Beautyflex

Beauty Flex and Beautyflex are two different series of Japanese 6×6 TLR cameras and made by Taiyōdō Kōki.

Beauty Flex models have front lens cell focusing with a toothed-gear that couples the taking and viewing lenses, while Beautyflex and Beauty models have lens board movement focusing.

As was common practise among 1950s Japanese camera manufacturers, a number of the Beautyflex models where rebadged (i.e. made for other sellers with an altered identity) with modest specification changes (Fodor, Montgomery Ward, Photoflex, and United States Camera) and rebranded (i.e. just given an alternative name for the manufacturer themselves to sell in different markets) as Gen.

The attribution of rebadges and rebrands can sometimes be tricky, but a good rule of thumb is - if the objective lens is not 80mm, Taiyōdō Kōki did not make it (however, there are two known exceptions - the original Beauty Flex and the Japan only Beauty III).

Beauty Flex II

Several versions of the Beauty Flex II are known. The earliest - know through a January 1951 advertisement in Photo Art magazine - features

• Geared-lens focus
• Beauty 75mm f3.5 taking lens
• Unknown shutter with speeds of 1/15 to 1/150
• No accessory shoe or flash sync
• Name plate font in outlined letters
• No logo on the viewfinder lid

Another has

• Doimer 80mm f3.5 taking lens
• TKK shutter with speeds of 1 to 1/200
• Accessory shoe
• Flash sync post on front of body

A variations of the 80mm lens model has

• "T" (for Taiyōdō) logo on the viewfinder lid

Beauty Flex IIA

Beauty Flex IV (early version, if not maybe a Beauty Flex III) image by Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Image rights)

This was like an 80mm lens type II but for -

• Name plate changed from flat plate to one with fluted edges and solid lettering.

Beauty Flex IV (early & late versions)

Thought to date to about 1952, the type IV number is known through advertising material and user manuals. There were two models and both had

• Name plate changed from flat plate to one with fluted edges and solid lettering.
• A side of body flash sync socket.

There were two versions.

• Early version - appears to be identical to the IIA. There is a variant of the early version that has flash sync socket on the front of the camera body.
• Late version - has a fluted decorative plate surrounding the viewing lenses, but is otherwise the same as the "early version".

Beautyflex V image by Kirk Thorsteinson (Image rights)

Beauty Flex V

• Thought to date to about 1953
• Closely resembles the later model IV with key differences
• 1. Rounded triangle TKK logo on the viewfinder lid
• 2. Etoal 1/10 to 1/200 shutter with front-mounted release
• 3. Synch plug socket bottom right
• 4. Modified catch for the back
• The Beautyflex V was rebranded as the (early) CSL Photoflex

Beautyflex S/Beauty S

Beautyflex S image by MC JC (Image rights)

• This model introduced the transition from gear coupled taking and viewing lenses to lens board movement focusing
• Thought to date to about 1954.
• Lens: Beauty 80mm f3.5
• Shutter: NKS-FB MX 1 to 1/300
• Neither the S or the T featured the rounded triangle TKK logo on the viewfinder lid, as introduced in the V and carried forward to the D.
• There is a variant which has a "Beauty" name badge rather than "Beautyflex", and this was only sold in Japan.

Beauty III

• There was a further Japan only Beauty S variant called the "Beauty III", which had unusual 75mm f/3.1 lenses.

Beautyflex T

• Also thought to date to about 1954
• Looks similar to the S except that there is no decorative connecting block between the two lenses
• Lens: FC Telmer 80mm f3.5
• Shutter: TKK MX 1 to 1/300
• The Beautyflex T was rebadged as the Wardflex I, which was in turn rebranded by TKK as the Gen-flex (i.e. the Gen-flex is a copy of the Wardflex I rather than a copy of the Beautyflex T)

Beautyflex D

Beautyflex D Synchro-MX model image by Sebastian Freitag (Image rights)

• Thought to date to about 1955
• Several Known Lens/Shutter combinations:
• 1. Biokor 3.5/80 mm lens in a Synchro-MX 1 - 1/300 shutter
• The Biokor/Synchro-MX variant was rebadged as the Wardflex II and the USC Auto Fifty, and also rebranded by TKK as the (late) CSL Photoflex

illustration, c. 1957: Wardflex II scanned by Kirk Thorsteinson  (Image rights)

• 2. Biokor 3.5/80 mm lens in a Synchro-MXV 1 - 1/300 shutter
• The Biokor/Synchro-MXV variant was rebadged as the Fodorflex
• 3. Biokor 3.5/80 lens in a Rectus 1 - 1/300 shutter
• 4. Biokor 3.5/80 mm lens in a Copal-MX 1 - 300 shutter

Copal-MX leaf shutter image by Hans Kerensky (Image rights)

Beautyflex K

This model was a variant of the 28 with f/3.5 lenses and a few aesthetic differences.

Beautyflex U

This model was another variant of the 28 with alternative lenses/shutters, but the most distinguishing feature was the shutter release and flash sync positions were swapped, so it was effectively a left-hand layout.

Beautyflex 28

• Whilst commonly referred to as the 2.8, early Taiyōdō brochures identify the camera as the Beautyflex Model 28.
• This is an uncommon model, and among only a very few TLRs to have f/2.8 lenses (the best known being Rolleiflex models).
• There are three variants, which differ by their Rolleiflex compatible Bay filter fittings
• 1. No bayonet
• 2. Single Bay III mounting on the taking lens
• 3. Double Bay III mounting on both lenses
• All three variants share the same lenses and shutter
• Lens - Cantor 80mm f2.8
• Shutter - Copal 1 to 1/200

Taiyōdō Kōki Beautyflex Model 28 without filter bayonets Images by yalluflex. (Image rights)

Taiyōdō Kōki Beautyflex Model 28 with filter bayonets on both lenses Images by yalluflex. (Image rights)

Bibliography

• Advertisement for the Beauty Flex II in the January 1951 issue of Photo Art (フォトアート) reproduced on Flickr. This is for the model with 75mm lenses.
• Watakushi no ni-gan-refu kamera-ten (私の二眼レフカメラ展, Exhibition of twin lens reflex cameras). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 1992. (Exhibition catalogue, no ISBN number.) P. 26.

Links

Comparison with a better-known Japanese TLR image by kavandje (Image rights)

In Japanese:

• Taiyodo Koki TLRs at Dujingtou.com (Essentially a copy of Barry Togoods TLR Cameras Website)
• Beautyflex IV at Awane-Photo's camera museum
• Beautyflex T at Awane-Photo's camera museum

In English;

• Beautyflex on Westfordcomp.com (archived)
• Study on Taiyodo Koki TLR's on Barry Togoods TLR Cameras Website
• Beautyflex Models S and D plus Wardflex (Beautyflex Model T) instruction manuals in PDF format (English) from OrphanCameras.com website
• A comprehensive illustrated guide to Beauty Flex and Beautyflex cameras at Taiyodo Koki & the Beauty Camera Company