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.

Name

The Dianette was certainly distributed by Yamamoto Shashinki-ten, based in Osaka, whereas the brand name Pionette was likely owned by the manufacturer Fuji Kōgaku, based in Tokyo. This is perhaps why some sources say that the camera was sold as Pionette in Kantō (Eastern Japan) and Dianette in Kansai (Western Japan).

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.

First body type.	Second body type.
Dianette, f/6.3 focusing version. (Image rights)

Two body versions are known. The first body type 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. The second body type has a rectangular front plate, a retractable standing leg and straight body sides; it is only known with the Dianette name. It presumably replaced the the Pearlette copy, perhaps because the simpler front plate was less costly to manufacture.

Dianette, f/6.3 focusing version, with sports 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 — and the tripod thread is at the bottom right.

Back of the Dianette. (Image rights)

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 on all the models, even those which don't have the wireframe at the front but a sports finder on the side instead. This part inconveniently gets in the way of the central red window, and must be pulled out to read the frame number. The back has a depth-of-field table attached next to the red window fairing, even on the fixed-focus version.

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.

Original documents

Leaflet for the Dianette, date unknown. (Image rights)

Picco shutter, FUJI OPTISCHE WERK TK logo. (Image rights)

An undated leaflet by the distributor Yamamoto Shashinki-ten presents three versions of the Dianette, with the first body type. 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 sports 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. One serial number for the Pionar f/6.3 lens is legible as 1450, a very low figure.

Announcement of the Pionette in Asahi Camera January 1936. (Image rights)

The Pionette was featured as a new product in the January 1936 issue of Asahi Camera, reproduced above. The document only mentions the version with f/6.3 focusing lens, and gives the price of ¥27. It shows a small picture of the Pionette, with the first body type and round logo.

February and March 1936	April 1936
Advertisements in Asahi Camera. (Image rights)

Advertisements for the Dianette and Pionette were placed in the February to April 1936 issues of Asahi Camera. The advertisement used in February and March is the same. It only lists the f/6.3 focusing model, and quotes the price as ¥28, slightly higher than in January. The picture shows a Dianette with the first body type, similar to that pictured in the leaflet but with a newer logo, shaped as a mountain and reading FUJI KOGAKU; this logo is found on later products of the same company and probably replaced the previous one. On the pictured camera, the shutter dial has a FUJIKŌ marking instead of the usual PICCO.

The April advertisement lists both the f/4.5 and f/6.3 focusing models, respectively priced at ¥38 and ¥28. The pictured camera is an f/6.3 Dianette with the second body type. It has a folding sports finder in the middle of the side plate, and has Fuji Kōgaku's "mountain" logo. It does not have the pulling grips on the sides of the front plate, normally found on the second body type.

The camera was reportedly featured again in the new products column of Asahi Camera in June 1936, perhaps because of the newer body shape. The camera was no longer mentioned after that date, and was probably withdrawn within a few months.

Actual examples

Plain Pearlette copy

Surviving examples of the first body type (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 FUJI KOGAKU 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. 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. 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.

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. A similar Dianette is known with the round logo, Pionar f/6.3 lens and a shutter reportedly called Diana.

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 sports finder is missing. The other reportedly has a Terionar f/4.5 lens; it has the mountain-shaped logo and its folding sports finder has four prongs indicating the field of view for 3×4cm exposures.

Rectangular front plate

Some examples of the Dianette are known with the second body type. All have the mountain-shaped FUJI KOGAKU logo, and small pulling grips on both sides of the front plate.

One camera 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.

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. Another is pictured in McKeown, perhaps with an f/4.5 lens; it has a folding sports finder attached to the middle of the body side is perhaps original. Yet another is pictured in this page of Nekosan's website.

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:
  • February 1936, p.A25;
  • 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
• Dianette in Asacame's blog
• 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