Difference between revisions of "Cherry"

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The '''Cherry No.1''' was patterned after the [[Little Nipper]] by [[Butcher]], itself copied on the [[Gnom]] by [[Hüttig]]. It was kept simple so that even children could be taught how to use it. Of course simplicity helped to keep its price as low as ¥2 (a little cheaper than the original Little Nipper, sold in Japan for ¥3).
 
The '''Cherry No.1''' was patterned after the [[Little Nipper]] by [[Butcher]], itself copied on the [[Gnom]] by [[Hüttig]]. It was kept simple so that even children could be taught how to use it. Of course simplicity helped to keep its price as low as ¥2 (a little cheaper than the original Little Nipper, sold in Japan for ¥3).
  
The box-shaped camera takes six {{meishi}}-size dry plates (about 5.5×8cm). With dimensions of only 12.5×12.1×7.2cm it is quite a small magazine camera. It has a reflecting type viewfinder clipped at the top, a finder of a kind that was sometimes called "Watson finder". The lens barrel protrudes from the front plate, unlike on the popular American box cameras of the time. It contains a special kind of rotary shutter, placed in front of the lens, that needs cocking for instant mode — see the drawings in [http://www2f.biglobe.ne.jp/~ter-1212/sakura/cherry.htm this page at R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha]. (At the time, Konishi was selling [[Goerz]] Choroskop lenses in a similar shutter.)<REF> See [http://www2f.biglobe.ne.jp/~ter-1212/sakura/cherry.htm this page] and [http://www2f.biglobe.ne.jp/~ter-1212/sakura/chroskop.htm this page] at R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha. </REF> Another version looks more like common [[box camera]]s, having two inbuilt reflecting type finders and the lens hidden behind a round aperture selector slice (like [[Conley]]'s [[Conley Kewpie No. 3A|Kewpie box cameras]]). Both types keep its special plate holders in place being hooked on the T-profile where they stand on. The Cherries have a very simple falling plate mechanism to let used plates fall onto a stack.
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The box-shaped camera takes six {{meishi}}-size dry plates (about 5.5×8cm). With dimensions of only 12.5×12.1×7.2cm it is quite a small magazine camera. It has a reflecting type viewfinder clipped at the top, a finder of a kind that was sometimes called "Watson finder". The lens barrel protrudes from the front plate, unlike on the popular American box cameras of the time. It contains a special kind of rotary shutter, placed in front of the lens, that needs cocking for instant mode — see the drawings in [http://www2f.biglobe.ne.jp/~ter-1212/sakura/cherry.htm this page at R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha]. (At the time, Konishi was selling [[Goerz]] Choroskop lenses in a similar shutter.)<REF> See [http://www2f.biglobe.ne.jp/~ter-1212/sakura/cherry.htm this page] and [http://www2f.biglobe.ne.jp/~ter-1212/sakura/chroskop.htm this page] at R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha. </REF>
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The back is hinged to the photographer's left, and is retained by two locks on the right. The camera takes special plate holders, standing on an internal T-profile to which they are hooked. It has a very simple falling plate mechanism to let exposed plates fall onto a stack. It is controlled by a sliding lever at the top, and it is powered by a spring inside the back.
  
 
The name ''CHERRY'' is printed in Latin letters on the leather covering, under the lens. The use of Latin letters is a mere commercial strategy, and does not mean that the camera was intended for export or made for foreign customers. The same way, the brand name used in all the original documents is the English word "Cherry", written phonetically in ''katakana'' script: チェリー. The Japanese word for "cherry" is ''sakura'', normally written with the ''kanji'' character 桜, or in ''hiragana'': さくら.
 
The name ''CHERRY'' is printed in Latin letters on the leather covering, under the lens. The use of Latin letters is a mere commercial strategy, and does not mean that the camera was intended for export or made for foreign customers. The same way, the brand name used in all the original documents is the English word "Cherry", written phonetically in ''katakana'' script: チェリー. The Japanese word for "cherry" is ''sakura'', normally written with the ''kanji'' character 桜, or in ''hiragana'': さくら.
  
 
== Cherry No.2 ==
 
== Cherry No.2 ==
 +
The '''Cherry No.2''' looks more like common [[box camera]]s, having two inbuilt reflecting type finders and the lens hidden behind a round aperture selector slice (like [[Conley]]'s [[Conley Kewpie No. 3A|Kewpie box cameras]]).
  
 
== Cherry No.3 ==
 
== Cherry No.3 ==

Revision as of 21:17, 28 December 2008

Japanese plate box cameras (edit)
No.0 (4×5cm) Adam | Hayatori Renshūyō
atom (4.5×6cm) Atom Hayatori Shashinki
meishi (5.5×8cm) Cherry
tefuda (8×10.5cm) Champion | Cherry | Sakura Army | Sakura Honor | Sakura Navy
nimaigake (8×12cm) Sakura Honor
kabine (12×16.5cm) Sakura Honor
Japanese plate film: monocular, folding bed, strut-folding and SLR ->
3×4 and 4×4, 4×5 and 4×6.5, 4.5×6, 6×6 and 6×9 ->
This is a work in progress.

The Cherry Hand Camera (チャンピオン手提暗函)[1] is a magazine camera, released by Konishi Honten (predecessor of Konica) in September 1903.[2] It was assembled in the Kubo factory, a subcontractor for Konishi.[3]

Cherry No.1

The Cherry No.1 was patterned after the Little Nipper by Butcher, itself copied on the Gnom by Hüttig. It was kept simple so that even children could be taught how to use it. Of course simplicity helped to keep its price as low as ¥2 (a little cheaper than the original Little Nipper, sold in Japan for ¥3).

The box-shaped camera takes six meishi-size dry plates (about 5.5×8cm). With dimensions of only 12.5×12.1×7.2cm it is quite a small magazine camera. It has a reflecting type viewfinder clipped at the top, a finder of a kind that was sometimes called "Watson finder". The lens barrel protrudes from the front plate, unlike on the popular American box cameras of the time. It contains a special kind of rotary shutter, placed in front of the lens, that needs cocking for instant mode — see the drawings in this page at R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha. (At the time, Konishi was selling Goerz Choroskop lenses in a similar shutter.)[4]

The back is hinged to the photographer's left, and is retained by two locks on the right. The camera takes special plate holders, standing on an internal T-profile to which they are hooked. It has a very simple falling plate mechanism to let exposed plates fall onto a stack. It is controlled by a sliding lever at the top, and it is powered by a spring inside the back.

The name CHERRY is printed in Latin letters on the leather covering, under the lens. The use of Latin letters is a mere commercial strategy, and does not mean that the camera was intended for export or made for foreign customers. The same way, the brand name used in all the original documents is the English word "Cherry", written phonetically in katakana script: チェリー. The Japanese word for "cherry" is sakura, normally written with the kanji character 桜, or in hiragana: さくら.

Cherry No.2

The Cherry No.2 looks more like common box cameras, having two inbuilt reflecting type finders and the lens hidden behind a round aperture selector slice (like Conley's Kewpie box cameras).

Cherry No.3

Notes

  1. The phrase tesage anbako (手提暗函) is rendered as "Hand Camera" in the Konishi catalogue dated December 1911. In modern sources, it is often translated as "Portable Camera" and the camera is sometimes called "Cherry Portable". The Japanese word anbako literally means "dark box"; it was modeled after "camera obscura" and was used for cameras until around the 1910s.
  2. Date: Lewis, p.17, chronology from the official company history Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10, quote from the same book in this page at R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha, and this page of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology.
  3. Lewis, p.17, this page at R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha.
  4. See this page and this page at R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha.

Bibliography

Links

In English:

In Japanese:


Konishiroku prewar and wartime cameras (edit)
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