Got Miranda?

[Theo Sulphate]

These are beautiful:

http://cjo.info/classic-cameras/miranda-auto-sensorex-ee/

In the 1970's I totally ignored them. In fact, I've only seen one Miranda camera ever (a Sensorex). Anyone have these? They seem very nice.

 

[narsuitus]

Back in the late 1960s, I bought a brand new Miranda Sensorex. It was my first SLR. It was a dog. It broke three times within the first two years. I got rid of it and replaced it with a Nikon F.

 

[Paul Howell]

I have a brace of them, EE, Sensorex, RE, and the line of EE lens from 25 to 300. Problem with EE is that shutters are prone to failure, the EE lens will not work in all speeds on non EE bodies. Sensortmate and EE had the sensors on the mirror, you can see a cross patch, problem is that over the years the mirror slap is not good for the wiring that connects the sensor to the body. On the positive side, Miranda designed nice lens. Miranda was bought by an American Company AIG which owed Soligoar, had an in house lens team, then lens were build by 3rd party. At the very end of AIG there was some talk that Miranda was making lens as well. In addition from I understand that they used proven designs by other companies. I have a 135 3.5 Petri that seem almost identical to a Miranda 135. The lens mount is a duel mount, bayonet and a 44mm screw mount. I have seem 3rd pary 400mm in 44mm screw mount. The longest banded Miranda I have is a 300 mm, nice lens very sharp. The Miranda zoom was one of the best of the time. Miranda got very good reviews in Modern and Popular Photo. The last Miranda the Dx killed the company, what a mess, I have 3 none of which work. Used 4 batteries, was not EE, but would work with EE lens as could the bargain body the RE. The Senormat and EE had interchangeable viewfinders, earlier models like the G had the option of different focusing screens. I shoot with a working EE and non metered body, and use the lens on a Sony 3000. Overall they have held up better than say Petri not even close to Pentax, Minolta, or Canon, or of course Nikon.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

The Sensorex EE piqued my interest. If the shutters could be repaired and stay repaired, they'd be fun to use.

 

[Paul Howell]

If you can find a service manual, I took one to my repair shop, just wanted a CLA, wouldn't even look at it. Best place to find them is at Shopgoodwill.com. I have not bought one for years, got most of mine years ago, so dont how prices have held up over the year. In terms of use, the EE is a nice camera, easy to use. Only issue with metering is that metering is really very bottom weighted, shooting verticals throws the metering off when in average mode., By the way it has both average and a 3% spot. My printer and scanner is not scanning right now, when I get around to fixing I will post a review by Pop Photo.

 

[John Wiegerink]

A Miranda Sensorex was the second camera I bought while vacationing in Vietnam in 1969 and my very first SLR. The first camera was a Minolta 7 or 7s I can't remember. I went to the little 12'x12' PX at 1st. Marines on Hill 55 with a good friend and we both picked out our cameras. He knew much more than I did about 35mm cameras since he had worked for a newspaper in his home town. I was looking at all the cameras and drooling. Yup, all five of them looked nice, but I spotted the one for me. He tried to persuade me to buy a Nikon F with metered head, but that sexy camera with the sexy name is the one that caught my eye. I can't remember exactly what I paid, but I know his shiny new unsexy Nikon F with Photomic head was only about $20.00 more. I told you I didn't know much about cameras then! If I did we would have both walk out with Nikons. That said, the Sensorex served me very well and that 50mm F1.4 lens was first rate. I even used it to shoot my first wedding, which was my best friends after I got back home. That said, I think Miranda was going down already in 1971-72 since it was getting a little hard to get lenses for the Senorex compared to the newer model EE. I think their worst mistake was not being able to make all lenses completely compatible with all models. Unlike Minolta, Pentax, Canon and Nikon of the time. Also, after the take over by AIC (Applied Impex Corporation) all then newer glass was stamped Soligor, which in my opinion was the handwriting on the wall for Mirandal. I don't know if this is true or not, but an old camera buff told me that Miranda at its peak had more accessories for their cameras than any other camera manufacture of the time. Minolta, Pentax and Canon were my other choices in that case at the Post Exchange and anyone of those would probably have severed me better. Oh well, live and learn I guess. I still think that Senorex is one of the sexiest cameras ever made and it's bottom weighted, in the mirror metering system worked perfect for me. Think sexy, think Miranda!. JohnW

 

[mshchem]

I remember the advertising for Miranda had somewhat naked ladies. I didn't pay attention to the camera

 

[AgX]

Likely I am too young to really know the Mirandas. And for sure these ads did not show up in Germany.
My impression is that in all Miranda did not leave a large footprint here.

 

[Toyo]

These are beautiful:

http://cjo.info/classic-cameras/miranda-auto-sensorex-ee/

In the 1970's I totally ignored them. In fact, I've only seen one Miranda camera ever (a Sensorex). Anyone have these? They seem very nice.

Yes, I have several.
They are extremely beautiful cameras with splendid metering and a host of features not found in other cameras.
Removable finders with eye-level, waist level and magnifying variations are a great feature.
Furthermore the fresnel screen doesn't fall out when this is happening as it is held in place - unlike other camera types of the era.
The lenses are very good to excellent.
Having two mounts in one - the M44 and the bayonet allowed use of both types.
A much under rated camera system for sure
T

 

[AgX]

Exchangable finders, hybrid mount... all things new to me.

 

[John Wiegerink]

I'm going to do some searching to see if I can find an ad I was saw. I think it had most of the accessories laid out in it, but I could be wrong.

 

[Toyo]

I'm going to do some searching to see if I can find an ad I was saw. I think it had most of the accessories laid out in it, but I could be wrong.

There's more to Miranda than meets the eye
T

 

[Jim Jones]

Like Narsuitus in post #2 my Miranda soon developed problems, so I dumped it after a few months and bought a bulkier Nikon F with that monstrous metering prism. Miranda did advertise a good range of accessories, but I never saw any of them in shops. Nikon had a far wider assortment of accessories, including a Polaroid back! The three lenses for my Miranda performed well. The best thing about Miranda except perhaps the lenses was the girl in the ads.

 

[Paul Howell]

Here is an add from Miranda,

 

[blockend]

Classic Miranda cameras were sold off cheaply by the UK chain Dixons before being revived as a branding exercise on plastic SLRs. I assumed they were sold at bargain prices for a reason and stayed well clear. They are undoubtedly an attractive camera but have yet to hear of anyone with a trouble free Miranda SLR.

 

[John Wiegerink]

Here is an add from Miranda, View attachment 224565 View attachment 224565 View attachment 224567 View attachment 224568

That picture shows a good selection of accessories, but the one I saw was I believe a pre-Sensorex one and it seemed to have even more. Unfortunately I can't find that ad. Also, I mixed up Applied Impex with Allied Impex. My next door neighbor works for Applied Impex and I just automatically inserted the word Applied since it was floating in my head and I grabbed it as it floated by. Sorry, my fault. Nobody has mentioned the one other thing I liked second to the bottom weighted metering and that is the front shutter release. I found it much easier to use since there is less chance of jerking the camera on tripping the shutter. You just squeeze inward like a gun trigger. Nice and smooth and helps with low light shots.

 

[Paul Howell]

Miranda started as Orion and it's first camera the T was one of the first modern 35mm SLRs in 1955 , early bodies are quite collectible. Miranda kept its mount but like Nikon modified the metering coupling. Early lens are stopped down, then auto, then with an arm that indexes the lens to meter, then the EE line without the arm. The Sensorex and EE did not have interchangeable focusing screens as the meter readout was part of the screen. Orion also made lens and adapters to use Contex lens on Leica screw mount bodies or the other way don't recall. In the 60s AIG acquired Miranda. AIG was based in Brooklyn. There was a web site with long rant by the former vice president who claimed that the Japaneses government hated that fact Miranda was owned by an American Company and regulated them out of business. I recall that there were over 30 models. One of the reason I started to collect there were lot of bodies and accessories, then got boared, not a collected a user. I did manage to find all the EE lens, with the exception of the 180, never seen one for sale.

 

[Paul Howell]

BTW, Miranda also made a few bodies in M42mm mount.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

This is great information - thank you all.

 

[AgX]

"The Complete System", as hgown above.

There at bottom row I see a great number of adapter rings. What are these? I ask as typically camera manufacturers with own lens production, or at least own mount are inclined not to let gain access to lenses sold outside their control, unless their own lens range is prohibitive small.

 

[Toyo]

"The Complete System", as hgown above.

There at bottom row I see a great number of adapter rings. What are these? I ask as typically camera manufacturers with own lens production, or at least own mount are inclined not to let gain access to lenses sold outside their control, unless their own lens range is prohibitive small.

Because Miranda had a shorter registration distance than other makes, it offered adapter rings so that other makes of lens could be used on the body. M42, Nikon F, Canon FD and maybe even Pentax K mount I think
T

 

[Paul Howell]

Miranda made a small range of lens, the longer lens shown, I have never seen. But most the adapters were to use Miranda lens on other bodies. I do have a M42 to Miranda adapter and a Miranda to Konica. In the EE EC line the line up was really small 25 to 200. The longest lens I've seen on Ebay was a 3rd party 400 in the 44mm screw mount, not sure if it a preset or not. Soligiar was owned by Miranda parent company AIC and there a large number of lens available under the Soligiar brand. I have a Miranda and Soilgiar 35mm 2.8, they seem to be different lens rather than the same lens, both are good performers. Yeah compared to Minotla, Pentax, Nikon, Canon even Yashica and Konica was larger. More in keeping with Petri, what was even less extensive .

 

[AgX]

Because Miranda had a shorter registration distance than other makes, it offered adapter rings so that other makes of lens could be used on the body. M42, Nikon F, Canon FD and maybe even Pentax K mount I think
T

But I did not look at it as a technical issue, but as an economical issue. Manufacturers want to make profit. They can do so by selling lenses they manufacture themselves or have manufactured for them, all with a proprietary mount. Many manufacturers went this way.

Yes, the other approach would be to offer access to other lenses, by this making the own camera so interesting that by sheer number the lost profit would return.

 

[Toyo]

Other way round Paul - Other brand lenses on Miranda body.
Miranda registration distance was only 41.5mm while others were longer.
This permitted the addition of an adapter
T

 

[Paul Howell]

Yeah your right, I doubled check, my other adapter is Konica to Miranda.