Beattie
The name Beattie appears on a variety of specialized cameras, originating from the Los Angeles, California area. Beattie products included long-roll cameras for school and portrait photographers, data-recording cameras, and other specialized devices.
Contents
Company
The company history is a bit unclear, as camera nameplates may indicate:
- Beattie Photographic Products, Hollywood 36, Calif.
- Beattie Coleman Engineering Company, Inc., Santa Ana California
- Beattie Coleman Systems
- Beattie Engineering Corp., 213 Bean Ave., Los Gatos Calif.
- Beattie Systems, Cleveland, Tennessee
Cameras
- Portronic
- Oscillotron
- Varitron
- Imperial 90
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| Beattie Imperial 90 TLR, 4×5 image by lady_elsinore (Image rights) |
- Universal Studio Camera (Model 2000)
- Beattie F-1000
Beattie Intenscreen
Beattie Systems are perhaps most known to amateur photographers for their series of aftermarket screens replacing the original ground glass focusing screens for a variety of cameras. These add a thin coating of optically-clear epoxy over the ground surface to increase image brightness, a technology which received US patents 4,339,188[1](in 1982) and 4,558,922[2] (in 1985), both showing Harry L. O. Smith as the inventor. The first patent shows that the original use envisioned was for a long-roll TLR portrait camera, such as those made by Beattie. The patent includes a rather heartfelt observation:
"The procedure of focusing, composing, and making technical and artistic judgements on some 500 to 700 subjects daily imposes a strain on the eyes and visual perception of the photographer."
The Intensescreen product line continues today, now a product of Reflexite Corporation, Avon Connecticut.[3]
