Baby Doris

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The Baby Doris (ベビードリス) is a Japanese 3×4 folding camera, distributed from 1941 to 1943 by Fukada Shōkai.[1] It succeeded to the original Doris (3×4) camera.

Maker

The maker is not clearly known. Sugiyama and McKeown attribute the camera to Prince Camera Works.[2] The previous Doris (3×4) was advertised in a context that could relate it to Prince Camera Works or to Fujimoto, but the Baby Doris is not explicitly attributed to any of these two companies in the advertisement observed.[3]

Another theory is that it was made by Nissan Kōgaku, a company that was apparently founded by a Mr Motodori. This is suggested by the name, that is said to come from Mr Motodori's name[4] and that was used again after the war by Tōkyō Seiki, the successor of Nissan Kōgaku.

Description

The Baby Doris is a vertical 3×4 folder, with a folding optical finder. There is a button on the top plate, falling under the right index finger and looking like a body release, but it seems to be only the bed opening button. The name DORIS is embossed in the front leather.

Variants

A Doris camera was listed in the Template:Kakaku1940 short compiled on October 25, 1940 and published in January 1941, under the names "Doris I" (¥44), "Doris II" (¥60), "Doris III" (¥50) and "Doris IV" (¥68) with no further detail.[5] It is not known if this camera is the Baby Doris or its predecessor the Doris strut-folder.

The Baby Doris was featured in the new products column of the October 1941 issue of Shashin Bunka. In advertisements published in issues of Shashin Bunka dated October 1942 and February 1943, the Baby Doris was offered in three variants:[6]

  • Baby Doris I: Doris Anastigmat 50/4.5 lens, T, B, 25, 50, 100 shutter (¥52 — case extra ¥5.51);
  • Baby Doris II: Doris Anastigmat 50/4.5 lens, T, B, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 150 shutter (¥68);
  • Baby Doris IIII: U.L.L. Anastigmat 50/3.5 lens, same shutter[7] (¥80).

There is no mention of a Baby Doris III. On the advertised pictures, the shutter plate is chrome finished and it is written DORIS at the bottom. An example of the Baby Doris I is pictured in Sugiyama, with a black shutter plate, marked DORIS at the top.

Notes

  1. Dates: advertisements and articles listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 338.
  2. Sugiyama, item 1039; McKeown, p. 803. McKeown calls this camera "Baby Doris (vertical)".
  3. Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 80.
  4. Niimi, p. 92.
  5. Template:Kakaku1940 short, type 1, sections 4A, 5, 6A, 8A.
  6. Advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp. 60 and 80.
  7. The shutter speeds of the model IIII are written "T, B, S, 1/10, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, 1/150" in the advertisement, but the "S" is surely a typo.

Bibliography

  • Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. Item 156.
  • Template:Kakaku1940
  • 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. 803.
  • Niimi Kahee (新見嘉兵衛). Kamera-mei no gogen sanpo (カメラ名の語源散歩, Strolls in the etymology of camera names). 2nd ed. Tokyo: Shashin Kōgyō Shuppansha, 2002. ISBN 4-87956-060-X
  • 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 1039.