question about Miranda macro lens

[Paul Howell]

I don't have the lens, one of the few I don't have, but I found a few old sales pamphlets from the 70s. One lists all of the auto lens for the Sensorex including a 52mm 2.8 macro, but either a misprint or a lens design that I can't wrap my head around, states 6 groups with 4 elements. The other lens listed all seem to be correct. The Miranda collectors page does not have lens listed.

 

[snapguy]

It would appear Miranda made the "macron" 52mm f2.8 lens to fit only a lab camera, the Mirax, something to use if you wanted to photograph Mars or something. They also made two different 55mm f3.5 lenses for use here on earth.

 

[Paul Howell]

At the moment I cant scan the page, "weighing on 260 gr (9oz) the Miranda Macron focuses from infinity on down to 6cm (2 1/2") from the subject to the front of lens giving a sand image on the film (1:1) Subjects as small as 2.5 x 4 cm (1" x 1 1/2") can be reproduced in actual size, as as landscapes in a long distance."

Does not seem to be lab camera lens, general purpose. Even a lad lens, there must be more or same number of elements as groups.

 

[Konical]

Good Evening, PDH,

I have a 52mm Miranda Macron lens which I still use when I need to do occasional 35mm copy work. I bought it back in the 1970's for my Miranda Fv; it functions perfectly now on my Miranda Sensorex. It is a pre-set lens, but that's no problem at all for the kind of work I do with it. I have no information on the number of elements or groups, but six elements in four groups sounds about right. I know that it produces excellent results. As you note, it can achieve 1:1 without any extension tubes. I don't use mine very often, but it's one lens I think I'll keep forever.

Konical

 

[Paul Howell]

Good Evening, PDH,

I have a 52mm Miranda Macron lens which I still use when I need to do occasional 35mm copy work. I bought it back in the 1970's for my Miranda Fv; it functions perfectly now on my Miranda Sensorex. It is a pre-set lens, but that's no problem at all for the kind of work I do with it. I have no information on the number of elements or groups, but six elements in four groups sounds about right. I know that it produces excellent results. As you note, it can achieve 1:1 without any extension tubes. I don't use mine very often, but it's one lens I think I'll keep forever.

Konical

My Miranda lens seem to be sharp and good users, not quite as sharp as Konica, but a close call.

 

[jayhorton]

I don't have the lens, one of the few I don't have, but I found a few old sales pamphlets from the 70s. One lists all of the auto lens for the Sensorex including a 52mm 2.8 macro, but either a misprint or a lens design that I can't wrap my head around, states 6 groups with 4 elements. The other lens listed all seem to be correct. The Miranda collectors page does not have lens listed.

I do realize this thread is over ten years old, but I HAVE this lens, although in Sensomat mount, not Sensorex. I have tons of old Miranda lit, but none mentions this lens, do you still have this? This lens seems to be so rare there is almost no information available about it?

 

[choiliefan]

Anyone know who manufactured Miranda lenses. Was it Soligor or?

 

[Paul Howell]

Miranda designed their own lens and contracted out for manufacturer, Soligor was owned the AIC the parent company who also owned Miranda just rebranded various 3rd party lens. I have a 35mm 2.8 in both Miranda mounts, EE and standard and a Soligor in EE, they are not the same lens. Over the years I have seen posts and an old artical in Modern Photo that said in the last few years Miranda was making lens for the DX, I have never found a confirmation. AIC also contgracted out for computer deisgned lens, called CD, although some claim CD is for Compact Design, I have a couple in Konica mount, nothing compact about them, heavy and large but some fast. I have the 35mm to 70mm 3.5 Zoom, heavy lens and large.



I do realize this thread is over ten years old, but I HAVE this lens, although in Sensomat mount, not Sensorex. I have tons of old Miranda lit, but none mentions this lens, do you still have this? This lens seems to be so rare there is almost no information available about it?
I will need to look to see if still have the flyer, at this point I dont recall if the 50mm macro was in Sesnormate or Sesorex mount. Reminds me to dig out a couple of Mirdana bodies to see if they still work, has been years that I last shot with one.

 

[jayhorton]

As stated above, " Soligor," never manufactured anything, it was a trademark of AIC corp, initially for sales in Europe. There is some evidence that Miranda did make lenses early on, but once AIC got ahold of it, it was all about the profit margin.

 

[jayhorton]

Two poor quality phone pics of my Macro Miranda 52mm/2.8. It cleaned up very nicely.

 

[Paul Howell]

I have a number of Miranda 50mm, 1.7, 1.9 and 1.4, all are fine performers, I have a Miranda bellows, and a set of extension tubes but have not seen a bellows short barrel lens for it, either 50 or 100. The other lens I have not seen is the 180 2.8 in EE mount.

 

[blee1996]

I only have the 50/1.4 that comes with my Sensorex. The lens performs well and on par with good 50mm lenses of that era. For one, the build quality is on a very high level.

 

[Paul Howell]

Miranda build quietly was good, what is an ongoing issue is the Sensormate and EE, the meter was build into the mirror. You can see the pattern etched on the mirror. It is heavy bottom weighted, so not so accurate in portrait orientation. The largest issue Ive found is that the slap of the mirror over time the connections are damaged. Other issue is that although the Mirdanda mout dates back to the 50s, when the EE mount was introudced the apature of the older lens will work on the EE, not even in manaul exposure mode. But the EE does have spot metering. The lens rage of the EE was limited, 25 to 200mm, there are 3rd party 300 and 400 lens that used the 44mm inter screw mount in stop down apature mode.

 

[Dan Fromm]

Interesting comments in posts 12 and 13 above about Miranda build quality. One of my friends brought two Sensorexes back from Vietnam. They were both horribly unreliable. If I recall correctly, that was the consensus on Miranda cameras in the late '70s and early '80s. Rich in features, priced very competitively, very fragile.

That friend has a Miranda Macron. He loved it in spite of the bodies, gave me hell because my humble 55/3.5 MicroNikkor would not focus to 1:1 on its own mount. After a disastrous joint shooting outing -- both Sensorexes died, my lowly Nikkormat didn't -- he went Nikon and discovered that 27.5 mm extension tubes weren't inventions of the devil.

 

[Paul Howell]

I have a number of early unmetered models that still work just fine, I have one EE that is (was as I not used in maybe 10 years) fine, 2 that not working, with one the film advance is not working, the other meter is wonky. The last model, the DX 3 was horrible, so unreliable it drove AIC out of business. It used 4 button batteries. Although it only provided manual exposure it only metered with EE lens. I have one, worked for a few days, could not get a full roll of film out of it before the shutter failed. Miranda left the market in the 80s but in the UK the brand name was bought and used on rebaged Chinon or Cosina, I forget which.

In the new few I will dig out my Mirandas out of the bottom of the storage box and see if any still work.

 

[dynachrome]

I checked my Miranda macro lens. It's a Macron 50mm f/3.5 EC. I think this was the last model made. Have I ever used it? I'm not sure. I now see that earlier Miranda macro lenses are probably more collectible. My modest Miranda collection does not get much use. Back in 1971, when I got my first good camera, I came inches away from buying a Miranda Autosensorex EE. I was intrigued by the removable finder. I got a Konica Autoreflex T2 instead and the rest is history.

 

[Paul Howell]

Konica T to T 4 are much better cameras. I use my Konicas quite often, not so much for the Miranda's. In the new few days I will dig out a Miranda, a few lens and run a roll of film though it.