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Japanese plate cameras, folding bed (edit)
No.0 (4×5cm) Alpha | Sweet | Pony Sweet | Taishō-shiki
atom (4.5×6cm) Monarch | Need | Palma
meishi (5.5×8cm) Eagle | Idea A | Idea B | Idea Snap | Idea No.1 | Iris | Lily (horizontal) | Pearl No.3 | Special Camera | Venis | X
daimeishi (6.5×9cm) Apollo | Arcadia | Crite | Special East | Eaton | Elliotte | First | First Etui | Gold | Happy | Hope | Idea No.1 | Idea (metal) | Kinka | Kokka | Lily (horizontal) | Lily (metal) | Tropical Lily | Lloyd | Lomax | Masnette | Mikuni | Need | Nifca Klapp | Nifca Sport | Ohca | Palma | Peter | Prince | Prince Peerless | Proud | Romax | Rosen | Rubies | Sirius | Sun | Super | Tokiwa | Venus | Weha Idea | Weha Light
tefuda (8×10.5cm) Eagle | Idea A | Idea B | Idea No.1 | Idea (metal) | Iris | Lily (original) | Lily (horizontal) | Lily (metal) | Palma | Pearl No.3, No.4 | Minimum Pearl | Special Pearl | Sakura Palace | Sakura Pocket Prano | Star | Tokiwa | Weha
nimaigake (8×12cm) Eagle | Idea | Idea Binocular | Sakura Prano | Sakura Binocular Prano | Star Premo
hagaki (8×14cm) Eagle | Noble | Pearl No.3, No.4 | Star
kabine (12×16.5cm) Idea | Noble | Sakura Prano | Star Premo
Japanese plate film: monocular, box, strut-folding and SLR ->
3×4 and 4×4, 4×5 and 4×6.5, 4.5×6, 6×6 and 6×9 ->

The Gold plate folders are Japanese folding cameras taking 6.5×9cm pictures. They were distributed from 1934 to 1937 by Yamashita Yūjirō Shōten. It is not known if they are related to the company Gold Camera Kōgyōsho. At least three models were sold, quite different one from the other. All the models were supplied with three plate holders, a film-pack adapter and a cable release.[1]

The B Gold

The B Gold (B型ゴールド) has single extension bellows and no visible movement ability. The focusing goes down to 1'5" (1尺5寸), it is not known if it is driven by a focusing lever or if the front standard is simply pulled forward by hand. The lens is an f/6.8 Rapid or Rapid Rectilinear (R.R.) and the shutter has B, 25, 50 settings. The shutter plate is inscribed Gold at the top. In an undated leaflet for the Gold cameras, the B Gold is listed for ¥15.[2] It appears for the same price in advertisements by Yamashita dated July 1935 and March 1936, with no mention of the model name.[3]

The A Gold

The A Gold (A型ゴールド) has rack-and-pinion focusing controlled by a small wheel on the photographer's left. There is no visible movement ability.

It was perhaps the original model of the Gold, and was advertised in the 10 May 1934 issue of Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin, with no mention of the model name.[4] The advertisement mentions Yamashita Shōten, and the following versions are listed:

In the undated leaflet for the Gold cameras cited above, two versions of the A Gold are presented.[6]

The f/6.3 model has "one-and-a-half" extension bellows (一段半伸). The lens is a Trionar f/6.3 and the shutter is an Elka C giving T, B, 10–150 speeds. The shutter plate is inscribed ELKA–C at the bottom and Patent~Pending at the top, with a logo on the right. The price is given as ¥30.

The f/4.5 model has double extension bellows. The lens is a Lucomar f/4.5 and the shutter is a Rulex D giving T, B, 25–150 speeds and made by Neumann & Heilemann. The choice of a shutter having lesser features is unexplained. The price is given as ¥38.

In an advertisement by Yamashita dated March 1936,[7] the Lucomar f/4.5 model is listed for ¥45, and an intermediate model appears with a Trionar f/4.5 lens and an Elka shutter giving T, B, 25–100 speeds, for ¥38. A version is also reported with a Trionar f/4.5 lens and an Elka B shutter (T, B, 5–200).[8] The camera was mentioned again in the 20 April 1937 catalogue by Yamashita Yūjirō Shōten; this is the last reported mention of the Gold plate folders.[9]

One surviving example of the A Gold has been observed. The name GOLD is embossed in the leather of the folding bed and of the ground glass hood. There is a round metal plate riveted to the right hand side, certainly showing the GOLD CAMERA logo.

The Special Gold

The Special Gold (スペシャルゴールド) has double extension bellows and vertical movement ability. The focusing is by rack-and-pinion driven by a wheel on the right. There is a round plate on the left hand side with a Gold marking. Three versions are listed in the above-mentioned leaflet:[10]

In the March 1936 advertisement cited above,[11] the Lucomar f/4.5 model disappeared and the other prices were unchanged. Versions with a Lucomar f/6.3 or f/4.5 lens and a Rulex D shutter are reported.[12]

Notes

  1. Undated leaflet for the Gold Camera, reproduced in this page, and advertisement in Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin no.1, 10 May 1934, p.5, reproduced on p.7 of Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku.
  2. Undated leaflet for the Gold Camera, reproduced in this page.
  3. Advertisements in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.71.
  4. Advertisement in Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin no.1, 10 May 1934, p.5, reproduced on p.7 of Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Name inferred from the katakana テーナー.
  6. Undated leaflet for the Gold Camera, reproduced in this page.
  7. Advertisement in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.71.
  8. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.336.
  9. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.336.
  10. Undated leaflet for the Gold Camera, reproduced in this page.
  11. Advertisement in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.71.
  12. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.336.

Bibliography

  • Anonymous company. Leaflet for the Gold Camera. Date not indicated. Document reproduced in this Flickr album by Rebollo_fr.
  • 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. Items 102–3.
  • Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin (日本写真興業通信). Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku (百号ごと十回の記録, Ten records, every hundred issues). Tokyo: Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin Sha (日本写真興業通信社), 1967. No ISBN number. Advertisement on p.7, corresponding to p.5 of issue no.1, dated 10 May 1934.

These cameras are not listed in Sugiyama.

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