service cameras to the compact professional system that soon appeared under Topcon Horseman branding, combining Komamura direction with Tokyo Kogaku participation.
About the Company / FalconEye · Notice of products that cannot be repaired
Topcon Horseman line matures
1960s-1970ssystemThe 960, 760, 970, 980, and 985 developed the compact 6x9 press and technical-camera idea through several generations. Official service records preserve these distinct names alongside Super Topcor optics, while surviving manuals and systems show the importance of backs, cams, and rangefinder coupling.
Dated in the sources as “1960s-1970s”. Decade wording normalized to its full calendar span for scaling.
Notice of products that cannot be repaired · Horseman VH-R owner's manual
VH-R refines compact technical camera
1970s-1980sengineeringThe VH and rangefinder-equipped VH-R carried the compact roll-film technical-camera concept into a mature system. Movements, interchangeable backs, ground-glass focusing, and model-specific rangefinder provisions made the cameras unusually versatile, but also created compatibility boundaries collectors must respect.
Dated in the sources as “1970s-1980s”. Decade wording normalized to its full calendar span for scaling.
Notice of products that cannot be repaired · Horseman VH-R owner's manual
Field cameras reach four by five
1980s-2000ssystemHorseman 45FA, 45HD, and Woodman 45 brought folding-field portability to 4x5 photography. The 45FA and 45HD shared an 80 mm board concept but differed in rear movements, extension, focusing equipment, and front-rise control, so they represent distinct working bodies rather than trim variations.
Dated in the sources as “1980s-2000s”. Decade wording normalized to its full calendar span for scaling.
Horseman manual downloads · Horseman 45HD instruction manual · FAQ for Horseman Technical Cameras
Modular studio systems expand
1980s-2000smanufacturingThe LS, LE, LX, and LX-C optical-bench cameras extended Horseman into modular studio work, with documented 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10 configurations. Their rail, bellows, standards, and interchangeable rear frames made format and movement capacity central parts of the system design.
Dated in the sources as “1980s-2000s”. Decade wording normalized to its full calendar span for scaling.
Horseman manual downloads · Horseman L Series owner's manual
Panoramic systems broaden formats
1990s-2000sengineeringSW612 and SW617 cameras turned 6x12 and 6x17 roll-film panoramas into purpose-built professional systems. Later Professional, SWP, SW612D, and SWD-II Pro variants brought interchangeable mounts, digital backs, and shift movements into the same wide-angle design tradition.
Dated in the sources as “1990s-2000s”. Decade wording normalized to its full calendar span for scaling.
Horseman manual downloads · Horseman Museum opens in Nakano · Horseman SWD-II Pro owner's manual
Digital adapters preserve movements
2000s-2010sengineeringDigiWide, DigiFlex, LD, VCC Pro, ISS-G3, TS-Pro, and Axella products translated view-camera geometry into digital workflows. Rather than treating a sensor as a fixed endpoint, Horseman used interchangeable mounts, bellows, rails, and standards to keep perspective and focus control available.
Dated in the sources as “2000s-2010s”. Decade wording normalized to its full calendar span for scaling.
Horseman manual downloads · Horseman product index · Horseman Axella S system chart and technical data
Photographic business changes hands
2012businessKomamura transferred its photographic and broadcasting-equipment operations to Kenko Professional Imaging. Komamura continued separately in advanced imaging, while Kenko became steward of Horseman products, documentation, service information, and the professional-camera heritage.
About the Company / FalconEye · Transfer from Komamura Shokai to Kenko Professional Imaging completed
Museum and product stewardship continue
2016–presentend-of-lineKenko Professional Imaging opened the Horseman Museum in Nakano in 2016 with cameras and accessories representing the brand's history, alongside then-current Axella and VCC Pro equipment. Current documentation preserves the system even though many historical bodies and lenses are no longer repairable.
Horseman manual downloads · Notice of products that cannot be repaired · Horseman Museum opens in Nakano · Horseman product index
