Baby Pearl
The Baby Pearl is a Japanese 3×4 folding camera, made from 1934 to 1950 by Konishiroku (predecessor of Konica).[1]
See also the Pearl (for plates and rollfilm), Pearl No.2, self-erecting 6×9 Pearl and 4.5×6 Pearl.
General description
Body
The Baby Pearl is a vertical folder inspired by the Zeiss Ikon Baby Ikonta, but not a dead copy. It has incurved struts and a folding optical finder. The body edges are either black or chrome finished. The name BABY PEARL is embossed in the leather covering at the front.
The back is hinged to the left and is locked by a sliding bar on the right — as seen by the photographer holding the camera horizontally. The film is advanced by a knob at the bottom right, and there are two red windows in the back to control its position. On most cameras, the main release is on the shutter casing and the folding bed release is close to the advance knob, but the last postwar examples have a body release and bed opening button symmetrically placed around the viewfinder (see below).
Shutter
The shutter is a Rox (B, 25, 50, 100), made by the company itself. The speed is selected by an index at the top of the shutter casing. The Rox shutter is self-cocking on most cameras, but the last examples with body release have a cocking lever.
The shutter plate is always marked ROX at the top and has the manufacturer's name at the bottom. Its design was changed on various occasions: it is plain black on the earliest examples, then black with the aperture scale inscribed on a chrome rim, then a pair of chrome lines was added on either side of the lens (see the evolution below). The manufacturer's name at the bottom appears as Rokuoh-sha until the wartime period, then as Konishiroku. Rokuoh-sha was the name of Konishiroku's manufacturing branch until the company was reorganized as Konishiroku Shashin Kōgyō in 1943. At the time, the civilian production was probably stopped, and it is said that all the cameras with Konishiroku markings were made after 1945.[2]
Lens
Four different lenses were mounted on the Baby Pearl, all with 50mm focal length and focusing by turning the front element. The Optor f/6.3 and f/4.5 lenses are triplets designed by Konishiroku and manufactured by Asahi Kōgaku (predecessor of Pentax).[3] The Hexar Ser.1 f/4.5 is a four-element lens, designed and made by Konishiroku itself, and an f/3.8 version was introduced in June 1937.[4]
The lens bezel is black on the early cameras, and chrome on the later ones. All the Optor and Hexar Ser.1 lenses made before 1945 have Rokuoh-sha markings. After 1945, only the Hexar f/4.5 lens was continued, with Konishiroku markings and without the "Ser.1".
The f/4.5 lenses are more common. Here are the full markings observed so far:
- Rokuoh-sha N°XXXXX Optor 1:6.3 f=50m.m;
- Rokuoh-sha N°XXXXX Optor 1:4.5 f=50m.m;
- Rokuoh-sha N°XXXXX Hexar Ser.1 1:4.5 f=50m.m;
- Konishiroku N°XXXXX Hexar 1:4.5 f=50mm.
 
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| Baby Pearl, Optor f/4.5 lens, Rokuoh-sha markings. Pictures courtesy of Jay Tepper. (Image rights) |
Evolution
First model, knurled advance knob
The Baby Pearl was introduced in May 1934.[5] The first model is mainly recognized by the knurled advance knob, inspired by that of contemporary Voigtländer cameras. The two red windows are uncovered, and have a characteristic shape with a round indent allowing to see the number before it comes into the proper position.
The viewfinder is all black and has a rectangular eyepiece. At least some examples have a hairline cross sight on the viewfinder's front window.[6] Inside the body, it is said that the pressure plate does not cover the full exposure chamber, but only a small portion on the supply side.[5]
The shutter plate is plain black and has the aperture scale engraved in white letters, with a red dot between 8 and 11. The lens bezel is black with white markings.
One of the earliest advertisements, dated May 1934, shows this model and already lists three lens options:[7]
New advance knob and shutter rim
After a few months,[10] the advance knob was replaced by a larger one with fine mills. (At least one example is known with this knob and the older shutter plate.)[11]
Soon after, the shutter plate received a nickel rim, with the aperture scale engraved in black letters and the same red dot between 8 and 11. The nickel rim makes the shutter look like the modern rim-set units, but it is actually fixed. On some examples, the hump-shaped release lever was replaced by a triangular part.[12]
Smaller red windows, bakelite knob
The next significant change was the fitting of smaller rectangular red windows, which would become typical of the Konishiroku rollfilm cameras. At first, these red windows were uncovered.[13] Very soon, the advance knob was replaced again, this time by a black bakelite part.[14] It is said that the next change was the introduction of a removable pressure plate, covering the whole exposure chamber.[15] This version with the small uncovered windows is very uncommon, and is only known from Masaki's article.
Covered red windows
The next change was the adoption of red window covers, controlled by a single slider.[16] This was perhaps simultaneous with the introduction of the Sakura Pan F panchromatic film by Rokuoh-sha in January 1936.[17]
Luxury f/3.8 version
In June 1937,[18] a newer luxury version (高級型) was announced with a Hexar Ser.1 f/3.8 lens. This version is very uncommon, and was certainly produced in very limited numbers. The example pictured in Masaki's article has a low three-digit serial number, and is the only one observed so far.[19] It has the same black finish as the above versions, combined with the newer shutter face described below. This perhaps indicates that the new shutter plate was first introduced on the luxury model,[20] or that this particular camera is a transitional example assembled with an older black body.
Chrome plating, new shutter face
Some time after the introduction of red window covers, the Baby Pearl received a new chrome finish, reportedly announced in January 1938.[21] The body edges were covered with chrome instead of black lacquer, and the smaller metal parts were plated with chrome instead of nickel. The viewfinder's rear part was modified with chrome plating and a circular eyepiece.
Very few transitional examples were made with the chrome finish and the older shutter plate,[22] before it was replaced by a newer machine-stamped plate, with metal strips on both sides of the lens. At first, the new shutter face was nickel-finished and the lens bezel remained black with white engravings.[23] Then the shutter parts became chrome-finished and the lens bezel was replaced by a chrome rim with black engravings.[24]
It seems that the pictures used in contemporary advertisements were outdated and do not reflect the actual version sold at the time. Advertisements in the January, May and September 1939 issues of Asahi Camera use the same picture, showing a very early camera, with the earliest type of shutter plate and the old viewfinder eyepiece.[25] The picture was retouched for the May issue only, pretending that the camera has chrome body edges and a chrome viewfinder. The January advertisement lists all four lens options:
The May and September advertisements only list the Optor lenses.
Black lacquer again
After some time, the chrome finish was abandoned and the camera edges were covered with black lacquer again. This new generation of black cameras (called "semi-chrome" in Masaki's article) has the new chrome-plated viewfinder with round eyepiece and the new shutter plate design with chrome-finished parts, and normally has a chrome lens bezel.[27] None of these cameras has yet been observed with the new shutter plate design in the transitional nickel finish, probably indicating that the black lacquered cameras were completely replaced by the chrome finished model for some time.
These "semi-chrome" cameras normally have a chrome lens rim, but an isolated camera has been observed with an Optor f/6.3 lens in a black bezel. The Optor f/6.3 has never been observed on a chrome finished camera, and has never been observed with a chrome rim. It was perhaps only made with the black bezel, and was probably withdrawn soon after.
Notes
- ↑ Dates: Miyazaki, pp.10–3. The Baby Pearl has the odd distinction of being the only camera to be named in John W. Dower's Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II (New York: Norton, 1999). Dower suggests that it was a postwar innovation and says that it was aimed at GI buyers. Most postwar examples would indeed have gone to GIs (as was true for most models of camera in the late forties, when most of the Japanese population was desperately poor); however, the design was prewar and the "Pearl" name goes all the way back to 1909.
- ↑ Miyazaki, p.12–3; Masaki, p.47 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Optor manufactured by Asahi Kōgaku: see this page of the R. Konishi website.
- ↑ Date: Masaki, p.46 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Masaki, p.45 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ The cross sight is visible in the advertisement dated May 1934 reproduced in Masaki, p.45 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10, and the author says that this is a feature of the first model.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Masaki, p.45 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ This version has been observed in online auctions.
- ↑ This version is pictured in Masaki, p.45 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10, and in this page at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha.
- ↑ Masaki, p.45 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10, says that the change occurred in early 1935 but this is perhaps only a guess.
- ↑ Example with Hexar Ser.1 f/4.5 pictured in this page of the Yamada Camera Museum.
- ↑ Large metal knob and nickel shutter rim: examples pictured in Masaki, p.46 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10 (picture no.4), in Lewis, p.51, here and here at Junk Binbō, and observed in online auctions.
- ↑ Large metal knob and small uncovered windows: example pictured in Masaki, p.46 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10 (picture no.5).
- ↑ Bakelite knob and small uncovered windows: reported by Masaki, p.46 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10. The pictures no.6–7 are said to correspond to this variant, with or without the removable pressure plate.
- ↑ Masaki, p.46 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Covered red windows, engraved shutter plate: example pictured in this page of the Yamada Camera Museum. This is also reported for picture no.8 in Masaki, p.46 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10. The example pictured in this page at Tomei Collection dates from the same period, but it is not known if it has red window covers or not. One isolated camera has been observed with the black-finished body and viewfinder, red window covers and the new chrome-finished shutter plate and lens bezel, probably because its lens and shutter unit was swapped at some time.
- ↑ This is suggested by Masaki, p.46 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Date: Masaki, p.46 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Picture no.9 in Masaki, p.46 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10. The lens number is 263.
- ↑ This is suggested by Masaki, pp.46–7 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Date: Masaki, p.46 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Example pictured in Masaki, p.46 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10 (picture no.10), and example observed in an online auction.
- ↑ Examples pictured in Masaki, p.47 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10 (picture no.11), offered by a Japanese dealer, and observed in online auctions.
- ↑ Example pictured in Masaki, p.47 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10 (picture no.13), and examples observed in online auctions.
- ↑ Advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.82.
- ↑ This price is barely legible.
- ↑ Examples pictured in this article, in Masaki, p.47 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10 (picture no.14), offered by a Japanese dealer, and observed in online auctions.
Bibliography
Original documents
Not seen:
- Yoshikawa Hayao (吉川速男). Watakushi no Bebī Pāru (私のベビーパール, My Baby Pearl). Tokyo: Genkōsha, 1938.
- Yoshikawa Hayao (吉川速男). Bebī Pāru no dainiho (ベビーパールの第二歩, Second step with a Baby Pearl). Tokyo: Genkōsha, 1939.
Recent sources
- 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. Items 168 and 680. (See also the advertisements for item 170 and the pictures pp.10 and 428.)
- The Japanese Historical Camera. 日本の歴史的カメラ (Nihon no rekishiteki kamera). 2nd ed. Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 2004. P. 19.
- Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), 0-935398-16-3 (hard). Pp.51, 56, 60, 62.
- Masaki Masayoshi (正木正佳). "Konica history 6. Bebī Pāru." (Konica history 6. ベビーパール. Baby Pearl.) Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.10, September 1987. No ISBN number. Konishiroku kamera no rekishi (小西六カメラの歴史, special issue on Konishiroku). Pp.45–7.
- 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). Pp.537–8.
- Miyazaki Shigemoto (宮崎繁幹). Konika kamera no 50-nen: Konika I-gata kara Hekisā RF e (コニカカメラの50年：コニカI型からヘキサーRFへ, Fifty years of Konica cameras: From the Konica I to the Hexar RF). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 2003. ISBN 4-257-12038-X.
- 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.18.
- Zaisu Ikon (座椅子遺恨, probably a pseudonym of Y. Saji). "Besuto sanka (B-1)" (ベスト讃歌[B-1], Vest hymn [B-1]). In Camera Collectors' News no.57 (March 1982). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. P.7.
Links
In English:
In Japanese:
- Baby Pearl in this post and this post of the Junk Binbō blog
- Baby Pearl in the Camera database of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology
- Pages of the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website:
- Pages of Neco's camera collection:
- Baby Pearl (Hexar Ser.1 f/4.5, rangefinder converted), with other pictures here and here
- Baby Pearl original box
- Baby Pearl at Awane-Photo's camera museum
- Baby Pearl at Hiroyuki Hatano's Taki-meguri page
- Baby Pearl in the first page and second page of the Yamada Camera Museum
- Baby Pearl in this page among 127 film cameras from A to Z at Asacame
- Baby Pearl, small picture at Ken's website
| Konishiroku prewar and wartime cameras () | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plate | hand cameras | stereo hand cameras | strut folders | box | telephoto | SLR |
| Idea (original) | Idea A | Idea B | Idea Snap | Idea No.1 | Idea (metal) | Lily (original) | Lily (horizontal) | Lily (metal) | Tropical Lily | Noble | Ohca | Sakura Palace | Sakura Pocket Prano | Sakura Prano | Idea Binocular | Sakura Binocular Prano | Minimum Idea | Idea Spring | Korok | Champion | Cherry | Sakura Army | Sakura Honor | Sakura Navy | Idea Telephoto | Idea Reflex (1910 and 1911) | Idea Reflex (1932) | Neat Reflex | Sakura Reflex Prano | |
| rollfilm | folders | box or collapsible | TLR | |||
| Pearlette | Special Pearlette | B Pearlette | Pearl (for plates and rollfilm) | Pearl No.2 | Pearl (Year 8) | Baby Pearl | Semi Pearl | Sakura Palace | Record | Sakura (box) | Sakura (bakelite) | Sakura-flex | ||||
