Beautycord
The Beautycords were conceived as modestly lower specification alternatives to the Beautyflexes, in the manner of Rolleiflexes and Rolleicords. Five different models are known, but most do not appear to have model names.
[1] The earliest has become known as the TKK Beautycord (Figure 1) due to its nameplate inscription, but images of the model with its original box show it was simply called the Beautycord (Figure 2). The model features
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80mm f/3.5 J Beauty lenses,
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a Beauty-FB shutter with speeds 1/10 to 1/200 with a rim-set shutter release and flash-sync post.
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None of the Beautycords have sports finders.
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[2] Inconveniently, there is a later and very uncommon version of this model which has a raised and fluted edge nameplate, which reads "Beautycord" (Figure 3).
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[3] The Beautycord S (Figure 4) stylistically resembles the Beautyflex T, but for
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relocation of the flash-sync socket from top-left to middle-left of the baseboard,
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either Tri-Lausar (most common), J Beauty, or Scienor (least common) lenses, and
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a TKK badge on the viewfinder lid.
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It would seem more logical for this model to have been named the Beautycord T, but we know it's an "S" thanks to photos of the instruction manual and original box (Figure 5).
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[4] Another very rare model (Figure 6) is know only through Barry Toogood($), and stylistically resembles the Beautyflex S, in so far as it shares bottom-right, and bottom-left baseboard arrangement of the shutter release and flash-sync socket. The key difference between this and the Beautyflex are
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Tri-lausar 80mm f/3.5 lenses
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a CHY-FB shutter with speeds 1 to 1/300, and
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a small decorative connection between the two lenses.
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I'm going to call it the F Beautychord because it appears to be very similar to the Fodor A and B models (Figure 7 & 8), which are believed to have been made by Taiyodo for Fodor.
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[5] The final model resembles a Beautyflex D in style and layout but for minor differences,
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the lenses are matched 80mm f/3.5 Tri-lausars, but still have Rollei-style Bay III bayonet filer mounts like the "D",
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the shutter is a Synchro-Super with speeds of 1 to 1/200, and
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there is no TKK badge on the viewfinder lid.
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An advertisement in the 21st March 1960 issue of the "Jornal do Brazil" newspaper (below) identified the camera as the Beautycord model II (Figure 9), although the image looks like a Beautycord S, but such errors are common in advertising. This version is rare.
Figure 1 - "TKK" Beautycord
Figure 4 - Beautycord S
Figure 6 - "F" Beautycord. The one and only known example.
Figure 2 - we know from boxes this model was called the Beautycord
Figure 3 - the late (TKK) Beautycord
Figure 5 - Beautycord S box and instruction manual
Figure 7 - Fodor A
Figure 8 - Fodor B
Figure 9 - Beautycord model II. I've seen about four examples of this camera and they were all in Brazil.
NB: I fifth - in Japan - was listed on eBay in May 2024
