Poppy

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The Poppy is a Japanese subminiature camera using 16mm film, made around 1948 by Shin Nippon Kōgyō, successor of Kigawa.

See also the Poppy Six 6×6 folder made by the same company.

Description

The Poppy has a vertical shape, reminding a miniature movie camera, with a dull metal finish all around. The tubular finder is integrated at the top, and its front window is surrounded by a POPPY nameplate, of the same type as used on the Poppy Six II. The fixed Erinar Anastigmat 2.2cm f/2.8 lens is focused by turning the rim, engraved in feet. (The same Erinar lens brand was used on many other cameras by Kigawa and Shin Nippon.) The aperture is adjusted from 2.8 to 6.3 by a wheel placed under the lens, geared to another wheel surrounding the lens barrel.

The shutter is tripped by a hemispheric button on the photographer's right, surrounded by a speed selector with 50, 25 and B positions. No shutter cocking control is visible. The film is advanced by a knob placed under the shutter release, inscribed SHIN NIPPON at the top. It has numbers engraved on the rim, certainly functioning as an exposure counter. The left-hand side plate certainly opens for film loading. The 16mm film was probably loaded in some sort of cassette, but the exact system used is unknown.[1]

Original documents

The Poppy (ポピイ) is briefly mentioned in a column about the Meteor in Kohga Gekkan January 1948.[2] This is the only known appearance of the camera in period documents.

Bibliography

  • Awano Mikio (粟野幹男). "Meteōru, Besutokamu, Epokkusu" (メテオール、ベストカム、エポックス, Meteor, Vestkam, Epochs). In Camera Collectors' News no.239 (May 1997). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. (Contains a reproduction of a column in Kohga Gekkan January 1948, which briefly mentions the Poppy.)
  • 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.890.
  • Pritchard, Michael and St. Denny, Douglas. Spy Cameras — A century of detective and subminiature cameras. London: Classic Collection Publications, 1993. ISBN 1-874485-00-3. P.73.

The Poppy is not listed in Sugiyama or in Kokusan kamera no rekishi.

Notes

  1. Use of 16mm film: Pritchard, p.73.
  2. Column reproduced in Awano, p.4 of Camera Collectors' News no.239.

Links

In English: