Beauty Six

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Japanese Six (6×6)
Postwar models (edit)
folding
Aires Viceroy | Angel Six | Aram Six | Astoria Super Six | Atom Six | Balm Six | Baron | Beauty Six (1950) | Beauty Six (1953) | Calm Six | Carl Six | Centre Six | Crown | Crystar Six | Daido Six | Dorima Six | Doris Six | Ehira Six | Elbow Six | First Six | Flora Six | Fodor Six | Frank Six | Fujica Six | Super Fujica Six | Futami Six | Gotex | Grace Six | Kohken Chrome Six | Kyowa Six | Liner Six | Lyra Six | Mamiya Six | Middl Six | Mihama Six | Mine Six | Minon Six | Mizuho Six | Motoka Six | Mount Six | Muse Six | Super Naiku | Ofuna Six | Olympus Six | Olympus Chrome Six | Orion Six | Oscar Six | Pigeon Six | Planet | Please Six | Pluto Six | Poppy Six | Press Van | Press Van-120 | Proud Chrome Six | Proud Super Six | Renown Six | Ricoh Six | Ruvikon | Ruvinal | Sanon Six | Silver Six | Sisley 1 | Sisley 2 & 3 | Sister Six | Tenar Six | Toho Six | Tomic | Toyoca Six | Ugein Six | Wagen Six | Walcon 6 | Welmy Six | Wester | Windsor Six
rigid or collapsible
Dia Six | Ehira Chrome Six | Enon Six | Flora | Flashline | Fujipet | Harmony | Mikono-6 | Orion | Ponix | Rich-Ray-6 | Shumy | Weha Chrome Six
Japanese 6×6 TLR, pseudo TLR and medium format SLR ->
Japanese Semi (4.5×6) and older 6×9 ->

The Beauty Six is a Japanese 6×6 folding camera, made by Taiyōdō Kōki in 1953–4. It was preceded by an earlier Beauty Six, sold by the same company in mid-1950, which eventually became the Frank Six by Tōsei Kōki (see Frank Six).

Description

The 1953 Beauty Six has some similarities with the later Toyoca Six; the two cameras might share parts or even the body casting. It is a horizontal folder, with three-part folding struts inspired from the 6×6 Ikonta. The viewfinder is contained in the middle of the top housing. The accessory shoe is to the left of the viewfinder, as seen by the photographer, and the folding bed release, which has a smooth wedge shape, is in front of it. The shutter release is at its usual location on the right.

The film is advanced by a knob at the left end of the top plate, containing a film reminder on a black background. There is a decorative flange at the opposite end, with a small leather patch, and part of the top plate itself is leather covered. The name Beauty and perhaps "MODEL I" is engraved between the viewfinder and the shutter release.

The back is hinged to the right and contains two red windows, placed one above the other and protected by a horizontally sliding cover. There is a small thumbwheel, with 16 EX and 12 EX indications, certainly moving another internal mask leaving only one of the two red windows open.

The shutter gives B, 1–200 speeds, has a self-timer and is synchronized. The lens is a front-cell focusing Doimer 8.0cm f/3.5, also inscribed T.K.K.

Commercial life

The 1953 Beauty Six was announced in Japanese magazines dated October and November 1953, and was advertised from October 1953 to December 1954; one last mention of the camera is found in the January 1955 issue of Shashin Kōgyō.[1] The October 1953 advertisement in Shashin Salon says that the camera is a new model, and gives the price of ¥9,800 (case included).[2] The shutter is described as "of the Prontor type" (プロンター型). The pictured camera has an angled lens standard, with a protrusion behind the synch socket, the same as observed on one example of the Toyoca Six; it also has an ASA synch post. The January 1954 advertisement in the same magazine shows the same picture and the price, and gives yet fewer details.[3]

Surviving examples

Two surviving examples of the 1953 Beauty Six have been observed so far.[4] Both have a plain round lens standard and a PC synch socket; the shutter name TKK is visible at the bottom of the speed rim on one of them (the name certainly stands for Taiyōdō Kōki).[5]

Notes

  1. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.360.
  2. Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.166.
  3. Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.167.
  4. Example pictured in Sugiyama, item 1283, and example observed in an online auction.
  5. TKK: example pictured in Sugiyama, item 1283.

Bibliography

  • Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. Item 729. (See also the advertisement for item 735.)
  • Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), 0-935398-16-3 (hard). P.83 (brief mention only).
  • McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). P.114.
  • Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Item 1283.