Front View
With back removed
I believe this week's blog post is another fun and unusual combination, which is a transistor radio and camera built into one unit known as the Kowa Ramera. The camera and transistor AM radio was made in 1959 by Kowa Optical Company of Toyko. This item was also sold as the Bell Kamra, distributed by Bell International Company, and came in four different color variations, Red, Black, Blue, and White. With the red, black, and blue models, there is usually a white back on the camera, but the white version can have either black, red, or blue back. When purchased, the camera/radio came with an earplug, case in either black or white, 9v battery, instruction manual, and small lens cap.
Nameplate
It's believed the Bell Kamra is a bit more desirable among collectors as they are a bit harder to find. Still, either way, both the Kowa Ramera and the Bell Kamra are not inexpensive and are a cherished item in many people's collections.
One of the best parts of this camera is it incorporates the Minolta 16 film system, so all you needed to do was purchase the Minolta 16 film, both B&W and color, which would work in this camera/radio.
As you can see, my version is a white body with a red back. The radio/camera measures 5.75" long by 2.75" high by 1.25" deep and weighs 14.8 oz with the 9v battery included. The front of the camera is the round speaker grill, which is 2" in diameter and has a kind of silver/gold tone. To the right of the speakers grill is the radio station, which is in red on my version. To the left of the speakers grill is a rectangular aluminum nameplate includes the lens and the camera name along with Prominar 1:23mm f=23mm on the bottom. Below the nameplate is the optical viewfinder. Above the nameplate is a PC flash sync. I have no idea where or how the flash would be attached as it must have clamped on as there's no place to put a flash.
On the left of the unit is the shutter speed dial, which has B, 50, 100, and 200, and to the left of that is the aperture settings from f3.5-11. These numbers are on an aluminum plate, which is also the film door that can be removed to load/unload the film. On the bottom of the camera/radio is the film door release button, the shutter release, and a pull-down film transport, which also cocks the shutter. The right side of the unit has the radio tuner, on/off/volume dials, and the jack for an earplug. The tuner on the radio is pretty standard and goes from the frequency range 535-1605 kHz, and the speaker has an output of 70mW.
The back of my Ramera has vents for the radio. The right of the vents is a frame counter, and below that is the tiny optical viewfinder. Written on the bottom of the removable back is "transistor radio & camera model KTC-62 made in japan". The back can be removed to replace the 9v battery, and all you need to do is put a coin on the little slot and twist, and the back pops off. As you can see in the photos, the unit is just a transistor radio with a small 16mm camera attached to the side. Nothing fancy or complicated, but it allowed the mid-century hobbyist to listen to the ballgame or music while taking family snapshots.
My Kowa Ramera is still working well. The transistor radio tunes to stations, the volume goes up/down, and the shutter still works on all speeds. I’d love to hear your comments and if you have any questions. Thank you for your time. Until next week, keep collecting.