The Victory (ビクトリー) is a Japanese folding camera taking both 4×6.5 and 3×4 pictures on 127 film. It appears in no reference book and is only known from an leaflet published around 1937.[1] There is no indication of the company that made or sold this camera.
Victory leaflet.
(Image rights)
The body is made of bakelite and the folding struts have a complicated arrangement. It is not known if this was copied from a foreign model. There is a folding optical finder in the middle of the top plate and no body release. The advance knob is at the right end and there is a spool holder at the left end. The latter can be pulled out only after it is turned counter-clockwise. The back is hinged to the left and the text says that it contains three red windows, the middle one being used for 4×6.5 exposures and the other ones for 3×4.
The shutter is everset and gives B, 25, 50 speeds. The release lever is attached to the front of the shutter housing. Only one part of the markings is visible, reading Victory STRAIT SHUTTER and TYPE 1935 (or perhaps 1936).
The camera is offered as the Victory A (ビクトリーA型) for ¥18 with an f/6.3 lens engraved VICTORY GO ANASTIGMAT. ("Go" is probably the Japanese character 號 meaning "number" or "type".) There were perhaps other models.
No surviving example has yet been observed.
Notes
- ↑ Undated leaflet for the Victory, Semi Dymos, Reex, Baby Ref, Union Ref and Baby Chrome.
Bibliography
- Leaflet for the Victory, Semi Dymos, Reex, Baby Ref, Union Ref and Baby Chrome, published by an unknown company. Date not indicated.