Loyal
The Loyal is a Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera, about which very little is known. It is certainly a rebadged version of the Semi Proud made by Proud-sha.
Description of the body
The Loyal is a vertical folder, copy of the German Baldax; its body is identical to that of the Semi Proud. There is a folding optical finder in the middle of the top plate and an advance knob at the bottom right, as seen by a photographer holding the camera horizontally. The shutter release is to the left of the viewfinder and the folding bed release is to the right. The back is hinged to the left and the back latch is covered by a leather handle. There are two red windows to control the film advance, protected by a horizontally sliding common cover. The name LOYAL is embossed in the front leather.
Surviving example
Only one surviving example has been observed so far.[1] It has a Lex shutter (T, B, 5–200) made by Mars; the shutter plate is inscribed Lex at the bottom and Mars Tokyo at the top. The lens is a Loyal Anastigmat 7.5cm f/4.5 and has no.1248.
Notes
- ↑ Example observed in an online auction.
Bibliography
The Loyal is not listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi or in Sugiyama, and appears in none of the sources consulted so far.