Dianette and Pionette
The Dianette (ダイアネット) and Pionette (ピオネット) are Japanese strut-folders taking 4×6.5cm and 3×4cm exposures on 127 film, made by Fuji Kōgaku around 1936.
Contents
Name
The Dianette was certainly distributed by Yamamoto Shashinki-ten, based in Osaka,[1] whereas the brand name Pionette was likely owned by the manufacturer Fuji Kōgaku, based in Tokyo.[2] This is perhaps why some sources say that the camera was sold as Pionette in Kantō (Eastern Japan) and Dianette in Kansai (Western Japan).[3]
General description
The Dianette and Pionette are copies of the Pearlette by Konishiroku, itself copied from the German Piccolette by Contessa-Nettel. All these cameras were inspired by the Vest Pocket Kodak.
Two body versions are known. One is a plain copy of the Pearlette and Piccolette, with a round cut-off on each side of the body and a front standard extending to the bottom, acting as a standing leg. It is the version pictured in all the original documents known so far. The other body version has a rectangular front plate, a retractable standing leg and straight body sides, and is only known from actual surviving examples (see below).
  
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| Dianette, f/6.3 focusing version, with frame finder. (Image rights) |
The front standard is mounted on a pair of scissor struts. It has a pivoting brilliant finder at the top right, as seen from the front; the release button and a thread for a cable release are at the opposite side, behind the front plate. The latter is marked Dianette or Pionette at the bottom and has a logo at the top left. The winding knob is at the top right of the main body, as seen by the photographer holding the camera vertically.
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| Back of the Dianette. (Image rights) |
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| Cable release and exposure insets. (Image rights) |
The back is hinged to the bottom and has a circular fairing in the middle, containing three red windows: a central one for 4×6.5cm exposures and two outer windows for 3×4cm exposures. These are alternatively hidden by an internal cover, switched by a two-position lever: 1 for full-frame, 2 for half-frame. The red window fairing also contains a retractable bead for a wireframe finder, apparently mounted even on the cameras which don't have the wireframe but a frame finder on the side instead. The back has a depth-of-field table attached next to the red window fairing, even on the fixed-focus version.[4]
The camera was supplied with a cable release and two exposure insets, one for each format. These insets contain the guide rolls and are indispensable to insure correct film flatness.[5]
Original documents
  
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| Leaflet for the Dianette, date unknown. (Image rights) |
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| Picco shutter, FUJI OPTISCHE WERK TK logo. (Image rights) |
An undated leaflet by the distributor Yamamoto Shashinki-ten presents three versions of the Dianette. All three have a Picco shutter (T, B, 100, 50, 25) by Fuji Kōgaku, with a speed-selecting wheel at the top. The two most expensive versions have a folding frame finder on the side and a Pionar Anastigmat front-cell focusing lens, either f/4.5 (¥38) or f/6.3 (¥28). The cheapest version (¥17) has a wireframe finder hinged to the front plate and a fixed-focus Fuji-Optical Achromat 75mm f/8, merely engraved Fuji–Optical Achromat F=75mm. In the leaflet, only the f/6.3 and f/8 versions are pictured, both with a round logo reading FUJI OPTISCHE WERK and TK.
The camera was advertised in Asahi Camera in March and April 1936 and featured in the new products column of the same magazine in June.[6] The March advertisement gives the price of ¥28 for the version with an f/6.3 focusing lens.[7] The pictured camera has a different logo, shaped as a mountain and presumably reading FUJI KOGAKU (seen on actual examples); this logo is found on later products of the same company and probably replaced the previous one.
Actual examples
Plain Pearlette copy
Surviving examples of the plain Pearlette copy are known with the names Dianette and Pionette. It seems that the early examples have the round logo reading TK and FUJI OPTISCHE WERK, and the later ones have the mountain-shaped logo.
One example of the fixed-focus Pionette is pictured in Sugiyama; this same example is also pictured in an issue of Camera Collectors' News.[8] Except for the name, it is externally similar to the fixed-focus Dianette pictured in the above leaflet, with the wireframe finder and round logo. In Sugiyama, the shutter is reported as a Super giving B, 25–500 speeds; the top speed is obviously mistaken, and the shutter name itself is dubious.[9] The lens is engraved Fuji–Optical Achromat F=75mm with no mention of the aperture, the same as in the leaflet. It is reported as having f/11 aperture, probably another mistake for f/8.[10]
Another example of the fixed-focus Pionette is pictured in this page at Konrin's Garage. It is similar to the previous example, but for a different silver lens rim.
One example of the focusing Pionette is known with the round logo, Picco shutter and Pionar f/6.3 lens.[11] A similar Dianette is known with the round logo, Pionar f/6.3 lens and a shutter reportedly called Diana.[12]
Two examples of the focusing Pionette are pictured in Sugiyama. Both are said to have a Picco shutter. One of them reportedly has a Terionar f/6.3 lens; its front logo is partly erased and its frame finder is missing.[13] The other reportedly has a Terionar f/4.5 lens; it has the mountain-shaped logo and its folding frame finder has four prongs indicating the field of view for 3×4cm exposures.[14]
Rectangular front plate
Some examples of the Dianette have a rectangular front plate, a retractable standing leg and straight body sides. All these have the mountain-shaped FUJI KOGAKU logo. This version presumably appeared after the Pearlette copy, perhaps because the simpler front plate was less costly to manufacture.
One example is pictured in Sugiyama with a fixed-focus lens engraved Fuji–Optical Achromat F=75mm; the front part of the wireframe finder is probably missing.[15]
Others have a focusing lens. One is pictured in an article in Camera Collectors' News; its lens is reported as a Terionar f/4.5 and its folding optical finder is certainly not original.[16] Another is pictured in McKeown; its lens aperture is perhaps f/4.5, and the folding frame finder attached to the middle of the body side is perhaps original.[17] Yet another is pictured in this page of Nekosan's website.
Notes
- ↑ A leaflet for the Dianette, reproduced in this article, was published by Yamamoto Shashinki-ten.
- ↑ Fuji Kōgaku used the lens name Pionar, close to Pionette.
- ↑ Pionette in Kantō, Dianette in Kansai: Zaisu Ikon, p.6 of Camera Collectors' News no.64; Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.337.
- ↑ The undated Dianette leaflet by Yamamoto Shashinki-ten mentions the presence of a depth-of-field table on all the versions (焦点震度表付).
- ↑ Zaisu Ikon, p.4 of Camera Collectors' News no.226, wonders why the rollers are present for 3×4cm pictures only, presumably because the 4×6.5cm exposure inset is missing on his particular example.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.337.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.77.
- ↑ Sugiyama, item 1224, and Zaisu Ikon, p.6 of Camera Collectors' News no.64. The information on this camera is repeated in McKeown, p.329.
- ↑ In the article in Camera Collectors' News, the speeds are given as 25–100, B, T but the shutter name is not mentioned.
- ↑ The aperture is not mentioned in the article in Camera Collectors' News.
- ↑ Example advertised for sale by Tanaka Shōkai on p.27 of Camera Collectors' News no.223.
- ↑ Example pictured in Zaisu Ikon, p.4 of Camera Collectors' News no.226.
- ↑ Sugiyama, item 1223.
- ↑ Sugiyama, item 1222, where it is called "Pionette (Deluxe)". The shutter is called "Pico", certainly by mistake.
- ↑ Sugiyama, item 1037. The lens name is wrongly reported as "Fuji-Koki-Achromat".
- ↑ Zaisu Ikon, p.3 of Camera Collectors' News no.226.
- ↑ McKeown, p.328.
Bibliography
Original documents
- Asahi Camera January 1936. "Atarashii kikai to zairyō" (新しい機械と材料, New equipment and machinery). P.179.
- Asahi Camera. Advertisements by Fuji Kōgaku:
- March 1936, p.A25;
- April 1936, p.A24.
- Yamamoto Shashinki-ten. Leaflet for the Dianette. Date not indicated. Document reproduced in this Flickr album by Rebollo_fr.
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 137 and 187.
- 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.328–9.
- 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. Items 1037 and 1222–4.
- Tanaka Shōkai (田中商会). Advertisement in Camera Collectors' News no.223 (January 1996). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. P.27.
- Zaisu Ikon (座椅子遺恨, probably a pseudonym of Y. Saji). "Besuto sanka (P)" (ベスト讃歌[P], Vest hymn [P]). In Camera Collectors' News no.64 (October 1982). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. P.6.
- Zaisu Ikon (座椅子遺恨, probably a pseudonym of Y. Saji). "Tsuzuki Besuto sanka (D)" (続ベスト讃歌[D], Vest hymn continued [D]). In Camera Collectors' News no.226 (April 1996). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. Pp.3–4.
Links
In Japanese:
- Pionette at Konrin's Garage
- Japanese prewar 127 film cameras, including the Dianette, at Nekosan's website
| Fuji Kōgaku cameras () | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| prewar and wartime models | postwar models | |||
| 3×4 | 4×6.5 | subminiature | 4×4 | subminiature |
| Baby Lyra | Baby Lyra Flex | Baby Balnet | Dianette | Pionette | Lyravit | Balnet Four | Comex |
| 4.5×6 | 6×6 | 6×9 | 4.5×6 | 6×6 |
| Bakyna | Semi Lyra | Lyrax | Lyra Six | Lyra Flex | Lyra (6×9) | Semi Lyra | Pioneer | Lyra Six | Lyraflex |
