Japanese matchbox camera
From Camerapedia.org
The Japanese matchbox camera is only known from a picture and a description in the book Spy Camera by Pritchard.[1] It is a close copy of the Eastman M.B. matchbox camera by Kodak, and various unspecified details are said to hint at a Japanese origin.[2] The Eastman M.B. was made at the end of World War II, and the Japanese might have copied the camera only after they captured an original example, or less likely after they stole some drawings.
No Japanese source is known to mention this camera, and absolutely nothing is known of its official name or of its use. However this is not surprising given the secret nature of the device.
Description
The camera's internals slide into an outer casing shaped as a matchbox, with a hole on the side for the lens. The camera is loaded with a film cassette, certainly containing 16mm film as on the original Eastman M.B. The film is advanced by turning a wheel, which slightly protrudes on the camera's smaller side. There is a button on the same side, certainly to trip the shutter, and a small lever at the other end, perhaps switching from Bulb to Instant exposures.
Notes
- ↑ Pritchard, p.140. The camera was not part of the December 9, 1991 sale by Christies where most other cameras presented in the book were sold.
- ↑ Pritchard, p.140.
Bibliography
- Pritchard, Michael and St. Denny, Douglas. Spy Cameras — A century of detective and subminiature cameras. London: Classic Collection Publications, 1993. ISBN 1-874485-00-3. P.140.
