Camera "A" and Camera "B"
The Camera "A" and Camera "B" are subminiature cameras made by Okada around 1950.
Contents
Context
It is said that the Camera "A" and Camera "B" were made after a request by the US military.[1] Their designer was Ishiwata Shigeo (石渡茂雄), who previously developed the Kolt, a straightforward Hit-type subminiature, and the unconventional pistol-shaped Gemmy.[1] The Camera "A" was designed for 8mm film and the Camera "B" for 16mm film. It is said that a stereo camera for 16mm film was planned and perhaps made as well.[1]
Documents
No original document showing either camera has been observed so far. Mention of at least three actual examples is known, all having a number associated to the name. It is unclear whether this number is a serial number of a model name. The Camera "A" No.1 is mentioned here at Submin.com and here at Subclub.org, perhaps after some unspecified pictorial source. The Camera "B" No.2 is pictured in Sugiyama, where it is said to belong to the collection of M. Auer. The Camera "A" No.3 is featured in an article by Yazawa in Camera Collectors' News.
The Camera "A"
The Camera "A" No.3 takes unperforated 8mm film, loaded in a double cassette. The frame size is about 7×8mm.[2] The body is made of solid brass and has the shape of a stadium track, when viewed from above.[3] Rectangular front and rear plates are screwed to the main body by six screws each. The finder's frame retracts into the front plate, and the rear bead slides inside a compartment protruding from the rear plate. There are two diamond-patterned discs on the camera's top, which can be turned with the thumb. The left one selects the shutter speeds among B, 25, 50, 100. The right one is an exposure counter, going one graduation past 30. The bottom plate slides out to load the film, and has inscriptions all around: an OKAKO TOKYO logo, the company name OKADA OPT. INDST. CO., LTD., the mention PATENTS···PENDING, and the name NO.3 CAMERA "A". No conventional shutter release is visible, and it seems that the camera can be triggered only by a soft release screwed into a post protruding out of the body's right end. The camera name CAMERA "A" NO.3 is engraved on the front plate, above the lens hole. The lens is placed behind the two-bladed shutter, and is not visible at all. It has a fixed focus and aperture, and Yazawa suggests that it is a 15mm f/4.5. The camera's overall dimensions are 45.5×25×22mm when the finder is retracted, and 45.5×25×34mm when it is deployed, and the weight is 70g.[4]
The Camera "B" No.2
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Yazawa, p.11 of Camera Collectors' News no.233.
- ↑ Yazawa, p.11 of Camera Collectors' News no.233, (the exact measurement is 6.7×7.7mm).
- ↑ Made of solid brass: Yazawa, p.12 of Camera Collectors' News no.233.
- ↑ Dimensions and weight measured by Yazawa, p.12 of Camera Collectors' News no.233.
Bibliography
- Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Item 5019.
- Yazawa Seiichirō (矢沢征一郎). "Renzu no hanashi (143) Kamera 'A'" (レンズの話[143]カメラ'A', Lens story [143] Camera 'A'). In Camera Collectors' News no.233 (November 1996). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. Pp.11–5.
The Camera "A" and Camera "B" are not listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi.
Links
In English:
- Camera "A" No.1 and Camera "B" No.2 at Submin.com
- Brief mention of the Camera "A" No.1 and Camera "B" No.2 at Subclub.org
