A number of criteria allow a collector to distinguish between the Type 99 Handheld Aerial Cameras (15cm) (九九式航空写真機十五糎) built by Rokuoh-sha( (六桜社) ) / Konishiroku) (小西六) and those built by Fuji Shashin Film (富士寫眞フィルム株式會社). These criteria, which have been developed based on an examination of surviving cameras, are set out in detail in Table 1 below.[1] When considering the back, it should be noted that the back is fully detachable and that the serial numbers of body and back should match. Among many of the observed cameras the back does not originally belong the camera, but was swapped around in the past.[2]
Table 1 Distinguishing Characteristics
| Criterion
|
Rokuoh Sha
|
Fuji
|
| GENERAL
|
| Front Cone
|
Held by visible screws
|
|
No visible screws
|
|
| Metal plate on shutter advance grip (front)
|
Vertical grooves
|
|
Smooth
|
|
| Metal plate on shutter advance grip (back)
|
Top angular
|
|
Top oval
|
|
| Bottom of shutter advance grip attachment
|
angled with step
|
|
angled but smooth
|
|
| TOP PLATE
|
| Shutter Speed knob
|
Thin but broad knob lifts up,
with small central indicator
|
|
Thick, but narrow external ring lifts up,
large central indicator
|
|
| Shutter Speed Knob Base
|
Raised, oval
|
|
Raised, circular
|
|
| Film Counter (position)
|
In line with the angular indentation,
a) counter window at front
b) counter window at back
|
|
Shifted to the right of the
angular indentation
|
|
Film Counter Window
and setting knob
|
Round window
setting knob has a hole
|
|
Square window
setting knob is solid
|
|
| Viewfinder (fold-up)
|
Protrudes on front plate,
front frame has rounded sections,
2 1/8" x 1 3/4", back frame 1 1/4" x 1 1/2"
|
|
Flush with front plate,
front frame has angular sections,
2" x 1 7/8", back frame 1" x 1 1/2"
|
|
| Data Tag on top left
|
no
|
|
yes
|
|
| Thumb release for film advance lock
|
Curved
|
|
Triangular
|
|
Surface of
shutter release
trigger |
Finger surface shows
wide grooves
(8 grooves/10mm) |
|
Finger surface shows
fine grooves
(15 grooves/10mm) |
|
| BOTTOM PLATE
|
| Serial number tag
|
Tag with RokuohSha Symbol
a) Aluminium
b) White Bakelite
|
|
Black with nº, type and Showa
|
|
| Film Spool Lock
|
Knob with central screw
|
|
Knob without central screw
|
|
| INTERNALS
|
| Advance Cogs & Spool
|
silver
|
|
black
|
|
| BACK (REMOVEABLE) (see comment in paragraph preceding the table)
|
| Back
|
a) Four raised circles in rectangle
b) Four raised circles in rectangle
with central dome
|
|
Flat throughout
|
|
| Note Slate
|
Three quarters (3" x 2 3/8")
|
|
Square (3" x 3")
|
|
| Closing directions tags
|
a) Aluminium
b) White Bakelite
|
|
White Bakelite
|
|
| Closing levers
|
Surface smooth,
screw in centre
|
|
Surface grooved
bolt in centre
|
|
| Lock mechanisms discs
|
Large (ø 1 3/8")
|
|
Small (ø 1")
|
|
| Closing lever surround
|
a) Coned and bevelled
b) Straight
|
|
Coned
|
|
| images by Dirk HR Spennemann (Image rights)
|
Notes
- ↑ While the list tries to be exhaustive, it is quite possible that additional variants exist.
- ↑ Although the known camera cases to do provide storage options for this it is possible that air crew took with them preloaded camera backs similar to those available for the [GSK-99]].
