Fuji Kozet
The Fuji Kozet (富士コゼット)[1] is a Japanese subminiature camera briefly advertised in 1944 by the company Fuji Shashin Kōgyōsha.
Contents
Documents
The Fuji Kozet was reportedly advertised in the June to September 1944 issues of Nihon Shashin.[2] The June advertisement shows the only picture observed so far, and mentions an f/3.5 lens and T, B, I shutter settings.[3] The price is given as ¥22, including one roll of film; supplemental rolls are available for ¥0.70 in panchro emulsion and ¥0.50 in "chrome" emulsion. The document says nothing of the picture format or film size.
Description
The camera was visibly inspired by the Midget and Mycro, and certainly takes 14×14mm pictures on 17.5mm film, the same as its two predecessors. It was the only other Japanese camera using this kind of film made before 1945. The advance knob is at the left end, as seen by the photographer, and the rest of the top plate is covered by a small casing, supporting a folding optical finder offset to the right. The lens and shutter assembly is certainly mounted on a tube, but the details are not clearly visible. The back is hinged to the right and closed by a latch on the left.
No surviving example of the camera has been observed so far. It is not known if it was effectively sold; if it was the case, it was certainly produced in limited quantities given the conditions.
Notes
- ↑ In the original documents seen so far, the name appears in Japanese writing only. The Roman name "Kozet" is used in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.340, but this source is not very reliable on Roman spellings.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.340.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.88.
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 217.
The camera is not listed in Sugiyama.
