Mamiya Six
The Mamiya Six was a series of 6x6 folders with a coupled rangefinder, made by Mamiya from 1940 to the 1950s. All of them were focused by moving the film plane. Some had Zuiko lenses.
List of models:
- Mamiya Six I
- Mamiya Six IA
- Mamiya Six II
- Mamiya Six III
- Mamiya Six IV
- Mamiya Six IVB
- Mamiya Six IVS
- Mamiya Six V
- Mamiya Six K
- Mamiya Six KII
- Mamiya Six P
- Mamiya Six Automat
- Mamiya Six Automat 2
The Mamiya Six I, II and III were wartime and immediate postwar models, and had both eye-level and waist-level finders. The coupled rangefinder was combined with the eye-level finder. As a result, there were three windows at the front of the top housing. The Mamiya Six III added an exposure counter with double exposure prevention.
With the Mamiya Six IV, introduced in 1947, the waist-level finder disappeared. It remained the sole model until 1953. The Mamiya Six V added the dual 6×6 and 4.5×6 format capability, with an exposure counter functioning with both formats. The Mamiya Six K was a simpler model, with film advance via red windows.
In 1955, the Mamiya Six IVB introduced a squarer body design, easily recognized by the square rangefinder window. Its features were similar to the model IV. The Mamiya Six K2 was similar to the model K with the new body. The body design was slightly modified again for the Mamiya Six IVS and simpler Mamiya Six P.
From 1955, the Mamiya Six Automat and the later Automat 2 added a coupling between the shutter cocking and the film advance.
Links
In English:
- Mamiya history page at Ron Herron's Mamiya 35mm site
- Mamiya Six page in English and in Japanese at Cosmonet Classic Camera
- Mamiya Six at medfmt
In Japanese:
- The Mamiya Six models at the Mamiya official history site (important resource)
- Mamiya Six K2 and Mamiya Six IV at Japan Family Camera
- Mamiya Six IV at Aya's camera site
- Mamiya Six K at Minosan's blog
- Mamiya Six K at Tak's Page
- A page about folders with a Mamiya Six Automat, at Nekosan's website
- Mamiya Six IVB repair notes at Takasaki Motohiro's camera repair page
- Mamiya Six repair notes at Kan's Room