Beautiful Konica Pearl III medium-format folding camera in mint condition. This is an exceptionally well-preserved example of one of Konica's most desirable folding cameras, combining a compact, elegant design with excellent Japanese craftsmanship. The camera is in exceptional cosmetic condition, with the body, chrome, leatherette, and other exterior surfaces showing very little evidence of use.
The camera presents beautifully and would make an excellent addition to a serious vintage camera collection. The Pearl III is a 120 film medium-format camera, producing approximately 6×4.5 cm negatives. Its folding design makes it remarkably compact when closed while retaining the advantages of a larger medium-format negative. The lens is clean and clear, with no obvious haze, fungus, or significant scratches. The viewfinder is bright and clean, and the bellows are in excellent condition. The folding mechanism operates smoothly, and the camera opens and closes properly. The Pearl III (late 1955, inscribed Pearl III above the top housing) adds "semi-automatic" (auto-stop) film advance: once the "start" line on the backup paper is lined up with a dot on the film rail, the camera calculates how far the photographer may wind the film before each exposure. The red window accordingly disappears from the film back. An advance knob replaces the advance key of the previous models, it contains a manually reset exposure counter.
The auto-stop mechanism was designed by Nakagawa Kenzo and supplied to Konishiroku by his company Aram Kogaku, at a pace of 2,000 units per month. The Pearl III also substitutes a film-reminder dial color, panchromatic, etc. As well as speed for the distance and depth-of-field dial of the II. It retains the Konirapid S shutter of the II but has the PC flash terminal of the IIB.
The lens is the Hexar f/3.5, except for a few examples said to be fitted with a three-element Konitor lens, certainly the same 75mm f/3.5 as on the Aram Six. The focusing ring is fitted with a concave tab and a depth-of-field scale. There are two later variants, which are also simply inscribed Pearl III and must be distinguished by looking at the lens. The Pearl IIIMX (1956) replaces the Konirapid S with a Seikosha-MX shutter. This adds X synchronization for electronic flash, becoming popular at around this time. The Hexar lens on this model has a seven-digit serial number and is said to be an improved model (maybe recomputed). The Pearl IIIL (1957) has two further innovations: a Seikosha-MXL shutter, using the light-value system, and a new amber coating for the lens. When closed, the IIIL has the same dimensions as the II, and weighs 600g. The Pearl III was succeeded in December 1958 by the Pearl IV, which is a radical redesign of the original concept. Dimensions: approximately 120 × 111 × 49 mm (W × H × D).
Weight: approximately 620 g (21.9 oz / 1.37 lb). Format: 6 × 4.5 cm. Lens: Konishiroku Hexar 75mm f/3.5.