The Baby Light (ベビー・ライト) is a Japanese 3×4 camera using 127 film, made by Ōhashi Kōki Seisakusho in 1936 and 1937.[1]
Description
The Baby Light has a metal body and a telescopic tube supporting the lens and shutter assembly. The top and bottom plates are chrome finished. There is a tubular optical finder offset to the right, proudly presented as a "Leica type finder" in an original leaflet.[2] and the advance knob is at the left end. There is a knob in the middle of the top plate, probably because it is removable for film loading.
All the versions have a fixed-focus lens and a release lever directly placed on the shutter housing.
Advertisements
No example of the camera has yet been observed, but three different advertisements have been found.
Baby Light leaflet and close-up of the picture. (Image rights)
In a first leaflet by Ōhashi[3], a single version is announced with Bulb and Instant shutter settings, sold for ¥7. The document pictures the camera with no lens markings and a plain shutter plate only written BABY RIGHT[4] at the top. The picture is so heavily retouched that it is not certain that the camera ever had these markings.
Baby Light in a Ōhashi leaflet, mention of the disposal sale and close-up of the picture. (Image rights)
In an advertisement dated April 1937[5] and in another undated leaflet by Ōhashi[6], two versions are listed:
- RR lens, single 1/25 speed (¥7);
- Genira Special f/6.3 lens, Genira shutter, B, 25, 50, 100 speeds[7] (¥12).
The pictures show the f/6.3 version. The shutter plate is marked GENIRA–SHUTTER at the top and OKS at the bottom.[8] ("OKS" probably stands for Ohashi Koki Seisakusho.) The leaflet indicates that the Baby Light weighs 220 grams and that the fixed-focus lens allows to take pictures down to 2 metres.
Notes
- ↑ Dates: advertisements mentioned in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 342.
- ↑ Undated Ōhashi leaflet, presenting the Ōhashi range.
- ↑ Undated Ōhashi leaflet, presenting the Baby Light.
- ↑ The typo is explained by the fact that the "r" and "l" sounds are not distinguished in the Japanese phonology.
- ↑ Published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 100.
- ↑ Undated Ōhashi leaflet, presenting the Ōhashi range.
- ↑ The leaflet indicates a T setting that is absent in the pictures.
- ↑ The same markings are visible on the version of the Roll Light Ref pictured in these both documents.
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 288.
- Leaflet published by Ōhashi Takeji Shōten, presenting the Baby Light and the Cross filters and hood. Date not indicated.
- Leaflet published by Ōhashi Takeji Shōten, presenting the Hope, Seves, Baby Light, Roll Light Ref, Bosch enlarging lens, Cross filters and Riken hood. Date not indicated.