Mamiya Super Deluxe

R

Rich Silfver

Guest
Went to a camera fair today and ofcourse couldn't leave without taking something with me back home...there was the really nice looking Zeiss Ikon camera - but the advance lever felt too stiff, there was an amazing looking Topcon (SLR) camera that I REALLY liked but the asking price was a bit too much...

BUT..found an EXCELLENT condition Mamiya Super Deluxe - and excellent in both apperance as well as in function (the meter is spot-on!).
Asking price was 85 dollars but ended up getting it for 60 :)

The Mamiya Super Deluxe is a fixed-lens, leaf-shutter rangefinder camera from the mid-60's. It features an matching-needle meter that is visible inside the viewfinder - as well as on top of the camera.
It also have a on-off switch for the meter on the back.

It was released in three versions;

In mid-1964 came:
1) Version I - Mamiya-Kominar 48/2.0 lens (Copal-SVE shutter)
2) Version II - Mamiya-Sekor 48/1.7 (Copal-SVE shutter)

In late 1964 came:
3) Version III - Mamiya-Sekor 48/1.5 (Copal-SVE shutter)

Mine is Version II - and it's already loaded up with a roll of Tri-X 400 :)

Appearance-wise it struck me how much it resemles the Olympus 35LC/LE cameras. But as they are all Japanese rangefinder cameras produced in the 60's any similarities are easy to understand.

Here are some photos of my newly acquired Japanese Rangefinder:

Front View:
 
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And finally the top-side that shows the meter (line up the needle in the middle and your expsure is correct).
 
that looks like a fun camera.
hard to beat the fun of a new toy, isn't it?
i like the meter window on top, too bad more cameras were not made this way.
i assume we will be seeing some pics made with it soon...

joe
 
Joe, yes new toys are indeed fun!
I'm hoping to finish the roll in it this week and get some nocturnal photos on the roll as well for the April theme. The 1.7 lens should do well in low light.

I even got a matching black metal lens hood for it so it's all dressed up and ready to go :)
 
Interesting - we have very similar interests! I have three of them now - including one auction I won just this morning. I have a 1.7 and a 1.5 - but neither one work! One just has a stuck shutter (and winder is frozen) and the other has a stuck shutter and the aperture blades are wrecked (of course it was advertised on eBay as 'works fine'). The 1.5 lens is a MONSTER! I think it's actually bigger than the Yashica Lynx 1.4. Yours looks better than mine physically, and I'm sure glad that yours actually works. I've been wanting a (working) Super Deluxe for awhile - I'm actually going to send my 1.5 in to have it repaired soon.

Anyway, congrats on a great camera! Post some photos!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
Bill, also funny you should mention the Lynx 1.4 - I've been looking for a good version of the 1.4 IC version for a few weeks now ;-) Got another couple of cameras on my radar but I'm 'hurrying slowly' :)

The Super Deluxe is, as I mentioned earlier, very similar to Olympus' 35LC (which is actually one of the models I find most appealing (I have two that works and looks great!).

Here's a couple of snaps of them for comparison to the Mamiya Super Deluxe:
 
..and the top of it...:
 
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Hmm..found my own old thread about the Mamiya Super Deluxe and now I feel that I need to take it out again :)
 
Hmmmm ... I'm surprised that I missed this thread. The quest for one of them is what brought me here to RFF some time ago.

This was my first "real" camera when I was back in high school. I sold it a few years later and have been kicking myself for that ever since. I finally got a working one again about a year ago.

I feel that I need to take it out again
Click to expand...

Then go4it!

I know it doesn't say "Leica" on it, and it's larger than the GIII, but it performs very well and it's fun to shoot with. I'm planning on trying some Kodachrome in it this weekend. :)
 
dmr said:
I know it doesn't say "Leica" on it, and it's larger than the GIII, but it performs very well and it's fun to shoot with. I'm planning on trying some Kodachrome in it this weekend. :)
Click to expand...

I think I'll check out the battery tonight and if all is in working order it may just be one of my weekend cameras. Maybe I'll do a 'fixed lens camera'-weekend with the Mamiya Super Deluxe and an Oly 35SP/SPn/UC.
Fun.
 
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