MIDGET JILONA (MODEL 1)
The Midget Jilona hit the streets in 1937. And in many ways this was
the original "Hit" camera. It used 17.5mm paper-backed, split, unperforated
35mm film and produced 14x14mm images -- one definition of a "HIT" camera,
since this is the same setup copied by most "Hit" cameras. In fact,
this film size (and format) is oftentimes referred to as Midget film and
the Midget format. It had a 22mm (f6.8) two-element lens that did not
require focusing. Speeds were B and I (1/25). On the top it had
a small pop-up viewfinder (see first photo) , it's main difference from later
"Hits". This, and similar cameras, were designed for the home market
in Japan. They were made small -- just a couple of inches wide -- and
simple to keep down the cost of the camera, the film and the processing,
which were all relatively expensive at the time. An updated version came
out two years later (1939) which looked much more like the later Hit cameras.
It has a fixed finder on top and a 20mm (f4.5) fixed-focus lens (see second
photo). Since HIT cameras are still being made, this is one of the
longest running submini formats.
COPYRIGHT @ 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 by Joe McGloin. All Rights Reserved.