Vester-Lette
The Vester-Lette (ベスターレット) is a Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera released in 1937 and attributed to Kyokutō Kōki Seisakusho[1] The name of the camera and the lens and shutter equipment seem to indicate that the camera is related to the company Ginrei Kōki.
Description of the body
The Vester-Lette is a vertical folder with no body release and with folding struts inspired from the Ikonta. The folding optical finder is on the middle of the top plate and its front part folds above the rear one. There are two film flanges on the ends of the top plate, and the advance knob is on the bottom right. The back is hinged to the left and has two red windows near the top to control film advance. The front leather is embossed VESTER-LETTE.
Lens and shutter equipment
Two lens and shutter combinations are reported:
- Venner 75/4.5 lens, Venner shutter (T, B, 25–100);[2]
- Venner 75/4.5 lens, Vester I shutter (T, B, 10–200).[3]
The shutter plate of the Vester I is black and is marked GRC Co at the top and VESTER I at the bottom.
Notes
- ↑ Date: Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp. 340–1. It is attributed to Kyokutō by the same source and by McKeown, p. 592.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp. 340–1, probably after the 1937 magazine issues mentioned.
- ↑ McKeown, p. 592. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp. 340–1, shows a small picture of this variant and mentions that it appears in the book Kamera zukan by Sugiyama and Naoi, probably the source for McKeown. A similar example has been observed in a Yahoo Japan auction.
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 237.
- McKeown P. 592.
