Victory

The Victory (ビクトリー) is a Japanese folding camera taking both 4×6.5 and 3×4 pictures on 127 film. It is known from a leaflet published around 1937 and it also appears in Sugiyama. There is no indication of the company that made or sold this camera.

Victory leaflet.
(Image rights)

The body is made of bakelite and the folding struts have a complicated arrangement. It is not known if this was copied from a foreign model. There is a folding optical finder in the middle of the top plate and no body release. The advance knob is at the right end and there is a spool holder at the left end. The latter can be pulled out only after it is turned counter-clockwise. The back is hinged to the left and the text says that it contains three red windows, the middle one being used for 4×6.5 exposures and the other ones for 3×4.

The shutter is everset and gives B, 25, 50 speeds. The release lever is attached to the front of the shutter housing. Only one part of the markings is visible, reading Victory STRAIT SHUTTER and TYPE 1935 (or perhaps 1936).

The camera is offered as the Victory A (ビクトリーA型) for ¥18 with an f/6.3 lens engraved VICTORY GO ANASTIGMAT. ("Go" is probably the Japanese character 號 meaning "number" or "type".)

Sugiyama does not show this particular version but it shows two other models. Unlike the Victory A, none of them is self-erecting and the lens standard is manually pulled out on two rails after opening the folding bed. The folding finder is diferent too, with the rear part folding over the front one.

Bibliography

• Leaflet for the Victory, Semi Dymos, Reex, Baby Ref, Union Ref and Baby Chrome, published by an unknown company. Date not indicated.
• 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 4103–4.

The Victory is not listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi.