THE BEAUTY FLEX III c1950
by Taiyo-do Koki – Japan
For some reason there were actually eight different versions of this camera. Equipped with various shutters and mediocre lenses and faces, they all added up to the same thing. Crappieness.
I set out on a long walk with my Beauty lashed to a steady tripod. I arrived at my subject, a roaring brook and waterfalls, and took some careful light measurements. No guessing when using a Beauty such as this !
I carefully exposed a frame.………Then the front element fell off and landed in six feet of freezing, roaring water.
In my younger days, this horrific occurence would have prompted a string of obscentities. The camera would have been spotted on NASA’s radar screens and I would have walked home empty handed.
I’m mellower now. I see humor in most things and I had to admit that this was pretty funny. I considered the possibilities of plumbing the depths in search of the missing Anasigmat but quickly dismissed the idea. Maybe it’ll still be there this summer.
As I lugged my ruined Beauty home, I considered my options. Surely I could find another front element somewhere. If not, there’s always the BEAUTY-PIN.
