Mirror Lock Up for 35mm cameras is required for maximum sharpness

[Paul Howell]

Ive use the self timer for mirror lock up with the 9 on longish exposures. As the XI has the same shutter as the 9 I would expect that it would work on the Xi as well.

 

[Arthurwg]

I also use a right angle finder adapter with a 2x focusing magnifier, also a huge help.

Is this a Minolta part? If not, what's the set-up?

 

[Lachlan Young]

Tripods and tripod heads that aren't up to absorbing the energy/ movement are probably more blameable for more of the mirror slap myths than anything else. Adding MLU was apparently cheaper (or more profitable) than telling people to get a better tripod and understand the forces at play. What you can get away with with a leaf shutter and a less than ideal tripod does not translate to an SLR and a big lens.

 

[xkaes]

The SRT101b was the very first SLR gifted to me in 1977.

The SRT 101b is the European version of the SRT 201. The SRT 2XX models never had MLU.

 

[Alan Townsend]

Is this a Minolta part? If not, what's the set-up?

Yes, a Minolta part. Mine is the later black version with 2x magnifier I bought new in the 1990's. There was also an earlier one that was silver and no magnifier. They both fit almost all Minolta slr's with manual focusing.

 

[xkaes]

Is this a Minolta part? If not, what's the set-up?

Minolta made several viewfinder anglefinders and magnifiers. The anglefinder Vn has a 1X/2X switch and rotates. It also fits on Minolta Maxxum cameras and Sony DSLRs.

 

[MattKing]

Always mystified me why the OM1n has a MLU yet the OM2n does not!

Probably something to do with incorporating OTF metering into it.
I expect the two were intended to be complementary to each other in the line.
The OM-1 for all the macro photography and similar uses, and the OM2 for those using the cameras exclusively handheld.

 

[xkaes]

My Nikon F 4 does while the Minolta 9XI and 9 do not or at least hidden in the manual that I did not find it at a first glance.

As Cholentpot mentioned, some cameras have in effect a mirror lock up feature although that's not what they call it. On my Sony cameras it's listed in the DRIVE settings -- where the self-timer is. There's an option for a two-second delay which flips up the mirror two seconds before the exposure. If the camera has the option for an electronic cable release, there are additional options.

 

[MattKing]

As comments above illustrate, Olympus included MLU on some models, and curiously, not at all on others. It's glaring absence in the OM4 flagship was as puzzling then as it still is today.

Olympus incorporated a mirror pre-release into the 12 second self-timer delay instead on the OM-4T.
The same applies to the OM-2n and the OM-G/20 and the OM-2s.
I can't remember whether it was the same with the OM-2 or the OM-4.

 

[Alan Townsend]

According to the SRT manual the mirror lock up was to allow the 21mm lens to perform.

I guess you didn't see the "also helpful for macrophotography..." part. When I use my srt101 for making 1:1 copy positives, MLU is crucial. Nowhere does it say MLU is only for a wa lens. Clearly multifunctional.

 

[xkaes]

Minolta added MLU for the 21mm lens. That lens could not be used without it. If they wanted to add it for HIGH MAG photography -- LONG lenses & MACRO work -- they would have added it before the SR-7.

They dropped it -- except for the XK models -- after they developed the 20mm retro-focus lens. So although it's useful in HIGH MAG photography, Minolta didn't consider it worthwhile for that purpose.

 

[Alan Townsend]

The takeaway is to consider MLU a component of refined technique that will, with practice and observation, guarantee the best results, especially if you are printing very large when the effects of blur will be all too obvious.

Excellent comment. You said it much better than I. Thank you very much.

.

 

[benderscameracorner]

My Pentax KX has a MLU, and I think the K2 and MX do as well.

Can confirm the KX does. The MX doesn't officially, but it does have a noticeable two-stage shutter release where, with a deft touch, one can flip the mirror before releasing the shutter itself.

Just doing a quick bit of Googling, apparently this "feature" varies considerably between individual cameras. Also, I'm not sure exactly how useful it is unless you can trigger it via a cable release.

Interestingly a few other cameras I have in my collection have the same "feature", namely an (extremely well used) Nikon F and, weirdly for an electronic shutter camera, an Olympus OM30.

 

[wiltw]

Always mystified me why the OM1n has a MLU yet the OM2n does not!

Simply because, for a period of time, manufacturers thought they could save costs of manufacturer by leaving out certain mechanical features...before they discovered the error of their ways for certain omitted features! They found the need for some 'feature' additions that substituted for mechanical MLU, like moving the mirror up early, when self-timer were activated. Software-controlled MLU in electronic cameras permitted resoration of user-controlled MLU without the costs associated with mechanical controls.

 

[MattKing]

Simply because, for a period of time, manufacturers thought they could save costs of manufacturer by leaving out certain mechanical features...before they discovered the error of their ways for certain omitted features! They found the need for some 'feature' additions that substituted for mechanical MLU, like moving the mirror up early, when self-timer were activated. Software-controlled MLU in electronic cameras permitted resoration of user-controlled MLU without the costs associated with mechanical controls.

See my posts #32 and #34 for likely reasons for not including it in the OM-2.

 

[benderscameracorner]

Don't forget the mid-to-late 1970s were a time of pretty significant change in how SLR cameras were being manufactured. SLR designs became much more compact and dense (thanks to the Olympus M1/OM1) while manufacturers (lead by Canon and the AE-1) sought to optimise the production process of the cameras themselves to save costs, through automation-friendly plastics and microcontroller-driven electronics.

It was a time of intense competition as manufacturers attempted to stand out in an increasingly saturated market with new (generally electronically-driven) features and competitive pricing.

I'd also wager leaving out less-utilised/less-marketable features like MLU also deliberately helped to differentiate model lines in the minds of the amateur and 'advanced-amateur consumer', and help convince customers to spend up on the higher-spec model.

As an aside, it is very interesting to see just how many minor changes manufacturers would do between production runs of a given model to simply construction and minimise costs. The original Nikon FM was only in production for five years yet they were changing stuff - shutter lock system and rewind knob to mention just two external changes - right from the off to save a few yen.