Baby Leotax
The Baby Leotax is a Japanese 3×4cm folding camera made before or during the war by Shōwa Kōgaku. It is said that it was released in 1941 but very few is known.[1] In particular this camera does not appear in Kokusan kamera no rekishi and no advertisement has yet been observed.
Description of the body
The body looks like the Baby Ikonta but with plain diagonal struts. There is a folding optical finder and a body release on the left of the top plate. The advance knob is at the bottom right, opposite the tripod screw thread. The back is hinged to the left and film advance is controlled by red window. The front leather is embossed BABY-LEOTAX and the folding struts have some logo engraved.
The folding struts are exactly identical to that of the Baby Lyra, this might be a matter of copy, of common subcontractors or of cooperation between the two companies.
Lens and shutter equipment
The camera has been observed with a B, 1–500 shutter engraved YAMATO-RAPID on the speed rim and a Rieze Anastigmat 5cm f/3.5 lens. At least two types of lens engravings exist: a black lens bezel with the lens name in small letters[2] and a metal lens bezel with the lens name in capital letters.[3]
Notes
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. 891.
- Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten (思い出のスプリングカメラ展, Exhibition of beloved self-erecting cameras). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 1992. (Exhibition catalogue, no ISBN number.) P. 26.
