Romax and 名刺型[]
The ad book shows one "Romax" but the ad says this is from 伊藤商会 and the camera is attributed by the book to 伊藤商会 -- there's no mention of Misuzu anywhere. It's a straightforward 6x6 (on 120) folder.
Meanwhile, I don't think that 名刺型カメラ would mean portrait or mugshot camera; instead, it would be a camera that takes meishi-format sheet film. I don't remember precisely what either meishi or the slightly larger daimeishi mean, and the would-be references that I have with me are obscure. (E.g. one says that one of these formats is the same as "6x9" on 120 rollfilm, which it says is 60mm×90mm, which is of course plain wrong.) However, I believe that one or the other format of sheet film is what the Fujica G690 takes (as an alternative to rollfilm, of course), and that it's still available in large stores in Japan. -- Hoary 20:41, 9 June 2006 (EDT)
- Thank you for this information, I will try to find what 名刺 format is. It is maybe 6.5×9 sheet or plate film, but I would not expect to see a 6.5×9 film plate camera appear in 1938. --Rebollo fr 06:42, 10 June 2006 (EDT)
- I've found an ad with the following formats:
- アトム判 (atomu-han, Atom format)
- 名刺判 or 大名刺判 (meishi-han or daimeishi-han, card format), there seems to be no difference between the two
- 手礼判 (tefuda-han, hand card format or hand format)
- A Japanese-English dictionary translates tefuda-han by quarter plate. I think the three formats correspond to 4.5×6cm, 6.5×9cm and either 9×12cm or 3 1/4 × 4 1/4 in (quarter plate).
- Maybe these names are still in use? --Rebollo fr 06:22, 12 June 2006 (EDT)
大名刺判 is what the big Fujicas take. It's nominally 6.5x9 and it's still produced by Fuji and sold in Japan (see this for example). Perhaps the dimensions of the sheet are actually 6.5x9. I thought (past tense) it was also called 2.25x3.25 in (which sounds right) and 2x3 (which doesn't); see for example this -- but no, J&C treat it differently from their 6.5x9. Not surprisingly, 名刺判 is smaller. I believe it long ago became extinct, but perhaps it's 2.25x3.25. -- Hoary 07:05, 12 June 2006 (EDT)
- According to Lewis, The History of the Japanese Camera, p. 209:
- Meishi is 2 1/4 × 3 1/8 in (57×83mm);
- Dai-meishi is 2 1/2 × 3 1/4 in (6.5×9cm);
- Tefuda is 3 1/4 × 4 1/4 in (83×108mm).
- --Rebollo fr 08:52, 7 August 2006 (EDT)