Sun B
The Sun B is a Japanese Hit-type subminiature made in the late 1940s or early 1950s, taking 14×14mm pictures on 17.5mm paper backed rollfilm.
Contents
Description
The Sun B is little different from the average Hit-type camera. The body has a trapezoidal shape, as viewed from above. The film is advanced by a knob on the left, as seen by the photographer. The back is hinged to the left, has a spring-loaded latch on the right and an uncovered red window inside a diamond-shaped frame at the middle.
The fixed-focus lens has no markings, and the self-cocking shutter gives instant exposures only. The name Sun B is engraved above the viewfinder, and repeated at the top of the shutter plate, whereas the company name S.N.K. Camera Works appears at the bottom, under the lens.
Origin
The inscription "S.N.K. Camera Works" might correspond to the company Shin Nippon Kōgyō, which used the "SNK" initials on the Gotex and Poppy Six 6×6cm folders. The body's trapezoidal shape is somewhat reminiscent of the similarly named Sun subminiature pseudo-TLR, but this is perhaps a coincidence.
The Sun engraving atop the viewfinder is the same as on the Sun 16, another Hit-type camera, as well as the frame surrounding the red window. The Sun 16 was ostensibly made by M.R.S. Camera Works, but the two cameras are certainly related.
Bibliography
- McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). P.897.
- Pritchard, Michael and St. Denny, Douglas. Spy Cameras — A century of detective and subminiature cameras. London: Classic Collection Publications, 1993. ISBN 1-874485-00-3. P.74.
The Sun B is not listed in Sugiyama or in Kokusan kamera no rekishi.
Links
In English:
- Sun B at Submin.com
- Brief mention of the Sun B among 17.5mm film cameras at Subclub.org