Sakura Prano and Idea
The Sakura Prano Portable Camera (さくらプラノ手提暗函)[1] is a Japanese folding camera made from 1907 by Rokuoh-sha, the manufacturing branch of Konishi (predecessor of Konica). It was succeeded by the similar Idea Portable Camera (アイデア手提暗函) in 1909.
The Sakura Prano Portable
The Sakura Prano Portable is a copy of the Rochester Pony Premo. It exists in nimaigake (4×5in) and kabine (12×16.5cm) formats. Focusing is done by a small wheel on the photographer's right. The straight folding struts are maintained in position by a screw. The front standard consists of various parts assembled to form a rectangle, and allows some movements, at least on the more expensive models.[2] The brilliant finder is attached to the folding bed, on the photographer's right, and has a small hood.
The camera was reportedly released in February 1907.[3] One source mentions No.2, No.4 and No.6 models, all of them available both in nimaigake and in kabine formats.[4] It seems that No.6 is distinguished from the other models by its triple extension bellows, but the difference between No.2 and No.4 is unclear.[5] No.2 and No.4 were reportedly sold with a Bausch & Lomb RR f/8 lens and a Gem (ゼム) shutter (T, B, I), whereas No.6 was offered with an Automatic shutter and a Symmetrical lens by Bausch & Lomb for the nimaigake version, and the same shutter and Zeiss or Goerz lenses for the kabine version.[6]
It is said that an improved model was released in January 1908.[7] An advertisement or catalogue entry presents this new model as the Year-Fourty-One Sakura Prano Camera (四十一年さくらプラノカメラ), where "Year-Fourty-One" refers to Meiji year 41, i.e. 1908. It says that the camera received various improvements, but one source says that these improvements were only pretended to lower the price in a competitive context.[8] It also says that the Sakura Prano Portable was made in the company's workshops, but part of the production was certainly assumed by subcontractors.[9] The following versions are listed:
- No.2, 4×5in, ¥27;
- No.2, 12×16.5cm, ¥37;
- No.4, 4×5in, ¥47;
- No.4, 12×16.5cm, ¥58;
- No.6, 4×5in, ¥60;
- No.6, 12×16.5cm, ¥75;
- No.7, 4×5in, vertical and horizontal movements ¥100;
- No.7, 12×16.5cm, focal plane shutter ¥135.
The No.7 with focal plane shutter was certainly copied on the Rochester Premo Supreme. All the prices probably include a lens and shutter, but the advertisement does not specify which.[10] It however says that Carl Zeiss, Goerz and Dallmeyer lenses were available on request, and some sources mention Protar and Unar lenses by Carl Zeiss and Dagor and Double Anastigmat lenses by Goerz.[11]
The Sakura Prano Portable was also sold by the Osaka-based Ueda Shashinki-ten. A catalogue by Ueda pictures the Prano No.4 and lists the following versions, including a No.3 which is otherwise unknown:[12]
| name | format | price with a lens | price with no lens |
| No.2 | 4×5in | ¥28 | ¥18 |
| No.2 | 12×16.5cm | ¥43 | ¥28 |
| No.3 | 4×5in | ¥38 | ¥22 |
| No.3 | 12×16.5cm | ¥50 | ¥30 |
| No.4 | 4×5in | ¥42 | ¥26 |
| No.4 | 12×16.5cm | ¥60 | ¥35 |
| No.6 | 4×5in | ¥65 | ¥40 |
| No.6 | 12×16.5cm | ¥73 | ¥48 |
No surviving example of the Sakura Prano Portable is known so far.
The Idea Portable
The Sakura Prano Portable was renamed Idea Portable in 1909, and some sources specify February.[13]
An early advertisement by Konishi Honten confirms that the Idea Portable was a renaming of the Sakura Prano Portable, and says that the camera received some unspecified improvements.[14] It lists the following versions:
- No.2, 4×5in, ¥27;
- No.2, 12×16.5cm, ¥37;
- No.4, 4×5in, ¥47;
- No.4, 12×16.5cm, ¥58;
- No.6, 4×5in, ¥60;
- No.6, 12×16.5cm, ¥75.
The prices are the same as those of the Sakura Prano Portable, and this is emphasized in the advertisement. The No.2 and No.4 have a Bausch & Lomb RR lens and a "Gem" (ゼム) shutter, and the No.6 has a Bausch & Lomb Symmetrical lens and an "Auto" (オート) shutter. All the models were supplied with three double-sided plate holders and a case. One source says that the Idea Portable No.2, No.4 and No.6 are respectively distinguished by the single, double and triple extension bellows but this is unconfirmed.[15]
The same versions and prices are listed in a catalogue dated 1909 by Ueda Shashinki-ten, except that the shutter of the No.4 is an "Auto".[16] This document also mentions two expensive versions of the kabine-size No.6, both with the "Auto" shutter:
- Carl Zeiss Protar Ser.IIIa No.3 lens (172/6.3),[17] ¥143;
- Goerz Ser.III No.2 lens, ¥178.
The December 1911 catalogue by Konishi Honten has the same six basic versions at an unchanged price, and the shutter of the No.4 is the "Auto" again.[18] Two expensive versions of the kabine-size No.6 are listed:[19]
- Carl Zeiss Protar Ser.IIIa No.3 lens (172/8.8), ¥128;
- Carl Zeiss Tessar Ser.IIb No.5 lens (180/4.5), ¥160.
An advertisement dated August 1912 shows the nimaigake-size No.2 inside a specially designed suitcase.[20] The camera is called New Idea Camera No.2 (新アイデヤカメラ貳號) and the price is given as ¥30. It is not known if the camera received other improvements or if the introduction of the suitcase alone justifies the name "New Idea".
An advertisement dated 1914 in Shashin Geppō presents the Idea Camera No.2 (アイデアカメラ二號) and No.4 (四號), along with the tefuda-size A1 (A一號) shown in the illustration.[21] The No.2 and No.4 are listed in nimaigake and kabine formats with an Extra Rapid Aplanat lens. The No.2 has a Single shutter and the No.4 has a Pronto. The prices are the same as in 1909, and the larger models were probably unchanged.
Notes
- ↑ The name "Prano" is sometimes written "Plano" by mistake. The two spellings would be pronounced the same in Japanese, but "Prano" is confirmed by an advertisement reproduced in this page at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha.
- ↑ No movement ability is visible in the drawings in this page and this page of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology, which perhaps show the cheaper No.2 model. Most of the illustrations published in other sources show at least vertical movement ability.
- ↑ Chronology from the official company history Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen, reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10. The date is simply given as 1907 in Sakai, p.17 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10, in this page and this page of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology, and in the chronology at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha.
- ↑ Sakai, p.17 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Sakai, p.17 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Sakai, p.17 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Chronology from the official company history Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen, reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Received various improvements: 今回更に諸点に改良を加えて. Pretended improvements to lower the price: Sakai, p.10 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Made in the company's workshops: 本店工場の特製品にして. On subcontractors, see Sakai, p.10 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ The prices are the same as those given in Sakai, p.17 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10, for cameras sold with a lens and shutter.
- ↑ Sakai, p.17 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10, and this page and this page at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha.
- ↑ Extract of an Ueda catalogue reproduced in this page at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha.
- ↑ Kikuoka, pp.27 and 30 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10, and chronology from the official company history Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen, reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of the same magazine. The date is simply given as 1909 in the chronology at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced at the top of this page at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha.
- ↑ Table in Kikuoka, p.30 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Catalogue extract reproduced in this page at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha. The "Auto" shutter name for the No.4 is hardly legible.
- ↑ The lens features are given in the December 1911 catalogue of Konishi Honten, p.41.
- ↑ December 1911 catalogue of Konishi Honten, p.11.
- ↑ Lens features: December 1911 catalogue of Konishi Honten, pp.40–1.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced at the bottom of this page at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha. See also Kikuoka, pp.28 and 31 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in this page at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha, near the bottom.
Bibliography
- Kikuoka Sei (菊岡清). "Konica history 3. Meiji 41-nen – Taishō 12-nen." (Konica history 3. 明治41年–大正12年. From Meiji year 41 (1908) to Taishō year 12 (1923).) Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.10, September 1987. No ISBN number. Konishiroku kamera no rekishi (小西六カメラの歴史, special issue on Konishiroku). Pp.24–32.
- Konishi Honten. Saishin Shashin Kikai Mokuroku (最新写真器械目録, Latest catalogue of photographic apparatus). Published on December 18, 1911. Recent reprint.
- Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), 0-935398-16-3 (hard). Pp.19–20.
- 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). P.538.
- Sakai Shūichi (酒井修一). "'Anbako' kara 'ōtofōkasu' he: kamera no hensen to tomo ni ayunda 114-nen" (「暗函」から「オートフォーカス」へ・カメラの変遷と共に歩んだ114年, From 'camera obscura' to 'autofocus': 114 years of camera evolution). Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.10, September 1987. No ISBN number. Konishiroku kamera no rekishi (小西六カメラの歴史, special issue on Konishiroku). Pp.8–13.
- Sakai Shūichi (酒井修一). "Konica history 2. Meiji 36-nen – 40-nen." (Konica history 2. 明治36年–40年. From Meiji year 36 (1903) to Meiji year 40 (1907).). Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.10, September 1987. No ISBN number. Konishiroku kamera no rekishi (小西六カメラの歴史, special issue on Konishiroku). Pp.16–23.
- 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 1081–2.
Links
In Japanese:
- Sakura Prano Portable (4×5in) and Sakura Prano Portable (12×16.5cm) in the Camera database of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology
- Pages of the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website:
- Sakura Prano Portable
- Idea cameras, including the Idea Portable
- Sakura Prano Portable and Idea Portable in the camera list
| Konishiroku prewar and wartime cameras () | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||||
