Black Beauty
4x5 variant image by Uwe Kulick (Image rights) |
Seneca's Black Beauty is a folding-bed plate camera for use with 3¼×5½ inch postcard format film plates. Of course it is black, except for some chrome-plated metal parts. The body is covered with black leather. Even the housing of the little rotating reflecting-type viewfinder is lacquered in black. The Black Beauty was a kind of luxury variant of a common plate camera. It was available in a quadratic variant with exchangeable back, allowing the user to switch from postcard format to 4x5 inch large format. Another version was made for 4x5 inch format. The cameras were offered in variants with different lens shutter equipment:
- Simple lens in UNO shutter for speeds I(nstant), T(Time) and B(ulb).
- Rapid Convertible 3¼×5½ inch lens for three focal lengths (6 1/4", 10 1/2", and 14 1/2") in Wollensak Regno shutter.
postcard format variant, loaded with Seneca film plate holder image by Uwe Kulick (Image rights) |
4x5 variant, seen with a Seneca Chautauqua image by Uwe Kulick (Image rights) |