Konishiroku (Konica): Baby Pearl

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The Baby Pearl is a vertical folder inspired by the Zeiss Ikon Baby Ikonta, but not a dead copy. It has incurved struts and a folding optical finder. The body edges are either black or chrome finished. The name BABY PEARL is embossed in the leather covering at the front. The film is advanced by a knob at the bottom right, and there are two red windows in the back to control its position. On most cameras, the main release is on the shutter casing and the folding bed release is close to the advance knob, but the last postwar examples have a body release and bed opening button symmetrically placed around the viewfinder. Four different lenses were mounted on the Baby Pearl, all with 50mm focal length and focusing by turning the front element. The Optor f/6.3 and f/4.5 lenses are triplets designed by Konishiroku; they were reputedly manufactured by Asahi Kōgaku (predecessor of Pentax), but their production was perhaps taken back by Konishiroku at some time. The Hexar Ser.1 f/4.5 is a four-element lens, designed and made by Konishiroku, and an f/3.8 version was introduced in June 1937. The Hexar lens option was the more expensive in 1934. The shutter speeds are 1/25, 1/50, and 1/100 of a second plus B. The pop-up optical viewfinder had two lenses and some examples have a hairline cross sight on the viewfinder's front window. The camera was produced from 1934 to 1946, made in Japan, and used 127 roll film.