C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →rangefinder-35mm
The Beauty Press 25 (1956) is a 35mm fixed-lens coupled-rangefinder camera produced by Beauty Camera Co. (Taiyodo Koki Co., Ltd.) of Tokyo. It is notable for its press-camera-inspired styling and a viewfinder that presents a large, generously framed view -- more in the manner of medium-format press equipment than the compact viewfinders typical of contemporary 35mm rangefinders.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
An oddity from Beauty Camera Co.: a 35mm coupled-rangefinder body styled after press-format cameras, with a large bright-line finder scaled for a 6x6-style view on 35mm film.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm (24x36 mm) |
| Mount | Fixed (non-interchangeable) |
| Lens | Beauty ~45mm f/2.8 |
| Years | ~1956 -- c. late 1950s |
| Shutter | Leaf: ~1s -- 1/500s, B |
| Flash sync | ~ |
| Meter | None |
| Exposure | Manual |
| Viewfinder | Large bright-line, RF coupled, press-style framing |
| Focus | Coupled rangefinder |
| Battery | None required |
Beauty Camera Co. (operating under the Taiyodo Koki name) began producing 35mm cameras in the early 1950s, initially with viewfinder-only models before progressing to coupled-rangefinder designs. The company is perhaps best known in Western collector circles for the Lightomatic series -- fixed-lens rangefinders with selenium meters -- but the 1950s catalogue was broader, including the press-styled Press 25.
The mid-1950s were a period of considerable experimentation in Japanese camera design, as manufacturers sought to differentiate their products from a rapidly crowding field. The Press 25's styling nod toward medium-format press cameras -- then still widely used by working photojournalists -- was one such differentiation strategy, appealing to buyers who associated large-body cameras with professional credibility.
Beauty Camera Co. did not survive into the 1970s as a major force, and the Press 25 represents a relatively obscure branch of the 1950s product tree.
The Beauty Press 25 is interesting as a design object as much as a functional camera. Japanese camera makers in the 1950s were actively constructing the identity of what a serious amateur's camera should look like, and some chose to borrow the visual grammar of press photography -- large bodies, prominent lens barrels, generous viewfinders -- rather than minimize toward the Leica ideal. The Press 25 falls into this camp.
The large viewfinder is the camera's most distinctive feature in use. Where most 35mm rangefinders of the era offered a relatively small eyepiece, the Press 25's finder presents a wider field that some photographers find easier to compose in, particularly when shooting quickly or with the camera held away from the eye.
For collectors, the Press 25 occupies a specific niche at the intersection of Japanese 1950s camera history and press-camera aesthetics. It is uncommon enough that fewer examples pass through the market than cameras from Canon, Yashica, or Minolta, making condition assessment harder.
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
View profile →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →Beauty Press 25
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