Difference between revisions of "Bonny Four"

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|| ''Bonny Four no.2677, Bonny Anastigmat 50mm f/4.5 lens no.3016.<br>Pictures by John Knott. {{with permission}}''
 
|| ''Bonny Four no.2677, Bonny Anastigmat 50mm f/4.5 lens no.3016.<br>Pictures by John Knott. {{with permission}}''
 
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== Documents and surviving example ==
 
== Documents and surviving example ==
 
The Bonny Four appears in the list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941, where it is mentioned at ¥60 with no further detail.<REF> {{Kakaku0141_short}}, type 1, section 5. </REF> Its name is given in advertisements dated 1941 and February 1942 by [[Ōmiya|Ōmiya Shashin-yōhin]] together with the [[Bonny Six]], again with no detail.<REF> [http://www.remus.dti.ne.jp/~inasan99/camera/b_camera/pigeon_41_l.jpg Advertisement] dated 1941 reproduced in the [http://www.remus.dti.ne.jp/~inasan99/camera/nostalgic_camera.html Nostalgic Camera page] by Toshio Inamura, and advertisement in {{ACA}} February 1942, visible in [http://xylocopal2.exblog.jp/5177408 this page of Xylocopal's photolog]. </REF> Another advertisement by Ōmiya, in the October 1942 issue of {{SB}}, mentions the lens name and aperture and the range of shutter speeds, and shows a picture of the camera.<REF> Advertisement reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p.92. Other advertisements dated 1942 are listed on p.341 of the same book. </REF> The Bonny Four is still mentioned in the April 1943 government inquiry on Japanese camera production.<REF> {{Inquiry1943_short}}, item 199. </REF>
 
The Bonny Four appears in the list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941, where it is mentioned at ¥60 with no further detail.<REF> {{Kakaku0141_short}}, type 1, section 5. </REF> Its name is given in advertisements dated 1941 and February 1942 by [[Ōmiya|Ōmiya Shashin-yōhin]] together with the [[Bonny Six]], again with no detail.<REF> [http://www.remus.dti.ne.jp/~inasan99/camera/b_camera/pigeon_41_l.jpg Advertisement] dated 1941 reproduced in the [http://www.remus.dti.ne.jp/~inasan99/camera/nostalgic_camera.html Nostalgic Camera page] by Toshio Inamura, and advertisement in {{ACA}} February 1942, visible in [http://xylocopal2.exblog.jp/5177408 this page of Xylocopal's photolog]. </REF> Another advertisement by Ōmiya, in the October 1942 issue of {{SB}}, mentions the lens name and aperture and the range of shutter speeds, and shows a picture of the camera.<REF> Advertisement reproduced in {{Kokusan}}, p.92. Other advertisements dated 1942 are listed on p.341 of the same book. </REF> The Bonny Four is still mentioned in the April 1943 government inquiry on Japanese camera production.<REF> {{Inquiry1943_short}}, item 199. </REF>

Revision as of 10:55, 24 August 2019

Japanese Baby (3×4) and Four (4×4) (edit)
folding
3×4 Baby Balnet | Doris | Baby Doris | Baby Germa | Kinsi | Baby Leotax | Loren | Baby Lyra | Baby Pearl | Baby Pilot | Baby Rosen | Baby Suzuka | Walz
4×4 Adler Four | Rosen Four
rigid or collapsible
3×4 Baika | Baby Chrome | Comet | Cyclon | Gelto | Baby Germa | Gokoku | Hamond | Baby Hawk | Kinka Lucky | Lausar | Light | Baby Light | Molby | Mulber | Olympic | Baby Ōso | Peacock | Picny | Ricohl | Rorox | Shinko Baby | Slick | Baby Sport | Tsubasa Arawashi | Baby Uirus | Zessan
3.5×4 Kenko 35
4×4 Alma Four | Andes Four | Anny 44 | Arsen | Balnet Four | Bonny Four | Freude | Kalimar 44 | Auto Keef | Kraft | Letix | Mykey-4 | Olympic Four | Roico | Royal Senior | Seica | Terra Junior | Vero Four | Welmy 44 | Yashica Future 127
unknown
Baby First | Baby Lyra Flex
Japanese SLR, TLR, pseudo TLR and stereo models ->
Japanese 4×5 and 4×6.5, 4.5×6, 6×6 and 6×9 ->

The Bonny Four (ボニー・フォアー) is a Japanese camera taking 4×4cm pictures on 127 film. It was made by Yamasaki Seiki[1] and distributed by Ōmiya Shashin-yōhin in the first half of the 1940s.

Description

The Bonny Four has a rigid body, made of alloy.[1] The lens and shutter assembly is mounted on a tube, which is perhaps telescopic. The top and bottom plates are chrome finished. The tubular viewfinder is offset to the left, as seen by the photographer. Its casing extends further to the left, supporting an accessory shoe. The name BONNY and the company initials YSS are engraved on the top plate, together with the serial number.

The back is removable together with the bottom plate for film loading. The film is advanced by a knob at the right end of the top plate. The advance is manually controlled by three red windows in the back, protected by sliding covers opened by two sliding levers. This advance method requires to use the numbers 1, 3, 5, 7 twice (in the outer windows) and the numbers 2, 4, 6, 8 once, in the central window. (There are no numbers on the paper backing of 127 film for 4×4cm exposures.) Another camera of the same format using this advance method is the Super Flex Baby SLR, which has a plate on the back to remind the user of the sequence. The Bonny Four lacks such a reminder, certainly making it quite tedious to use. Other 4×4cm viewfinder cameras made in Japan at the period usually have auto-stop advance, to avoid this problem.

The lens is a three-element Bonny Anastigmat 50mm f/4.5, apparently focused by turning the front element. It was made by a company called Suzuki.[2] The shutter gives T, B, 150, 100, 50, 25 speeds, and was made by Hasegawa.[3] Its front plate is black, with the name BONNY inscribed at the bottom. The aperture scale is at the top, and is inscribed Y.S.S. too.

Documents and surviving example

The Bonny Four appears in the list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941, where it is mentioned at ¥60 with no further detail.[4] Its name is given in advertisements dated 1941 and February 1942 by Ōmiya Shashin-yōhin together with the Bonny Six, again with no detail.[5] Another advertisement by Ōmiya, in the October 1942 issue of Shashin Bunka, mentions the lens name and aperture and the range of shutter speeds, and shows a picture of the camera.[6] The Bonny Four is still mentioned in the April 1943 government inquiry on Japanese camera production.[7]

The only surviving example observed so far has body no.2677 and lens no.3016, and is pictured above.

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), item 199.
  2. "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), lens item Jc3.
  3. "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), shutter item 18-V-7.
  4. "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku", type 1, section 5.
  5. Advertisement dated 1941 reproduced in the Nostalgic Camera page by Toshio Inamura, and advertisement in Asahi Camera February 1942, visible in this page of Xylocopal's photolog.
  6. Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.92. Other advertisements dated 1942 are listed on p.341 of the same book.
  7. "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), item 199.

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 242.
  • "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" (国産写真機ノ現状調査, Inquiry into Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943. Reproduced in Supuringu kamera de ikou: Zen 69 kishu no shōkai to tsukaikata (スプリングカメラでいこう: 全69機種の紹介と使い方, Let's try spring cameras: Presentation and use of 69 machines). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2004. ISBN 4-87956-072-3. Pp.180–7. Item 199.
  • "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku" (国産写真機の公定価格, Set prices of the Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of October 25, 1940 and setting the retail prices from December 10, 1940. Published in Asahi Camera January 1941 and reproduced in 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. Pp.108—9. Type 1, section 5.

This camera is not listed in Sugiyama.

Links

In Japanese: