Praktica, and Miranda finds

jay moussy · Sep 27, 2020

spouse buys a rug at an estate sale, so while picking up I went to the side barn and found these two;

- Hanimex Pracktica nova 1b with a 1.8/50 Meyer Optik Oreston lens (M42, it seems)

- Miranda EE-2 with 1.8/50 Auto Miranda EC, with Kalimar Auto-T wide 2.8/35 of same lens mount (shallow bayonet).

The grand total, after haggling, was 15 dollars!

The Miranda is intriguing, even though the shutter speed dial is not catching. Still has a mercury battery in, that has not leaked that I can see. The side viewing system of the shutter speed is way cool!
The Pracktica seems to be a cheaper build, Lower shutter speeds are a bit iffy, which may be due to age or inactivity. Cloth shutter, hmm...

Conclusion: a lot to learn for the long winter months!

AgX · Sep 27, 2020

jay moussy said:
(M42, it seems)

With the Praktica the M42 mount actually was introduced in 1949!
(Its predesessor Praktiflex for a few months already had a 42mm thread mount, but with different flange-distance.)

Later the mount also got known as P-mount. It is said to mean Pentax-mount (M42), though it rather is Praktica-mount.
(Whether that term originates from Praktica or Pentax our anglo-american historically inclined fellows might tell.)

ALL Praktica thread-mounts are M42 mounts. Though over the years auto-diaphragm and as a "first" electrical aperture information for open-aperture TTL were added.

Nitroplait · Sep 27, 2020

That Miranda is a cool and unusual camera! Hope you can make it work.

Dan Fromm · Sep 27, 2020

Miranda SLR? Run away! Run away!

Several centuries ago a fellow in my dorm at Chicago got one. Endless trouble. A few years later one of my friends read a glowing review in Consumer Reports and bought one. CR loved the combination of features and price. Friend hated it for its general unreliability. So he got a second one, the better to have one working example in hand and another in the shop being made to work again. We went on a trip with his two working Mirandas. Both failed. He gave up and went Nikon. Nikkormat, like me, actually.

jay moussy · Sep 27, 2020

Nitroplait said:
That Miranda is a cool and unusual camera! Hope you can make it work.

Yes, there is a good amount going on this.
I found a reference to the loose shutter speed dial, not uncommon, and somewhat difficult to reset properly, in other words, and hopefully no broken parts?

@Dan Fromm when was that? The 'real' Miranda closed shop shortly after releasing the EE model, and it seems that a cheap outfit made more cameras under the name. This one is a cheap project, not more than that.

Paul Howell · Sep 27, 2020

I have a large collection of Miranda cameras, some early unmetered models, later models including the EEs. I picked Miranda as there are large number of bodies, until the very last model had interchangeable viewfinders, the early non metered bodies could use a number of focusing screens. The EE has bottom weighted average metering, and spot metering. About 6 to 7%. The weakness of the EE was that the meter used a sensor grid on the mirror, the slapping of the mirror will break the connection. All Mirandas used the same mount, but like Nikon and Minolta changes were made to accommodate to update the metering methold. The Sensormate models used an external connecting arm that told the mete how fast the lens was. The later EE modes uses the same mount but dropped the external arm for 3 pin system for shutter speed performance auto exposure. EE lens will not work on early models the 3rd pin is needed to stop the lens down to F 11 and 16. In addition to the bayonet mount, you will see and feel it on the inside of the mount a 44mm screw mount. This mount was used for long lens and bellows and is of course unmetered. The lens line up was meger, 25mm to 200mm, there are 3rd party with the 44mm screw mount for un metered 300 and 400 lens. If the meter is still active a 625 hearing aid battery will work. In terms of sharpness the lens are quite nice. Designed by Miranda most were made by lens specialty companies. AIC an American company out of Brookland owned Miranda and Soligiar. I've been told that towards the last Miranda did make lens, QC suffered. Miranda bellied up in 1977, it's last camera the Dx3 was complete mess. It was suppose to be a compact camera with an electronic shutter, dropped the interchangeable viewfinder and had a provision for a motor dive, took 4 button batteries to work, I have 2, both made a nice paper weight. Miranda made a few bodies that used M42 mount, the only real collectable was the Orion T a very early Japaneses SLR.

Paul Howell · Sep 27, 2020

jay moussy said:
Yes, there is a good amount going on this.
I found a reference to the loose shutter speed dial, not uncommon, and somewhat difficult to reset properly, in other words, and hopefully no broken parts?

@Dan Fromm when was that? The 'real' Miranda closed shop shortly after releasing the EE model, and it seems that a cheap outfit made more cameras under the name. This one is a cheap project, not more than that.

A English company bought the names Miranda and Petri and sold rebranded Chinon K bodies, nothing to do with the original Miranda.

Paul Howell · Sep 27, 2020

You can find additional information here, not much and last updated in 2004..

http://www.mirandacamera.com/

jay moussy · Sep 27, 2020

Thanks Paul.

I did see the Miranda metering wiring on or in the mirror, odd sight!

update: a hearing aid battery later, metering seems to work, and even though shutter dial does not click at positions, on "A" setting, different speeds get the viewfinder meter going in the expected direction. Ah.

Paul Howell · Sep 27, 2020

You move the shutter speed dial from from low speeds to high speeds by depressing the button on top of the dial. If someone forced the the dial with out depressing the button it may have stipped out an internal gear.

Dan Fromm · Sep 27, 2020

jay moussy said:
Yes, there is a good amount going on this.
I found a reference to the loose shutter speed dial, not uncommon, and somewhat difficult to reset properly, in other words, and hopefully no broken parts?

@Dan Fromm when was that? The 'real' Miranda closed shop shortly after releasing the EE model, and it seems that a cheap outfit made more cameras under the name. This one is a cheap project, not more than that.

Jay, the cameras I mentioned were all purchased in the 1960s. 1 Sensomat, 2 Sensorexes. "Real" Mirandas, junk all the way. But wonderful specifications.

George Mann · Sep 27, 2020

Paul Howell said:
You can find additional information here, not much and last updated in 2004..

http://www.mirandacamera.com/

The data on the website tells me that my first SLR was a Sensomat (one of the first 2 models).

I remember the stand alone shutter dial (with ASA), and having to stop down the lens for a meter reading.

I only remember having to press one button.

I got it from a neighbor for my birthday at the end of '72. He said that he had it for about 2 years prior to that.

Jim Jones · Sep 27, 2020

I bought a Miranda late in 1967 on the basis of ads and an advertised wide range of accessories (which I never saw for sale). Several little things soon failed, but a shipmate was willing to buy it cheaply. The three lenses seemed fine.

Konical · Sep 27, 2020

Good Evening,
I first bought a Miranda in the mid-'60's, an Fv model if I recall correctly. Later, I obtained several other Sensorex models and a few different lenses. Perhaps I was just lucky, but none of them caused any significant problems. Because the bodies accept both screw-mount and bayonet-mount lenses, they have a lot flexibility, although I never used any screw-mount lenses. One particularly worthwhile feature is the shutter-release which is squeezed into the body instead of being punched downward; I have often wondered why so few other SLR brands didn't adopt a similar arrangement. I still have a couple of the Sensorexes, one of which I regularly use with the Miranda Macron lens (ranges up to 1:1 without any extension tube) when I need to do 35mm copy work. While the Mirandas were probably never a good choice for high-volume professional use, mine have served me well.

Konical

Paul Howell · Sep 27, 2020

The inner screw mount is 44mm, not 42, 44mm lens are somewhat hard to find. Miranda did make a couple of M42 bodies, labeled both as Miranda and Soiligar. The earlier models have the shutter release on the front of body, the later EE had a more typical release on top. Oddly, Swiss Alpa, Topcon D, and Petri had the front mounted shutter release. I think the earlier bodies are more reliable, I have not used any of my bodies in while, but use the lens on a Sony bottom feeder E body with adaptor. Of all the early zooms, the Konica 70 to 200 3.5 is pretty good performer for the day. With a high magnification or waist level finder Miranda was a good choice for micro or telescope work.

Paul Howell · Sep 27, 2020

Another thought, the direct competitor of Miranda EE was the Konica T, T2, 3, 4 and A A3, shutter preferred auto exposure. While lacking interchangeable viewfinder, much better lens selection and build quality that the EE. I shoot with a T3 or 4 once or twice a month.

AgX · Sep 27, 2020

Konical said:
One particularly worthwhile feature is the shutter-release which is squeezed into the body instead of being punched downward; I have often wondered why so few other SLR brands didn't adopt a similar arrangement.

Well, the OP's Miranda does not have that feature, but his Praktica has.

jay moussy · Sep 27, 2020

AgX said:
Well, the OP's Miranda does not have that feature, but his Praktica has.

Yes it does!

@Paul Howell mentions Konica, in above post #16.
Funny, I also bought a Konica Autoreflex A on impulse, or feel, not long ago. This (1970?) preceded the Miranda by a few years. Maybe something is dragging me back in time..?

Paul Howell · Sep 27, 2020

The A was very nice camera, stipped down T, 1/500 of second top shutter speed, no self timer or mirror lock up, same metering and shutter speed auto exposure as the T. Konica lens, some of the best made, the Konica 57 1.7 was used by the Japanese Government as the bench mark to test lens. I don't think Konica ever made a dog of a lens. I started with a Spotmatic, got a T, with a 57 1.2, 28 3.5 and 100 .28, sold it to get a Nikon F with motor drive. I think the Konica lens were as good if not better than any Nikon lenes I ever had. Told by the Konica Rep that the reason Konica did not make a motor drive for the T, 2 and 3 was the meter was slow to keep with a motor drive. The T4 has a winder, not very fast. But, Konica was the first with an integrated motor winder in a standard body the FS-1. Another feature of the T ,2, 3, was flash syn was 125th.

AgX · Sep 28, 2020

So far I have only come across two or three samples in the last ten years. If I would buy one it would be just for their look, a sample from F or G series or an Automex. One lens with miranda mmount I already got.

jay moussy · Sep 28, 2020

It looks like some Pentax users, and others are quite fond of the Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Oreston lens that came with the above Pracktica nova.
Could it be that vintage lenses have more character than, say, a more recent issue, optimized to the point of perfection blandness, high predictability?

Speaking of which, there is a Grand Marquis for sale at the corner garage...

Praktica, and Miranda finds

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