Beauty Lightomatic

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Overview

The Beauty Lightomatics are a series of 35mm rangefinder cameras made by the Beauty Camera Company between 1959 and 1963.

Each model shares some common features.

  • Viewfinder: Integrated coincidence rangefinder/viewfinder with self-correcting bright line.
  • Focus: Coupled rangefinder with manual ring on lens barrel.
  • Meter: Selenium meter electro-mechanically coupled to lens barrel aperture, shutter speed settings, and film speed index.
  • Exposure: Centre-the-needle system with pointer window on the top plate of the camera.
  • Lens: 45mm f1.9 (6 elements in unknown number of groups) stopping down to f16.
  • Close Focus: 0.8m / 2'7".
  • Shutter:. Five blade Copal-SV shutter with speeds: B, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250 & 500 sec,. plus B. Shutter speeds and aperture settings can be interlocked. The shutter release locks when the advance lever is flush with the camera body.
  • Cable Release: Standard socket in shutter release button.
  • Filter Size: 55mm screw in.
  • Flash: Cold shoe and PC terminal. M and X sync.
  • Film Advance Single stroke lever.
  • Frame Counter: Counts up. Resets automatically when camera back is opened.
  • Rewind: Collapsible crank, and rewind selector switch.


The Beauty Lightomatic or LM

423201067_855240f42c_m.jpg
Lightomatic top view
image by Donnatella G (Image rights)
  • The Lightomatic was introduced in 1959.
  • The Lightomatic was sold as the LM is some markets.
  • The lens is either a Beauty-S or Canter-S.
  • The Selenium meter cell window is located on the front of the camera body.
  • The meter film speed range is from 6 to 1600 ASA.
  • A graphic next to the meter needle pointer window on the top pate illustrates the direction in which the aperture/shutter speed dials should be moved in order to center the needle.
  • To the right of the needle pointer window there is a film type reminder with two settings.

A Beauty LM2 is also reported.)[1]


The Beauty Lightomatic II

130838040_dacafe0b03_m.jpg
Front view
image by Goodimages (Image rights)
130838041_529845eeb5_m.jpg
c.1960 Lightomatic II
image by Goodimages (Image rights)
  • The Beauty Lightomatic II was introduced in 1960.
  • The lens is a Biokor-S.
  • The meter needle pointer window was re-designed so that it's shape changed from circular to rectangular, and the exposure adjustment graphic was abandoned along with the film type reminder. This was replaced by a table showing film speed setting parameters (e.g. a setting of 100 ASA accommodated films between 75 - 120 ASA.
  • The viewfinder was changed to Bright-Frame (i.e. projected lines) which required an illumination window, and this along with the rangefinder and viewfinder windows where unified by a singe glass covering.





The Beauty Lightomatic III (Lightmatic/Lite III)

4795765797_9fc5ee9cf3_m.jpg
Top engraving
"Beauty Light O matic III"
image by Hans Jan Dürr (Image rights)
4282587092_fae88fc7dd_m.jpg
Lightomatic III with
meter cells around lens
image by David Broglin (Image rights)
  • The Beauty Lightomatic III was introduced in 1961.
  • It was sold using the alternative names of Lightmatic III and Lite III, which appears to be the USA version.
  • The lens is a Biokor-S.
  • The Selenium meter cell was relocated to surround the lens.
  • The top plate meter needle pointer no longer supported information graphics
  • The meter needle pointer was made visible in the viewfinder.
  • The meter film speed range changed slightly to 10 to 1600 ASA.
  • In the UK, the camera was an exclusive Dixons import.





The Beauty Lightmatic SP

  • The Beauty Lightmatic SP was introduced in 1963 (note the "o" has been dropped from the name), and is a slightly updated/revised version of the LightOmatic III.
  • The differences between this camera and the Lightomatic III are mainly cosmetic, and negligible (e.g. the frame counter has moved from 3 o'clock to 12 o'clock, relative to the wind crank).
  • The only new feature was a film movement confirmation indicator, which is only revealed when the wind crank arm is operated (in other words, it's under the wind crank arm's rest position).


Notes

  1. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.397.


Links

In English:

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