Walz (3×4)
The Walz (ワルツ)[1] is a Japanese strut folder taking 3×4cm pictures on 127 film, sold in 1936 and 1937.[2]
For the postwar company of the same name, see Walz.
Contents
Description
The Walz was loosely inspired by the Foth Derby. It has a metal body with round edges. The front standard is metal coloured and is mounted on a pair of scissor struts placed on each side. The advance knob is at the top right and there is a smaller film flange at the top left. The tubular optical finder is attached to the top plate by a hinge, to gain a few millimetres in height when closed (in the same style as the Derby). There is a small button placed to the right of the finder and looking like a body release but it is simply used to open the front standard. The back is hinged to the right and certainly has red windows to control the film advance. The name Walz is inscribed at the bottom of the front plate and is embossed in the front leather.
The lens is a Walz Anastigmat f/4.5 and the focal length is unknown (it is probably 50mm). It is engraved Lens Walz Anastigmat F4.5 N°xxx. The shutter is contained behind the front plate. It is gives 25, 50, 100, B, T speeds selected by a dial placed above the lens. This dial is engraved Walz. The aperture is controlled by an index at the bottom, moving on a crescent-shaped scale. The everset shutter is tripped by a lever attached to the front plate.
Advertisements, manufacturer
The Walz was featured in the new products column of the November 1936 issue of Asahi Camera.[3] In an advertisement dated December 1936,[4] the camera was offered for ¥24. It was touted as suited "for the gentlemen's pockets and for the ladies' handbags" ("殿方のポケットに・御婦人のハンドバッグに"). The only company name was Walz Camera Works (ワルツカメラ・ウオークス).
Other advertisements dated June 1937[5] offered the Walz for the same price of ¥24. The camera was indicated as "made by Walz Works" and the company Nihon Shōkai was also mentioned, probably as the distributor.[6]
It is doubtful that Walz Works or Walz Camera Works was the name of an actual company. It seems that this kind of names was only used for advertising purposes and hides the true name of the manufacturing company (see Camera Works). In the case of the Walz, various sources say that the actual maker was Okada Kōgaku.[7] It is not clear if the prewar Walz is related to the postwar company of the same name.
Notes
- ↑ This camera is called "Walz Baby" in Sugiyama, item 1262, and McKeown, p.745, but it is simply called "Walz" in the two advertisements observed.
- ↑ Dates: advertisements listed in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.344.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.344.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.107.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Graph (16 June 1937), reproduced in the Gochamaze website; advertisement published in Ars Camera (June 1937), observed in an online auction.
- ↑ The advertisement is literally written "ワルツウオークス製・日本商會", "Made by Walz Works, Nihon Shōkai". It also gives an address: Tōkyō-shi Nihonbashi-ku Tōri 2–4 (東京市日本橋区通り二ノ四).
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.344; Sugiyama, item 1262; McKeown, p.745.
Bibliography
Original documents
- Asahi Camera November 1936. "Atarashii kikai to zairyō" (新しい機械と材料, New equipment and machinery). P.861.
- Asahi Camera. Advertisements by "Walz Camera Works":
- October 1936, p.A24;
- November 1936, p.A20;
- December 1936, p.A30;
- January 1937, p.A30;
- February 1937, p.A29;
- March 1937, p.A30;
- April 1937, p.A23.
Recent sources
- 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 346.
- 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.745.
- 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. Item 1262.
Links
In Japanese:
- Advertisement for the Walz, published in the 16 June 1937 issue of Asahi Graph, reproduced in the Japanese camera page of the Gochamaze website
