| Japanese plate cameras, folding bed (edit) | |
|---|---|
| No.0 (4×5cm) | Alpha | Sweet | PonySweet | Taishō-shiki |
| atom (4.5×6cm) | Monarch | Need | Palma |
| meishi (5.5×8cm) | Eagle | IdeaA | IdeaB | IdeaSnap | IdeaNo.1 | Iris | Lily(horizontal) | PearlNo.3 | SpecialCamera | Venis | X |
| daimeishi (6.5×9cm) | Apollo | Arcadia | Crite | SpecialEast | Eaton | Elliotte | First | FirstEtui | Gold | Happy | Hope | IdeaNo.1 | Idea(metal) | Kinka | Kokka | Lily(horizontal) | Lily(metal) | TropicalLily | Lloyd | Lomax | Masnette | Mikuni | Need | NifcaKlapp | NifcaSport | Ohca | Palma | Peter | Prince | PrincePeerless | Proud | Romax | Rosen | Rubies | Sirius | Sun | Super | Tokiwa | Venus | WehaIdea | WehaLight |
| tefuda (8×10.5cm) | Eagle | IdeaA | IdeaB | IdeaNo.1 | Idea(metal) | Iris | Lily(original) | Lily(horizontal) | Lily(metal) | Palma | PearlNo.3,No.4 | MinimumPearl | SpecialPearl | SakuraPalace | SakuraPocketPrano | Star | Tokiwa | Weha |
| nimaigake (8×12cm) | Eagle | Idea | IdeaBinocular | SakuraPrano | SakuraBinocularPrano | StarPremo |
| hagaki (8×14cm) | Eagle | Noble | PearlNo.3,No.4 | Star |
| kabine (12×16.5cm) | Idea | Noble | SakuraPrano | StarPremo |
| 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 -> | |
For iris, the light-control device in a lens, see Diaphragm
The Iris[1] are Japanese plate folders sold on mail order by Ōsaka Shashinki Shōkai in the 1920s.
Contents
- 1 Original Iris
- 2 New Iris
- 3 Notes
- 4 Bibliography
- 5 Links
Original Iris
The original Iris (アイリス號) is known from a single advertisement reproduced in this page of the R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha website. It was available in meishi size (5.5×8cm). It is described as patterned on the cameras made by the American company "Chester".[2] However no such company is known, and this is certainly a mistake for Rochester: the Iris is very similar to the Pocket Premo made by this company.
The camera shown in the illustration has single extension bellows, a simple front standard, a brilliant finder attached to the folding bed on the photographer's left, simple folding struts and a handle at the top. However the illustration seems to be a close copy of a drawing of the Pocket Premo C, and it is perhaps not a faithful representation of the Iris.[3] The text mentions the pneumatic release and describes the camera as a pocket model. The pneumatic release is said to have been improved in 1921 (Taisho year 10), and the advertisement was certainly published around that date. The shutter is mentioned as a Gem (セーヱム).[4]
The camera was supplied with three double-sided plate holders in different versions, some of which were called the same:
- No.1 (一號), ¥9;
- No.2 (二號), ¥12;
- No.3 (三號), ¥15;
- Special (特號), ¥20;
- Special (特號), ¥30;
- Special (特號), ¥40.
New Iris
The New Iris (新アイリス號) is also known from a single advertisement.[5] It was available in meishi (5.5×8cm) and tefuda (8×10.5cm) size.
The description again says that it was patterned on the cameras made by the American company "Chester", certainly the same misprint for Rochester.[6] The illustration shows double extension bellows driven by a small wheel on the photographer's right, a U-shaped front standard allowing vertical and perhaps horizontal movements, a brilliant finder at the top with a bubble level on the side, and a handle above the main body.
The text describes a "Z shutter", with 1/25 and 1/50 settings, apparently containing Waterhouse stops, and a two-element lens. An additional illustration shows a Kodak shutter inscribed KODAK BOARD BEARING SHUTTER, giving 1/50, T, B, 1/25 settings. The inscription is highly dubious, and is probably an erroneous transcription of "Kodak Ball Bearing Shutter" by the Japanese drawer who made the illustration. The shutter was available separately for ¥8.50. The lens is called "Z77", perhaps because it has f/7.7 maximal aperture. It was offered separately for meishi size, at ¥3, and for tefuda size, at ¥3.50.
The camera itself was supplied with three plate holders, in the following versions:
- New Iris R, for tefuda (¥17½) and meishi (¥14½);
- New Iris S, for tefuda (¥24) and meishi (¥20);
- New Iris Special (特), for tefuda (¥40) and meishi (¥30);
- New Iris Ro, for tefuda only (¥60).
Notes
- ↑ The name has only been observed in Japanese characters (アイリス), and the Roman spelling "Iris" is hypothetical only.
- ↑ The text reads: "米国チェスター会社式にして".
- ↑ The drawing of a Pocket Premo C is reproduced at the bottom of this page of the R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha website.
- ↑ The Gem shutter is probably the same as described in this page of the R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha website.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Morishita, p.70 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.22.
- ↑ The text reads: "米国チェスター会社の製品と同式にして".
Bibliography
- Morishita Hajime (森下肇). "Atomu-han kamera no subete" (アトム判カメラのすべて, All of Atom-size cameras). Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.22, September 1992. No ISBN number. Airesu no subete (アイレスのすべて, special issue on Aires). Pp.55–70.
Links
In Japanese:
- Advertisement for the Iris (at the bottom of the page) reproduced in the R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha website
